Development and evaluation of antimicrobial herbal formulations containing the methanolic extract of Cassia alata for skin diseases

Herbal remedies for skin care with antibacterial and antifungal activities are prepared from a variety of plant parts such as leaves, stem, root, bark and fruits. These medicines are administered topically and may be applied in the form of cream, lotion, soap, sap, solvent extract and ointment, and have been established to possess antimicrobial properties[1]. The delivery of drugs through the skin has long been a promising concept because of the ease of access, large surface area, vast exposure to the circulatory and lymphatic networks and non-invasive nature of the treatment. Along with other dosage forms, herbal drugs are also formulated in form of ointment. An ointment is a viscous semisolid preparation used topically on a variety of body surfaces. These include the skin and the mucus membranes of the eye, vagina, anus, and nose. An ointment may or may not be medicated. Medicated ointments contain a medicament dissolved, suspended or emulsified in the base. Ointments are used topically for several purposes, e.g., protectants, antiseptics, emollients, antipruritic keratolytics and astringents. Ointment bases are mainly anhydrous and generally contain one or more medicaments in suspension, solution or dispersion. Ointment bases may be hydrocarbon (oleaginous), absorption bases, water removable and water soluble type[2]. Cassia alata family Fabaceae (C. alata), is a pan tropical PEER REVIEW ABSTRACT