Effects of medicinal plants on the Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a skin disease that has been known about for at least 5000 years, but little has been done to understand its causes or to evaluate possible treatment. It is not a painful condition and perhaps that is why it is often trivialized and left untreated. Vitiligo is characterized by depigmented areas of skin. There are several different theories One theory is that people develop antibodies that destroy the melanocytes in their own bodies. Another theory is that melanocytes destroy themselves finally some people have reported that a single event such as sunburn or emotional distress triggered vitiligo. Epidemiological studies suggest that several genes may be involved, as well as environmental factors. Or demonstration of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and their activation status in site in active vitiligo is one of the reasons. Medicinal plants have been used for treatment of different disorders particulary vitiligo. Invitro and Invivo research on various medicinal plants which used in traditional medicine of Iran have characterized secondary metabolites of plants (e.g. Polysacharide, Flavonoid, Tannin, Saponin, Lignin, Alkaloid …) which are responsible for this effect with different mechanisms. This paper will discuss about some medicinal plants which have been used by our great scientists Razi and Sina for treatment of vitiligo, and some plants used by people for remedy of this disease.