Topical Application of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of Allium porrum L. as a Novel Treatment for Common Warts based on Persian Medicine

Background: Common warts are the infectious viral diseases that occur in the epidermal layer of skin and are transmitted through skin contact. They are caused by a diverse range of human papillomaviruses (HPV). So, there is no vaccine or definite anti-viral medication for the prevention of this disease. Also, the treatments of common warts often have some limitations and numerous side effects as well as the risk of recurrence or superficial spreading. Persian medicine is one of the oldest traditional medicines which described common warts as a kind of skin disease and recommended several herbal medicines like Allium porrum L. for the treatment of this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of the aerial parts of Allium porrum L. on common warts. Methods: In this study, five patients with common warts on their hands were included. The hydroalcoholic extract of Allium porrum L. were applied on the site of the lesion just for 2 hours every day over a three-week period. The patients were followed up for 18 weeks to check any case of recurrence. Results: After completing the treatment, the wart lesions in all five patients were completely healed within three weeks. During the follow-up phase (18 weeks), no case of recurrence was observed. Conclusion: This study shows that the topical application of hydroalcoholic extract of Allium porrum L. has therapeutic effects for common warts. Since the extract is cost-effective, without complications and highly accepted by the patients, it seems that it can be further investigated in future studies.