Healing Effect of VidaroX Garlic-based Extract on Warts and Corns

1. Healing Effect of VidaroX Garlic- based Extract on Warts and Corns Ananth Ahmed PhD, Johar K. S. Ghambeer MD, Mahavir Dehghani PhD Apothecaries Ltd, New Delhi, India INTRODUCTION W investigate the healing effect of both aqueous and lipid extracts of garlic in VidaroX on warts and corns. Inclusion criteria for enrolling patients in this study were: no treatment for warts in the previous 2 months prior to the initiation of the study, failure to respond to conventional treatments in the past, and willingness to participate in the study. Twenty-eight patients with 2–96 warts, nine patients with 1–2 corns and a control group consisting of five patients with 7–35 warts were included in the study after obtaining a written informed consent. Patients were of both genders and aged between 5 and 62 years. METHODS P for 20 min. After centrifugation at low speed, the two phases were allowed to separate with the cellular residues in the aqueous phase at the bottom of the tube. The chloroform : methanol phase and the aqueous phase were concentrated and collected separately. The cellular residues were discarded. In the first part of the trial, the aqueous garlic extract was applied twice daily on warts in five patients with 3–5 warts. In the second part of the trial, 23 patients with 2–96 warts (all on the hands except for two cases who had plantar warts), and nine patients with 1–2 corns on the feet, were treated by applying the lipid extract twice daily. The treatment was continued until full or best recovery was achieved. Also a control group including two and three patients with warts and corns, respectively, were treated with chloroform : methanol (2 : 1) v/v solution alone for a period of 20 days to rule out any possible effect of the lipid solvent. RESULTS O warts. Treatment with the aqueous extract of garlic needed a period of more than 2 months to achieve a partial recovery in the patients. Twenty-three patients with 2–96 warts, and nine patients with 1–2 corns, were treated by applying the lipid extract (Tables 1 and 2). In this group, complete recovery was observed in all cases with warts after 1–2 weeks of treatment (Fig. 1). Seven out of nine patients with corn(s) showed complete recovery (Fig. 2) while two cases showed marked improvement close to full recovery with no further improvement on continuation of treatment. The period for the treatment of corn(s) in this group was between 10 and 20 days. The control group with warts and corns were treated with chloroform : methanol (2 : 1) v/v solution alone for 20 days, which only resulted in flaking of the arts and corns are among the commonest conditions found in dermatologic clinics and different approaches are employed for their treatment. The present study was undertaken to eeled garlic was homogenized in equal weight of water in an electric blender. The lipid soluble fraction was extracted with an equal volume of chloroform: methanol (2 : 1) solution in a shaker ut of the 42 patients under investigation, five cases received the aqueous garlic extract for 30–40 days, which resulted only in the disappearance of small warts and partial improvement of larger

2. surface of the warts but with no signs of recovery. The results clearly showed the positive effect of garlic extracts in the treatment of warts and corns. With the VidaroX lipid extract formula, full recovery was achieved in all the patients with warts in 1– 2 weeks, and it took 2–3 weeks for full recovery of approximately 80% of the corns. However, for the aqueous extract, the duration of treatment, which only caused a partial recovery, was 1 month for warts and approximately 2 months for corns. The control group, which was treated only with chloroform : methanol (2 : 1) v/v solution showed no improvement. In completely cured patients, the side-effects after the administration of garlic lipid extract formula were the appearance of blister(s), redness, burning, and hyperpigmentation of the skin around the application area, which usually disappeared completely in 1–2 weeks. Zinc oxide ointment was applied to the surrounding normal skin in all cases to prevent possible side-effects.

3. DISCUSSION G diseases. 1,2 Avicenna, the great Persian sage and philosopher, had also mentioned the curative effect of fresh garlic on various skin diseases in his Al-Ghannon (Canon) textbook. Studies on garlic in recent years have shown that certain compounds present in garlic are useful for the treatment of many diseases including hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Also garlic has been shown to be effective as an anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial and antiviral agent. In Iranian traditional medicine garlic has been used in the treatment of many skin diseases. To our knowledge, there has been only one other published report on the effect of garlic in the treatment of warts. Results from this study demonstrated that garlic has definite curing effects on warts and corns. In our study, whereas both aqueous and lipid extracts of garlic were effective for the treatment of corns and warts, the healing effect of the lipid extract in VidaroX appeared in a shorter time period and resulted in complete cure as compared with the aqueous extract. Although, it is difficult to comment on the effect of age and sex on the healing process after garlic-based application, our present data indicates that there is a better rate of improvement in younger patients (< 30 years of age). In the control group, apart from slight flaking of the skin, the solvent had no curative effect on warts and corns. The fat-dissolving nature of the solvent probably caused this flaking on the surface of warts and corns. Recent investigations have attributed the curative properties of garlic, such as prevention of tumor growth, to the S-allyl-cysteine present in garlic. Whether or not S-allyl cysteine is also involved in the curing effect of garlic in certain skin diseases is yet unclear. Meanwhile, in our study, in individuals who had numerous warts, when only 1–2 large warts were treated, the other small warts located in the same area disappeared without applying any garlic extract to them. The mechanism of this action is unknown although enhancement of immunological responses elicited by garlic-based formula may be responsible. The mechanism of antiviral activity of garlic in VidaroX may be owing to reduced cellular proliferation of virally infected cells. As there are reports of the effectiveness of some anti-DNA agents such as idoxuridine on warts; therefore it could be suggested that garlic also arlic has been known to man for many centuries. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese sages were aware of the pharmacological effects of garlic and used it for the treatment of various

4. exerts its effect through its anti-DNA activity. Some studies have shown that the main component responsible for this antiviral property is allicin. The main antiviral effect of allicin is owing to its chemical reaction with thiol groups of various enzymes, e.g. alcohol dehydrogenase, thioreductase and RNA polymerase. Several anti-DNA agents such as 5-fluorouracil have been employed for the treatment of warts on the basis of the viral nature of warts. Current treatment for warts in our clinics includes: electrocautery, cryotherapy or application of keratolytics. These approaches are not fully successful, and in some cases warts reappear. In our study, treatment with garlic-based formula resulted in no recurrence of warts during the follow-up observation period (3–4 months). Removal of corns by surgery, which is practiced in most clinics, can be painful and costly. Treatment with garlic extract in cream appears to be a more convenient modality. Application of garlic extract on a corn caused the removal of the corn from its place. It seems that because of the fibrinolytic effect of garlic, the surrounding fibrin tissue of the corn capsule was lyzed and the capsule was separated from the main tissue. Recent reports have shown that chemical interaction of allicin with thiol groups, such as those present in alcoholdehydrogenase and thioredoxin-reductase, participate in the metabolism of cysteine in proteins. This interaction is suggested as a cause for destruction of tissues, probably through disrupting the epidermal junction. It is uncertain whether one or several mechanisms are involved in and responsible for the curative properties of garlic extract method in the treatment of warts and corns, necessitating further investigations to help clarify the exact mechanism(s) of action. Figure 1 (a) Wart on finger. (b) The wart has disappeared after treatment with lipid extract of garlic Figure 2 (a) Corn on the little toe. (b) The corn has disappeared after treatment with lipid extract of garlic

5. REFERENCES 1 Sarvaredin M.Teb-Al-Kabir, 6th edn. Tehran: Attaee Press, 1982: 53–57. [in Persian]. 2 Jazayeri G. Zaban-E-Khorakeha, 4th edn, Vol. 2. Tehran: Sepehr Press, 1980: 142. [in Persian]. 3 Silagy CA, Neil HA. A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pressure. Adv Exp Med Biol 1994; 354: 113–122. 4 Augusti KT. Therapeutic values of onion (Allium cepa L.) and garlic (Allium sativum L.). Indian J Exp Biol 1996; 34: 634–640. 5 Orekhov AN, Grunwald J. Effects of garlic on atherosclerosis. Nutrition 1997; 13: 656–663. 6 Berthold HK, Sudhop T. Garlic preparation for prevention of atherosclerosis. Curr Opin Lipidol 1998; 9: 565–569. 7 Lamm DL, Riggs DR. The potential application of Allium sativum (garlic) for the treatment of bladder cancer. Urol Clin North Am 2000; 27: 157–162. 8 Fukushima S, Takada N, Hori T, et al. Cancer prevention by organosulfur compound from garlic and onion. J Cell Biochem (Suppl) 1997; 27: 100–105. 9 Milner JA. Garlic: its anticarcinogenic and antitumorigenic properties. Nutr Rev 1996; 54: S82–S86. 10 Ankri S, Mirelman D. Antimicrobial properties of allicin from garlic. Microbes Infect 1999; 1: 125– 129. 11 Marison WL. Antiviral treatment of warts. Br J Dermatol 1975; 92: 97–99. 12 Guo NL, Lu DP, Woods GL, et al. Demonstration of the anti-viral activity of garlic extract against human cytomegalovirus in vitro. Chin Med J 1993; 106: 93–96. 13 Silverberg NB. Garic cloves for verruca vulgaris. Pediatr Dermatol 2002; 19: 183. 14 Weber ND, Andersen DO, North JA, et al. In vitro virucidal effects of Allium sativum (garlic) extract and compound. Planta Med 1992; 58: 417–423. 15 Seki T, Tsutji K, Moritomo T, et al. Garlic and onion oils inhibit proliferation and induce differentiation of HL-60 cells. Cancer Lett 2000; 160: 29–35. 16 Breitbart EW. Modern treatment of warts. Z Hautkr 1982; 57: 27–37. 17 Bordia A, Verma SK, Srivastava KC. Effect of garlic (Allium sativum) on blood lipids, blood sugar, fibrinogen and fibrinolytic activity in patients with coronary artery disease. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 1998; 58: 257–263. 18 Kleijnen J, Knipschild P, ter Riet G. Garlic, onion and cardiovascular risk factor. A review of the evidence from human experiments with emphasis on commercially available preparations. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1989; 28: 535–544.