A Study of the Clinical Efficacy and Safety of 20% Cassia Alata Extract Against Tinea Versicolor

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to establish the efficacy of Cassia alata extract as a cream form in treating tinea versicolor (liver spots/shifting clouds). The main questions the study aims to answer are:• Does the use of this extract help resolve tinea versicolor better than no treatment? Does the use of this cream have significant side effects i.e, is it safe? Participants will be asked to treat a designated area while leaving additional areas untreated. 1-2 finger tip units of cream will be applied to the treatment site twice daily at least 8 hours apart. Participants will attend the trial clinic every 4 weeks for 12 weeks.

Timeline

Start

2025-03-01

Primary completion

2026-01-31

Completion

2026-12-30

Publications

• Background Kallini JR, Riaz F, Khachemoune A. Tinea versicolor in dark-skinned individuals. Int J Dermatol. 2014 Feb;53(2):137-41. doi: 10.1111/ijd.12345. Epub 2013 Dec 10.
• Background Gupta AK, Lyons DC. Pityriasis versicolor: an update on pharmacological treatment options. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2014 Aug;15(12):1707-13. doi: 10.1517/14656566.2014.931373. Epub 2014 Jul 3.
• Background Palanichamy S, Nagarajan S. Antifungal activity of Cassia alata leaf extract. J Ethnopharmacol. 1990 Jul;29(3):337-40. doi: 10.1016/0378-8741(90)90043-s. No abstract available.
• Background Agarwal SK, Singh SS, Verma S, Kumar S. Antifungal activity of anthraquinone derivatives from Rheum emodi. J Ethnopharmacol. 2000 Sep;72(1-2):43-6. doi: 10.1016/s0378-8741(00)00195-1.
• Background Barros Cota B, Batista Carneiro de Oliveira D, Carla Borges T, Cristina Catto A, Valverde Serafim C, Rogelis Aquiles Rodrigues A, Kohlhoff M, Leomar Zani C, Assuncao Andrade A. Antifungal activity of extracts and purified saponins from the rhizomes of Chamaecostus cuspidatus against Candida and Trichophyton species. J Appl Microbiol. 2021 Jan;130(1):61-75. doi: 10.1111/jam.14783. Epub 2020 Jul 29.
• Background Zhang D, Fu Y, Yang J, Li XN, San MM, Oo TN, Wang Y, Yang X. Triterpenoids and Their Glycosides from Glinus Oppositifolius with Antifungal Activities against Microsporum Gypseum and Trichophyton Rubrum. Molecules. 2019 Jun 12;24(12):2206. doi: 10.3390/molecules24122206.
• Background Damodaran S, Venkataraman S. A study on the therapeutic efficacy of Cassia alata, Linn. leaf extract against Pityriasis versicolor. J Ethnopharmacol. 1994 Mar;42(1):19-23. doi: 10.1016/0378-8741(94)90018-3.
• Background Thamlikitkul V, Bunyapraphatsara N, Dechatiwongse T, Theerapong S, Chantrakul C, Thanaveerasuwan T, Nimitnon S, Boonroj P, Punkrut W, Gingsungneon V, et al. Randomized controlled trial of Cassia alata Linn. for constipation. J Med Assoc Thai. 1990 Apr;73(4):217-22.
• Background Kaneko T, Makimura K, Onozaki M, Ueda K, Yamada Y, Nishiyama Y, Yamaguchi H. Vital growth factors of Malassezia species on modified CHROMagar Candida. Med Mycol. 2005 Dec;43(8):699-704. doi: 10.1080/13693780500130564.

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Indications