Formulation of Herbal Anti-Inflammatory Cream Combining Barringtonia racemosa, Curcuma longa and Phyllanthus amarus Extracts

Abstract

Phyllanthus amarus, Barringtonia racemosa and Curcuma longa are well-known herbal plants with anti-inflammatory activity that are used in traditional medicine. An attempt was made first to determine the in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the combination of methanolic extracts of dried leaves P. amarus and B. racemosa and fresh juice of C. longa rhizome first and then to formulate a cream incorporating the best combination. Anti-inflammatory activity was measured by observing heatinduced egg albumin denaturation while keeping diclofenac sodium as a positive control. The methanolic extracts of leaves P. amarus and B. racemosa and fresh juice of rhizomes of C. longa have been shown 53.86 %, 57.21% and 57.53% inhibition of protein denaturation at the concentration of 1 mg/mL individually, but the combination of extracts in the ratio of 1:1:8 showed inhibition of 66.73%. The selected combination was then incorporated into the formulated cream and the antiinflammatory activity, physicochemical characteristics and stability were measured. 5.0% (w/w) herbal cream exhibited an inflammatory activity of about 41.31% upon testing and showed stability for about one month. A combination of plant extract has augmented their anti-inflammatory effects than using them alone and the developed herbal cream may be a cost-effective alternative for locally applied antiinflammatory formulations available.