Absorption of Herbinol—A Polyherbal Topical Cream

Abstract

Objective:

To determine serum absorption concentrations of two bioactive chemical markers (munjistin and rottlerin) of Herbinol, a topical polyherbal antiseptic cream.

Design:

Topical application of Herbinol cream on the back of albino rats on hair-free skin.

Study:

Serum concentrations of munjistin and rottlerin were estimated after application of Herbinol on the backs of the rats at 0,1, 2,3,4, and 24 hours and concentrations were quantified by high-performance-thin-layer chromatography. The validity of the procedure was verified by recovery studies by adding a known concentration of standards to drug-free serum.

Results:

Peak serum concentrations of both munjistin and rottlerin were observed two hours after topical application of Herbinol and the concentrations measured were 122 ± 5.8 ng/mL of rottlerin and 38 ± 3.2 ng/mL of munjistin. At these concentrations both compounds showed antimicrobial effects.

Conclusions:

The absorption studies performed with the topical antiseptic polyherbal cream Herbinol showed quantifiable serum concentrations of rottlerin and munjistin two hours after application. Both the markers showed antimicrobial efficacy at the measured concentrations and thus have clinical significance. This is a preliminary report on absorption studies of a polyherbal drug.