Yin-Ku Lin
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Keelung
Taiwan
Title: Indigo naturalis, a traditional chinese herb, using in treating nail psoriasis indigo naturalis, a traditional chinese herb, using in treating nail psoriasis
Biography
Biography: Yin-Ku Lin
Abstract
Indigo naturalis has been used to treat skin psoriasis topically in Taiwan for years and has demonstrated significant improvements in skin psoriatic symptoms. Indigo naturalis has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to treat various inflammatory and infectious diseases, including psoriasis. Recently, a refined formula was developed from indigo naturalis and extracted in olive oil, Lindioil. To evaluate its effect on nail psoriasis, we conducted a randomized, observer-blind, intra-subject comparison trial to compare indigo naturalis extract in oil (Lindioil) to calcipotriol solution. Lindioil or calcipotriol was applied topically to 28 subjects’ two bilaterally symmetrical psoriatic nails twice daily for 24 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by single hand Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (shNAPSI) for five nails on one hand and modified target NAPSI (mtNAPSI) for the single most severely affected nail. The subject and physician’s global assessments (SGA and PGA, respectively) were measured at week 24. At week 24, the mixed-effect model revealed significant interactions between groups and time in shNAPSI (P < .0001) and mtNAPSI scores (P < .0001). The reductions in shNAPSI and mtNAPSI scores for the Lindioil group (49.5 ± 26.21%, 77.9 ± 16.41%) were superior to the calcipotriol group (24.9 ± 27.67%, 65.4 ± 17.27%). The subject and physician’s global assessments showed similar results and no adverse events were observed. This indicates that Lindioil is superior to calcipotriol and is a novel, safe and effective therapy for treating nail psoriasis for long-term use. Lindioil is the first botanical drug that demonstrates improvement in nail psoriasis.