Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Natural medicines are intriguing, which have been the foundation of human healthcare for thousands of years, are often labelled as "alternative medicine."In reality, these natural remedies are the original medicines that humanity has relied upon long before modern pharmaceuticals existed.Nature offers an abundance of tangible and intangible benefits, particularly through plants, which possess rich medicinal and cosmetic properties.Despite the availability of various organic products on the market, many wildflowers remain underexploited for their diverse uses.One such plant is Senna auriculata (L.) Roxb.normally identified as Tanner's cassia (Tamil Avaram), which comes under the family Caesalpiniaceae.This shrub, adorned with large, bright yellow flowers, is found throughout the hot deciduous forests of India.S. auriculata holds a significant place in traditional Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine, where it is valued for its various therapeutic properties.The wonder herb has many medicinal properties, viz., antipyretic, antidiabetic, antiperoxidative, antitanning, antiageing and microbicidal activities.Traditionally, the floral powder of S. auriculata has been used as a facial application to enhance skin glow.While commercial flowers are widely used in the cosmetic industry, wildflowers like S. auriculata are often overlooked despite their potential.In this study, we formulated an herbal soap using the floral extracts of S. auriculata.The resulting soap exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, demonstrating its potential as both an effective antimicrobial agent and a valuable cosmetic product.This highlights the untapped potential of wildflowers in the development of natural, herbal based skincare products.
Authors: M. Tilak, R. Vijayan, R. Saranya Kumari, P. Radha, M. Velmurugan, K. Sivakumar
Institution: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Language: English
Topic: Medicinal Plant Research
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4406439950