Formulation and Evaluation of Polyherbal Cream

 

Shiny Ganji¹, A. Chandrika², S. Mounika³, K. Kusuma⁴, D. Jyothsna Kumari⁵,

M. Sampada⁶

¹Bapatla College of Pharmacy, Bapatla, Bapatla Dt, AP.

²St. Ann's College of Pharmacy, Chirala.

³St. Ann's College of Pharmacy, Chirala.

⁴St. Ann's College of Pharmacy, Chirala.

⁵St. Ann's College of Pharmacy, Chirala.

⁶St. Ann's College of Pharmacy, Chirala.

 

ABSTRACT:

Herbal skin creams are mainly intended for beautification of skin. The main aim of the present research work is to prepare a face cream using different herbs and the prepared cream is evaluated for stability and anti bacterial activity. The herbs used in the formulation (F1, F2, and F3) are flowers of Clitoria ternatea, leaves of Azadirachta indica and Ocimum sanctum. The formulated cream is evaluated for the various parameters like organoleptic properties, pH, stability, consistency, skin irritation, and antibacterial properties. F1 formulation has shown good stability and antibacterial properties compared to marketed cream.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

The Ayurvedic system of medicine was one of the most important system that uses herbal plants and extracts for the treatment of various diseases. Cosmetic products are used to protect skin against exogenous and endogenous harmful agents and enhance the beauty and attractiveness of skin. The cosmetic products are the best choice to reduce skin disorders such as hyperpigmentation, skin aging, skin wrinkling and rough skin texture. Herbal products have less side effects and 80% of people rely on herbal products for the treatment of different diseases. From ancient time till now, people are still using polyherbal or herbal cosmetics for the beautification of skin^1-4

 

Clitoria ternatea has been known for centuries for its health, medicinal and skin care properties. C.ternatea (Fabaceae) commonly known as butterfly pea, contains antioxidants that slow down the skin aging process, prevent premature ageing and improve overall skin tone and texture. The traditional practice of eating the flower and drinking the infusion in some Asian countries is believed to promote a younger skin complexion and defend against skin ageing^5-10.

 

Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae) has been used in India for the treatment of skin problems for centuries. Neem is rich in antioxidants and help to boost immune response in tissues of affected skin area and used for treating several epidermal dysfunctions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne^11-16.

 

Tulsi (Lamiaceae) is recommended as a treatment for range of conditions including skin diseases, ring worm infection. It possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. It is also credited with giving luster to the complexion^17-23.

 

Literature review revealed that there is no cream available in the market in combination of above selected three plants.  Hence this approach was designed to develop a novel herbal formulation with the basic combination of antioxidant rich herbal extract for skin care products.

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Materials:

All the materials required for study were procured from Thermo electron LLS India Pvt, Ltd, Mumbai. The plant parts were collected from domestic places of Chirala, Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh.

 

Methods:

Extraction procedure:^24,31 

The method of maceration was used for extraction process. The fresh parts of the three selected plants were coarsely  crushed and  placed in a stoppered container using ethanol as the solvent and allowed to stand at room temperature for a period of at least 5 days with frequent agitation until the soluble matter has dissolved. The mixture was then strained, the marc was pressed, and the combined liquids were then clarified by filtration or decantation after standing. The extract was evaporated to remove the solvent.

 

Formulation of cream:³⁴

The ingredients were weighed as per given in Table No.1. The oily phase and water phase were heated separately at 75 C with constant stirring. The aqueous phase was added to oily phase with constant stirring on a magnetic stirrer until the emulsion cool down to get a cream base. Two bases A and F were formulated and formulation F was selected because of its good spreadability and diffusion properties. Three formulations F1, F2 and F3 were prepared by incorporating different proportions of three plant extracts as shown below using the cream base F

F1-(Clitoria ternatea, Azadirachta indica, Ocimum sanctum) 1.0:1.5:1.0

F2 - (Clitoria ternatea, Azadirachta indica, Ocimum sanctum) 1.5:1.0:1.5

F3 - (Clitoria ternatea, Azadirachta indica, Ocimum sanctum) 1.0:1.0:1.0

 

Table 1 Formula for cream base:

 

Preliminary phytochemical screening:^25,32

The extracts of all the three plants were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening and were tested for the presence of different active constituents.

 

Evaluation of cream:^30,33,37

Physical appearance:²⁷

The formulations were evaluated for its colour and odour.

 

Determination of pH:

pH of herbal cream was measured by using pH meter. 0.5 g of weighed formulation was dispersed in 50 ml of distilled water and the pH was determined.

 

Viscosity:

Viscosity of formulation was measured by using Brookfield’s viscometer.

 

Spreadability:²⁹

The spreadability was determined by placing excess of sample in between two slides which was compressed to uniform thickness by placing a definite weight for definite time. The time required to separate the two slides was measured as spreadability. Lesser the time taken for separation of two slides results better spreadability. It was calculated by the formula:

 

S   =  M X L/T,

 

Where  

S  =  Spreadability

M = Weight tied to the upper slide

L  = Length of glass slide

T  = Time taken to separate the slides

 

Non irritancy test:²⁸  

Herbal cream prepared was applied to the skin of human volunteers and observed for presence of any irritation or itching or redness.

 

Washability:

Formulation was applied on the skin and then ease of washing with water was checked.

 

Stability study:

The formulation were subjected to stability studies for the period of 30 days at various temperatures 4℃, room temperature, 45℃ and observed for change in colour, odour, pH, phase separation, consistency, spreadability.

 

Antibacterial activity:^35,36:

Antibacterial activity of the prepared cream was studied by using the micro-organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aureginosa, E.coli and B.subtilis and compared with the individual extracts and marketed cream by cup and plate method.

 

Table 2 Nature of extracts

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The colour, nature and percentage yields of extracts were recorded in Table 2. Maceration process has given good yields. Maceration is advantageous as heat is not applied; it is suitable for thermolabile substances.

 

Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract was carried out and found to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids and carbohydrates and the results were displayed in Table 3. It gives the information regarding chemical composition of an extract.

 

Table 3 Preliminary phytochemical screening

 

Antibacterial activity of individual extracts at concentrations of 500, 1000, 1500µg/ml was done by cup and plate method using Ciprofloxacin as standard. The extracts have shown significant antibacterial activity against both gram positive and gram negative comparable to standard. The results were displayed in Table 4, 5 and 6.

 

Table 4 Antibacterial activity of CEE

 

Table 5 Antibacterial activity of NEE

 

Table 6 Antibacterial activity of TEE

 

Antibacterial activity was carried out for the prepared cream against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria, using a marketed polyherbal cream as standard. The formulated cream was proved to be better in inhibiting the bacteria compared to the marketed product. The relevant results were posted in Table No. 7.

 

Table 7 Antibacterial activity of formulated cream

 

The physicochemical properties were studied for all the three formulations, and F1 showed satisfactory results for pH, consistency, spreadability, viscosity and washability. The pH of the formulation lies in the normal pH range of human skin. The results of viscosity and spreadability denotes the extent of area to which the prepared formulation readily spreads on application to the skin. The irritancy test showed that the formulation did not produce any kind of irritation or itching or redness to the skin. The results were shown in Table No.8

 

Table 8 Physicochemical properties of cream

 

The formulation was kept for stability study at different temperatures for a period of four weeks and there were no changes observed in spreadability, colour, consistency, pH and viscosity. Hence the formulation is known to be stable on storage.

 

CONCLUSION:

In the present research, an attempt was made to develop a formulation and evaluate poly herbal cream as creams are the best option to reduce skin problems like pigmentation, wrinkling, skin ageing and roughness. The cream prepared from extracts of Clitoria ternatea, Azadirachta indica and Ocimum sanctum passes all the physicochemical evaluation parameters and also shows better antibacterial properties compared to already available marketed cream. Further investigations were recommended to use their medicinal properties effectively and make better use of formulation.

 

LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS:

CEE                    :                  Clitoria ethanolic extract

NEE                    :                  Neem ethanolic extract

TEE                    :                  Tulsi ethanolic extract

mm                     :                  millimeter

µg/ml                  :                  microgram per millilitre

P.aeroginosa    :                  Pseudomonas

E.coli                  :                  Escherichia

B.subtilis           :                  Bacillus

S.aureus             :                  Staphylococcus

 

ACKNOWLWDGEMENTS:

We express our sincere thanks to Principal and Management of St. Ann’s College of Pharmacy, Chirala for providing us all necessary facilities for completion of this research work.

 

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Received on 29.09.2022         Accepted on 27.10.2022        

Accepted on 15.11.2022         ©A&V Publications all right reserved