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Efficacy and Safety of Date Palm Leaf-Based Ointment for Treatment of Cutaneous Warts: A Pilot Clinical Trial Publisher Pubmed



Ayatollahi A1 ; Aramipour N2, 3 ; Sadri A3, 4, 5 ; Firooz A1 ; Robati RM6 ; Fattahi M1 ; Ayazi M2 ; Saber M2, 3
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Aras Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Lyceum Scientific Charity, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6. Skin Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: Dermatologic Therapy Published:2022


Abstract

Despite the considerably high prevalence of cutaneous warts, no optimally effective and safe treatment is available. Leaves of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.; Arecaceae) have long been used in Iran's folk medicine as a remedy for warts. To assess the state-of-the-art evidence on using P. dactylifera L. for warts, we conducted a systematic review using CINAHL (via EBSCO), Embase, Medline (via PubMed), ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science. We conducted an open-label uncontrolled pilot clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a proprietary topical date palm leaf-based ointment for the treatment of various types of nongenital warts. This study consisted of an 8-week treatment phase and a 4-week follow-up phase. The assessed outcomes included complete clearance, patient satisfaction (on Likert scale), and the occurrence of any adverse effect. The systematic review demonstrated that the effects of date palm on warts have not been scientifically studied. Thirty patients entered the study with a mean age of 29.5 years (SD = 14.04); among which 17 were female and 13 were male. The patients presented diverse types of warts: verruca vulgaris 15 (50%), plantar 9 (30%), plane 2 (7%), periungual 2 (7%), and warts at multiple sites 2 (7%). In this trial, 19 patients (63.3%) experienced complete clearance and 5 patients (16.6%) experienced partial clearance. Eight patients (26.67%) dropped out during the study. 21 (70%) patients were very satisfied (score on Likert scale = 5) while 1 (3.3%) patient with partial clearance was somewhat satisfied (score on Likert scale = 4). No adverse effect was observed. The results of this pilot study indicate that the date palm leaf-based ointment is a promising treatment whose efficacy and safety should be further investigated in a randomized controlled clinical trial. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.