Psoralen

Psoralen (also called psoralene) is the parent compound in a family of natural products known as furocoumarins. It is structurally related to coumarin by the addition of a fused furan ring, and may be considered as a derivative of umbelliferone. Psoralen occurs naturally in the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia, as well as in the common Fig, celery, parsley and West Indian satinwood. It is widely used in PUVA (=Psoralen +UVA) treatment for psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Uses

An important use of psoralen is in PUVA treatment for skin problems such as vitiligo, psoriasis and (to a lesser extent) and eczema. This takes advantage of the high UV absorbance of psoralen. The psoralen is applied first to sensitise the skin, then UVA light is applied to clean up the skin problem. Psoralen has also been recommended for treating alopecia. Psoralens are also used in photopheresis where they are mixed with the extracted leukocytes before UV radiation is applied. or take sun bath for natural.

Psoralea Corylifolia

Psoralen occurs naturally in the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia, Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi) is an important plant in the Indian Ayurveda and Tamil Siddha systems of medicine, and also Chinese medicine. The seeds of this plant contain a variety of coumarins including psoralen. The seeds have a variety of medicinal uses, but the specific role (if any) of psoralen in these uses is unknown. Psoralen itself has a number of commercial uses. An extract of the plant’s fruit Fructus psoraleæ has been shown to act as a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor.

Psoralea corylifolia extract contains a number of bioactive compounds that are the molecular basis of its action, including flavonoids (neobavaisoflavone, isobavachalcone, bavachalcone, bavachinin, bavachin, corylin, corylifol, corylifolin and 6-prenylnaringenin), coumarins (psoralidin, psoralen, isopsoralen and angelicin) and meroterpenes (bakuchiol and 3-hydroxybakuchiol).

One study in rats suggested that bakuchiol and ethanol extracts of P. corylifolia could protect against bone loss. Bakuchiol isolated from the Chinese medicinal plant, Psoralea corylifolia (Fabaceae), has shown activity against numerous Grampositive and Gram-negative oral pathogens. It was able to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans under a range of sucrose concentrations, pH values and in the presence of organic acids in a temperature-dependent manner and also inhibited the growth of cells adhered to a glass surface. It may be of assistance in treating prostate cancer.

Ingredients

 Psoralea Corylifolia

Black Caraway Seeds

Useful Links for Psoralen

Source for Psoralens : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoralen
Psoralen & Vitiligo: http://www.avrf.org/treatments/treatments.htm
Psoralen & UVA: http://www.ijdvl.com/article.asp?issn=0378-6323;year=1990;volume=56;issue=2;spage=121;epage=122;aulast=Kar