DANILO CARLONI
Pharmacist, herbalist, S.I.Fit. (Italian Society of Phytotherapy), SMB Italia (Italian Biotherapy Medical Society)
Farmacia Manocchi, P.zza Roma 13, 60019 Senigallia, Italy

Abstract

Cardiospermum halicacabum [FW1]is a tropical plant with interesting potential, making it a strong candidate to become a useful remedy in treating local dermatitis.
Nowadays, inflammatory diseases of the skin are having increasingly serious implications: global incidence is more and more widespread and is, unfortunately, increasing. The problem of atopic syndromes is a clear example. The main pharmacological treatments prescribed in medicine foresee the use of cortisone and antihistamine preparations. These therapies, if applied to large areas of the skin and for prolonged periods, can cause adverse reactions, including on a systemic level, which may also occur when these drugs are administered orally.
That is why it is important to evaluate the efficacy of natural remedies, such as Cardiospermum halicacabum, which, thanks to its components, is able to control the problem of dermatitis without causing the relative collateral effects, even at paediatric level.

THE SKIN 

The skin, this large involucrum that encloses the entire body, is the most important intermediary between us and the external world.
The skin acts as a barrier against pathogenic microorganisms, as well as against environmental pollution; it protects the internal organs from sudden changes in temperature and it has perfectly organized defence mechanisms.
In an adult, the skin, on average, has a surface area of 2 m² and can weigh from 3-5 kg. It is certainly the organ that is most often exposed to the risk of trauma, infection and disease and is constantly stressed and conditioned by exposure to solar radiation. (1)
It is evident that if cutaneous homeostasis should be somehow compromised, the protective functions of the skin could be modified and decreased; thus triggering an inflammatory effect, classified as dermatitis, which with all the correlated symptoms can lead to staphylococcal and streptococcal infections, but also fungi and viruses. (2)
Traditional pharmacological therapy, normally with the aim of opposing the dermatitis clinical picture, is generally based on cortisone or antihistamine dru ...