A Study of Topical Indigo Naturalis Treatment in Patients With Mild to Moderate Plaque-type Psoriasis
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2014-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Psoriasis is a common, chronic skin disease for which only remissive, as opposed to curative,
treatments are available. Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the most frequently chosen
alternative therapies in China and Taiwan, and psoriasis has been treated for centuries with
topical and oral herbal preparations. Topical indigo naturalis ointment has been reported to
exhibit potential anti-psoriatic efficacy. The study objective is to investigate
pharmacological effect and explore targeting mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Indigo Naturalis topical ointment as a single treatment agent in Chinese subjects with mild
to moderate plaque-type Psoriasis.
This was a single site, randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled study of topical
indigo naturalis vs. vehicle alone (placebo) to treat mild to moderate plaque-type psoriasis
during an 8-week period. Pharmacological effect will be evaluated by biomarker evaluation and
clinical evaluation. The trial was conducted at the China Medical University Hospital (CMUH),
Taichung, Taiwan. All patients provided written informed consent before inclusion in the
study. The study protocol was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of CMUH.