Althaea officinalis Leaf/Root Extract: proprietà, usi, pro, contro, sicurezza

Althaea officinalis Leaf/Root Extract  è l'estratto che si ottiene dall'essicazione delle foglie e della radice di Altea (Althaea officinalis L.), una delle piante officinali più importanti della famiglia delle Malvaceae, le cui radici, foglie e fiori sono di solito utilizzati nella medicina tradizionale in molti paesi in tutto il mondo.

A cosa serve e dove si usa

Cosmetica - Funzioni INCI

Agente condizionante della pelle - Emolliente. Gli emollienti hanno la caratteristica di migliorare la barriera cutanea tramite una fonte di lipidi esogeni che aderiscono alla pelle  migliorando le proprietà della barriera, riempiendo le lacune dei cluster intercorneocitari per migliorare l'idratazione proteggendo dall'insorgenza di infiammazioni. In pratica hanno la capacità di creare una barriera che previene la perdita di acqua transepidermica. Gli emollienti sono additivi sgrassanti o rinfrescanti che migliorano il contenuto lipidico degli strati superiori della pelle prevenendo lo sgrassamento e l'essiccazione della pelle. Il problema degli emollienti è che molti presentano un forte carattere lipofilo e sono identificati come ingredienti occlusivi; si tratta di materiali oleosi e grassi che permangono sulla superficie cutanea e riducono la perdita di acqua transepidermica. In cosmetica, emollienti ed idratanti sono sovente considerati sinonimi anche in presenza di umettanti ed occlusivi.

CAS    73049-65-7

EC     277-254-6

Studi

Althaea officinalis è stata usata nella medicina tradizionale per il trattamento delle reazioni infiammatorie del sistema respiratorio e della tosse irritante e per risolvere l'infiammazione, inclusi infiammazioni del tessuto orale e ascessi gengivali (1).

Contiene peptine, amido, monosaccaridi, disaccaridi, mucillagini, flavonoidi, antiossidanti, cumarina, scopoletina, tannino, asparagine e molti aminoacidi. Gli estratti ottenuti dalle radici e dai fiori sono antibatterici (batteri Gram-positivi e Gram-negativi), antifungini, anti-infiammatori, anti-micobatterici e anti-tosse (2).

Altri usi

Nei paesi orientali è utilizzato come infuso per preparare il tè.

Per approfondimenti:

Althaea officinalis studi

Caratteristiche tipiche del prodotto commerciale Althaea Officinalis Root extract

Bibliografia_______________________________________

(1) Gautam, Shiv & , Navneet & Kumar, Sanjay & Chauhan,  Antimicrobial efficacy of Althaea officinalis Linn. seed extracts and essential oil against respiratory tract pathogens.  Reshu. (2015). Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science. 5. 115-119. 10.7324/JAPS.2015.50921. 

Abstract. In present study, Althaea officinalis seed extracts and essential oil were screened for antimicrobial activity against five bacteria and one fungi responsible for dominant, lethal or opportunistic infection of respiratory regions. The maximum inhibition was noted by essential oil against Streptococcus pyogenes (21.3±0.28 mm) and Haemophilus influenzae (19.0±0.50 mm) at 200 mg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration values for methanol extract was 3.12-12.5 mg/ml. The antifungal activity noted highest with 41.28% by essential oil and 36.27% inhibition by aqueous extract represented by dosage-response curve.

(2) Banaee M, Soleimany V, Nematdoost Haghi B. Therapeutic effects of marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.) extract on plasma biochemical parameters of common carp infected with Aeromonas hydrophila. Vet Res Forum. 2017 Spring;8(2):145-153. 

Abstract. This study evaluated preclinical and clinical safety of marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.) extract as a naturopathic medicine in common carp deliberately infected with Aeromonas hydrophila. The fish were fed 0 (control), 2.50, 5.00 and 10.00 g of marshmallow extract for 60 days in a preclinical experiment and then, challenged with A. hydrophila for a 10-day experiment. Significant increases were observed in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activities and plasma creatinine levels in fish fed 10 g marshmallow extract per kg feed. However, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) significantly decreased on day 60. The fish fed 2.50 g marshmallow extract per kg feed indicated increased levels of total protein and globulin. There were no significant changes in albumin levels (p > 0.05). 2.50 and 5.00 g marshmallow significantly decreased triglyceride and cholesterol levels and increased glucose levels (p < 0.05). A. hydrophila significantly increased AST, ALT, LDH, ALP and CPK activities and plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and creatinine levels after 10 days (p < 0.05). Total plasma protein, albumin and globulin levels in fish challenged with A. hydrophila were significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05). Marshmallow extract at 5.00 and 10.00 g can adjust plasma biochemical parameters in fish challenged with A. hydrophila. The results of preclinical studies and pharmaceutical toxicity of marshmallow extract revealed that dietary levels lower than 5.00 g were safe and effective. The results of this clinical study demonstrated that marshmallow extract (5.00 g kg-1 feed) can protect fish against A. hydrophila.

Mehreen A, Waheed M, Liaqat I, Arshad N. Phytochemical, Antimicrobial, and Toxicological Evaluation of Traditional Herbs Used to Treat Sore Throat. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:8503426. doi: 10.1155/2016/8503426.

Abstract. The in vitro antibacterial activities of 29 traditional medicinal plants used in respiratory ailments were assessed on multidrug resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated from the sore throat patients and two reference strains. The methanolic, n-hexane, and aqueous extracts were screened by the agar well diffusion assay. Bioactive fractions of effective extracts were identified on TLC coupled with bioautography, while their toxicity was determined using haemolytic assay against human erythrocytes. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of effective extracts was also performed. Methanolic extract of 18 plants showed antimicrobial activity against test strains. Adhatoda vasica (ZI = 17-21 mm, MIC: 7.12-62.5 μg/mL), Althaea officinalis (ZI = 16-20 mm, MIC: 15.62-31.25 μg/mL), Cordia latifolia (ZI = 16-20 mm, MIC: 12.62-62.5 μg/mL), Origanum vulgare (ZI = 20-22 mm, MIC: 3-15.62 μg/mL), Thymus vulgaris (ZI = 21-25 mm, MIC: 7.81-31.25 μg/mL), and Ziziphus jujuba (ZI = 14-20 mm, MIC: 7.81-31.25 μg/mL) showed significant antibacterial activity. Alkaloid fractions of Adhatoda vasica, Cordia latifolia, and Origanum vulgare and flavonoid fraction of the Althaea officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Thymus Vulgaris, and Ziziphus jujuba exhibited antimicrobial activity. Effective plant extracts show 0.93-0.7% erythrocyte haemolysis. The results obtained from this study provide a scientific rationale for the traditional use of these herbs and laid the basis for future studies to explore novel antimicrobial compounds.