A survey of herbal formulas for skin diseases from Thailand's three southern border provinces

Since the manifestations of skin disease are usually openly visible, patients may feel embarrassed. Nowadays, alternative medicine is promoted; therefore, efforts are being made to discover new herbal formulas for healing skin diseases. This study aimed to (1) investigate the diversity and source of medicinal materials for treating skin diseases, and (2) document the folk knowledge of using herbal medicines from the three southern border provinces of Thailand; Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. Semi-structured interviews with ten healers were conducted to collect information including the formula name, herbal ingredients, material parts used, preparation, properties and treatment methods. The data were then further analysed. The results showed that 42 multi-species formulas and 30 single species were used to treat 22 skin diseases. The formulas were comprised of 54 plants and eight chemical elements or compounds. Most formulas were used for treating shingles, scabies, urticaria and itching of unknown cause. The most popular materials for various diseases were: Senna alata for ringworm and pityriasis versicolor, Areca catechu for shingles, Knema globularia for scabies and Tamarindus indica for itching of unknown cause. A review of the literature revealed that 36 plant species had already been tested for their pharmacological activities. The remaining species should be investigated for biological activity to confirm the folk utilization of the medicinal materials.