AMMI VISNAGA M.T.

It is a herbaceous annual plant which grows up to 1 meter and is indigenous to Egypt and cultivated widely in South Africa and America for its medicinal use. It contains khellin along with the phytochemicals including sterols. A homoeopathic tincture is made from the fruits. It is covered by Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India, Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of United States and German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia.As per investigations it has powerful antispasmodic action on small bronchial muscles and arteries that supply blood to heart. It is used in the treatment of angina pectoris, asthma, alone or with other medicines, and externally for vitiligo.It is considered as an effective muscle relaxant and alleviates pain due to kidney stones.Khellin inhibited vascular smooth muscle contractions in rat aorta induced by noradrenaline; it also relaxed both noradrenaline induced contractile tension in rat aorta smooth muscle and spontaneous contractile activity of rat portal vein with similar potency. Strong antispasmodic.Research on Khellin has resulted in discovery of initial an anti-asthma drug.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 60 people has showed that the combination of oral khellin and natural sun exposure caused repigmentation in 76.6% of the treatment group;in comparison, no improvement was seen in the control group receiving sunlight plus placebo.Another placebo-controlled study with 36 people had found that a topical khellin gel plus UVA caused repigmentation in 86.1% of the treated cases, as opposed to 66.6% in the placebo group. Many other studies have shown that the khellin is equally effective as psoralen constituent of psoralea) but with less phototoxic symptoms. Such symptoms are not usually 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 observed with the use of mother tincture.

Recommended dose: ?/1x, 10-20 drops 2-3 times a day, depending upon the case. Externally it is used for Vitiligo and preferably to be exposed to sunlight.

Reference

1. Abdel-Fattah A, Aboul-Enein MN, Wassel GM, et al. An approach to the treatment of vitiligo by khellin. Dermatologicia. 1982;165:136?140

2. Orecchia G, Sangalli ME, Gazzaniga A, et al. Topical photochemotherapy of vitiligo with a new khellin formulation: preliminary clinical results. J Dermatol Treat. 1998;9:65?69

3. Ortel B, Tanew A, H?nigsmann H., Treatment of vitiligo with khellin and ultraviolet A., J Am Acad Dermatol. 1988 Apr;18(4 Pt 1):693-701.

4. Valkova S, Trashlieva M, Christova P., Treatment of vitiligo with local khellin and UVA: comparison with systemic PUVA, Clin Exp Dermatol. 2004 Mar;29(2):180-4.

5. J De Leeuw, Y J Assen, N Van Der Beek, P Bjerring, H A Martino Neumann, Treatment of vitiligo with khellin liposomes, ultraviolet light and blister roof transplantation, Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology JEADV (2011), Volume: 25, Issue: 1, Pages: 74-81

6. Carlie G, Ntusi NB, Hulley PA, Kidson SH., KUVA (khellin plus ultraviolet A) stimulates proliferation and melanogenesis in normal human melanocytes and melanoma cells in vitro, Br J Dermatol. 2003 Oct;149(4):707-17