Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Antigen – epitope – or other immunospecific immunoeffector – Conjugate or complex
Reexamination Certificate
1997-05-13
2001-01-09
Kishore, Gollamudi S. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Antigen, epitope, or other immunospecific immunoeffector
Conjugate or complex
C424S400000, C514S859000, C514S861000, C514S862000, C514S863000, C514S864000, C514S865000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171593
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the treatment of skin disorders and more particularly to the treatment of skin disorders using an extract from the leaves and roots of the plant Mullein.
Historically, the plant Mullein, genus Verbascum, has been used in a variety of different ways in the practice of herbal medicine. For example, the leaves of mullein have been smoked as a treatment of asthma. Leaf infusions have been taken for the treatment of coughs, catarrh, tuberculosis, hemoptysis, long standing diarrhea, dysentery, gout, rheumatism, and hemorrhoids. In the treatment of coughs and bowel disorders, the leaves have been boiled in milk for 10 minutes and seasoned or sweetened if desired. J. F. Morton,
Folk Remedies of the Low Country
, 155-156.
A leaf infusion has been applied externally to hemorrhoids, ulcers and tumors. An ointment for the treatment of wounds can be made by boiling mullein leaves with lard. A poultice including mullein with flax seed meal can be placed on burns, scalds and boils. Additionally, a poultice including an infusion of the leaves and pith of the stem in hot vinegar or water has been laid on the throat to treat cynanche tonsillaris, cynanche maligna and mumps. A poultice of fat and mullein leaves has been used to draw boils to a head. J. F. Morton,
Folk Remedies of the Low Country
, 155-156.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that certain skin disorders are difficult to treat effectively. For example, actinic keratosis, a pre-malignant skin condition related to aging and to sun exposure, is generally treated with cryotherapy. In this process, an extremely cold liquid is applied to the keratosis, effectively freezing and killing the affected tissue. This process often leaves scars on the patient where the treatment occurs. Additionally, the actinic keratoses often return, thus requiring more cryotherapy and more potential scarring. If left untreated, actinic keratosis can become a form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma.
Inflammatory conditions of the skin are often difficult to treat effectively as well. An example of an inflammatory skin condition that is difficult to treat is psoriasis. Treatments for psoriasis are often complex and uncomfortable to the patient. One treatment involves the application of a prescribed medication, such as a corticosteroid, to the skin and the subsequent covering of the skin with an occlusive dressing. As psoriasis is a chronic condition, the complicated treatment procedure must be repeated as the condition recurs.
Malignant melanoma is a form of skin cancer that is also difficult to treat. Early diagnosis is a key to patient survival of this disease. The lesions of malignant melanoma are typically removed surgically from the skin.
What is needed, then, is an effective treatment for these and similar disorders. Additionally, a treatment that does not involve difficult or damaging treatment procedures is also needed. Such methods of treatment is presently lacking in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an effective treatment for skin disorders including sun exposure related and aging related skin disorders like actinic keratoses, lentigines (age spots), seborrheic keratoses, and the inflammatory skin disorders such as prurigo, psoriasis, and contact dermatitis.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a treatment for the skin cancer, malignant melanoma.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of treatment for the above described skin disorders and similar disorders which does not involve difficult or damaging treatment procedures.
The method of treating the above mentioned disorders comprises applying a liquid extract from the plant Mullein (genus Verbascum) to affected areas of the patient's skin. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, this extract is formed by cooking the leaves and roots of the plant Mullein in a pressure cooker with water. The resulting extract is then canned according to standard home canning procedures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The composition that is used in the method of this invention is derived from the plant Mullein, genus Verbascum. One particular species of the plant that is used is the species,
V. thapsus
. Leaves and roots, preferably from the first year stage of the plant Mullein in which the plant has no flowers or seeds, are collected and cut into pieces. Preferably, the pieces are then cooked in a pressure cooker in water. The resulting liquid extract is canned using common home canning procedures. The extract must be refrigerated after opening. To prepare approximately one gallon of extract, approximately one-half pound of first stage leaves and roots are used. Generally, it takes about four plants to accumulate one-half pound of leaves and roots, with the leaves of these plants being approximately one foot in length.
The extract, which has a watery consistency, is applied to an affected area as follows. The liquid is wiped on the affected area and the skin is allowed to dry. Typically, the extract is applied twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The extract is applied as long as needed, but, as more fully described below, subjects usually experience improvement in their conditions after a period of approximately two weeks. The subjects experience a slight tingling and a slight tightening sensation after the extract is applied.
It is contemplated that composition used in the method of treating skin disorders described in this invention also includes any composition containing a synthetically produced component or components of the extract from the plant Mullein.
The following non-limiting examples illustrate the utility of the method and composition of this invention in treating various skin disorders.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4767618 (1988-08-01), Grollier
Czygan in Herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals, pp. 518-519, 1994.
Morton, in Folk remedies of Low country, pp. 155-157.*
Kishore Gollamudi S.
Waddey & Patterson
Waddey, Jr. I. C.
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