Abstract

The paper presents a preliminary report on the observational studies on Senna alata soap for the management of superficial skin infections among the inmates of Ilesa Prison, Nigeria. Thirty three inmates were recruited for the study and randomly distributed into 19 treatments and 14 controls. S. alata leaf powder was incorporated into the soap consisting of caustic soda (NaOH) and palm kernel oil (PKO) to make 1.5% w/w. The herbal soap mixture was poured and allowed to solidify and then cut into stable tablets (65 g each). Tinea versicolor and Tinea corporis were the major fungal infections found on the skin lesions at diagnosis prior to commencement of study, while Epidermophyton floccusum andCryptococcus sp were microscopically observed to be responsible for the lesions. The ‘Alata soap’ significantly cleared the lesions on 16 subjects (94.1%), comprising (11) T. versicolor and (5) T. corporis. None of the controls was cleared significantly. The study clearly confirmed the folkloric claims on S. alata as an antimicrobial agent for treating skin infections.

Key words: Superficial skin infections, Senna alata, Tinea versicolor, Tinea corporis, alata soap.