Clinical trial of 20% Mat lippia (bucan) topical ointment for cutaneous leishmaniasis; a preliminary trial

Background cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in many parts of pakistan. the mainstay of treatment is systemic pentavalent antimonials. however, many indigenous plants are also used for its treatment.objective to test the hypothesis that mat lippia (bucan), a local plant, may be topically effective in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.patients and methods the study comprised of two parts. part 1: an alcoholic extract from the leaves of the plant was obtained and then 20% ointment in petroleum jelly was made. in part 2, eighty patients of cutaneous leishmaniasis were treated with this ointment applied thrice daily for six weeks. patients were followed up initially twice a week and then at weekly intervals for six weeks.results 60% showed excellent response and 20% exhibited fair improvement.conclusion 20% mat lippia ointment seems to be effective in the treatment of leishmaniasis. however, further comparative studies are warranted to confirm these findings