Physicochemical analysis of natural herbal medicated ointment enriched with Cymbopogon nardus and virgin coconut oil

Abstract

Natural compounds from herbal plants have been extensively used for the application of various natural care products, including ointment. The essential oil of Cymbopogon nardus has been widely used in multiple applications such as mosquito repellent, perfumery and soap making. Besides, a small dose of this plant's volatile oil could be applied to comfort the stomach and aid digestion. Therefore, this study aims to formulate herbal ointments with varying Cymbopogon nardus oil concentration and investigate different oil concentration effects on the ointment properties. In this study, five ointment formulations of ratio virgin coconut oil to herb, 1:2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8 and 1:10, were evaluated. At the same time, five infused oil ratios to beeswax (5:95, 10:90, 15:85, 20:80 and 25:75) were used. Preparation of Cymbopogon nardus oil involved the soaking of the prepared plant in virgin coconut oil. The infused oil then was mixed with the beeswax before it was heated and left to be semi-solid (ointment). The ointment then was tested for physicochemical properties, including hardness, viscosity, pH, turbidity, and colour. The developed ointment showed a good result within pH 6-7.5. Ointment from Cymbopogon nardus showed light green as visually observed. However, the colour became darker when the ratio of Cymbopogon nardus increased. The developed ointments’ viscosity was almost the same as the commercial which the values were within 19.3-25 Pa.s. The comparison of the physicochemical properties of the developed and commercial ointments was almost similar. Thus, the developed ointment in this study can be considered safe and natural. However, the microbial and clinical tests must be conducted in further study to ensure the product’s safety.