Chapter 9 : Formulation and quality assessments of topical herbal cream incorporated with Piper Sarmentosum aqueous extract

Abstract

In recent years, the popularity and demand for natural products has increased significantly not only in the field of cosmetic but also in pharmaceutical industry over the world (Pan et al., 2013). Pathare et al. (2012) reported that approximately 80% of the populations from all over the world are presently making use of herbal medicine for primary health. Under certain circumstance, herbal medicine provides an attractive alternative to commercial drugs (Alo et al., 2012). Apparently, the growing use of herbal medicines is due to several perceptions such that herbal remedies have better efficacy, safety, poses minimal side effects and are being more affordable (Agyare et al., 2014; Pathare et al., 2012) according to the National Eye Institute (NEI.Piper species have been reported to be one of the effective medicinal plants used as folk medicine or natural remedies to treat various ailment and relief discomforts (Mgbeahuruike et al., 2017). Piper sarmentosum Roxb. is a member of Piperaceae family and the leaves are commonly known as Wild Betel or “Kaduk” in Malay.