A drug used to treat genital warts (see warts, genital).
It may cause irritation of the treated area and severe toxicity on excessive application.
It may cause irritation of the treated area and severe toxicity on excessive application.
Habitat: Inner ranges of the Himalayas, from Kashmir to Sikkim at 1,800-4,000 m.
English: Indian Podophyllum.Ayurvedic: Giriparpata.Folk: Bana-kakari (Punjab), Venivel (Gujarat), Patvel (Maharashtra). Paapraa, Paapri.Action: Rhizomes and roots— antineoplastic. Strongly irritant to skin and mucous membranes. Used topically as an ointment for venereal warts, verrucae and similar conditions.
Key application: P. peltatum— externally, for removal of pointed condyloma (skin adjacent to the treated area should be protected). (German Commission E.) P hexandrum: Podophyllin (10-40%) for external application, 2-6 h weekly, for anogenital warts. (Indian Herbal Pharmacopoeia.) (Podophyllin is a mitotic poison.)May Apple of North America is equated with Podophyllum peltatum Linn. The main lignin is podophyllo- toxin. Podophyllum hexandrum contains similar lignans with the exception of alpha-and beta-peltatins, which are reportedly absent; the concentration of podophyllotoxin is up to 4.3%. P. peltatum contains about 0.25% and the Taiwanese species P. pleianthum 0.1% podophyllotoxin.(Podophyllotoxin is a valuable lig- nin, as it is used for the synthesis of chemically administered cytostat- ic etoposide and tenoposide.)... podophyllum hexandrumCommon warts (verruca vulgaris) are seen mainly in children and young adults on the backs of the ?ngers and hands, and less often on the knees, face or scalp. They may be single or numerous and range from 1 mm to 10 mm or more in size. Untreated, they often resolve spontaneously after weeks or months. They may be occupationally contracted by butchers and meat-handlers.
Plane warts (verruca plana) are small, ?at-topped, yellowish papules seen mainly on the backs of the hands, wrists and face in young people. They may persist for years.
Digitate warts (verruca digitata) are ?nger- or thread-like warts up to 5 mm in length with a dark rough tip. They tend to grow on the eyelids or neck.
Plantar warts (verruca plantaris) occur on the soles of the feet, most commonly in older children, adolescents and young adults. Spread by walking barefoot in swimming pools, changing rooms, etc., these warts may appear as minor epidemics in institutions, such as schools. They are ?attened, yellow-white discrete lesions in the sole or heel, tender when squeezed. Multiple black points in the wart are thrombosed capillaries. Occasionally, aggregates of plantar warts form a mosaic-like plaque, especially in chronically warm, moist feet.
Genital warts are sexually transmitted. In the male they occur on the shaft of the PENIS and on the PREPUCE or around the anus. In women they occur around the entrance to the VAGINA and LABIA minora. Genital warts vary from 1–2 mm pink papules to ?orid, cauli?ower-like masses. Pregnancy facilitates their development.
Mucosal warts may develop on the mucous membranes of the mouth.
Laryngeal warts may be found in children whose mothers had genital warts (see above) at the time of delivery. Some subtypes of genital wart can infect the uterine cervix (see UTERUS), causing changes which may lead eventually to cancer.
Treatment CRYOTHERAPY – freezing with liquid nitrogen – is the principal weapon against all types of warts, but curettage (scraping out the wart with a CURETTE) and cauterisation (see ELECTROCAUTERY) or LASER therapy may be required for resistant warts. Genital warts may respond to local application of PODOPHYLLIN preparations. Sexual partners should be examined and treated if necessary. Finally, treatment of warts should not be more onerous or painful than the disease itself, since spontaneous resolution is so common.... warts
Constituents: flavonoids, lignans, gums, resin.
Action: slow-acting purgative, hepatic, hydragogue, cholagogue, alterative, emetic, “vegetable mercury”. Internal use has been superceded by less violent purgatives. Continues in use as an anti-neoplastic.
Uses: “a cure-rate of 76 per cent was achieved in 68 patients with carcinoma by treatment, twice daily for 14 days with an ointment consisting of Podophyllum resin 20 per cent, and Linseed oil 20 per cent in lanolin, followed by antibiotic treatment . . . In 14 patients treated with Podophyllotoxin 5 per cent in a Linseed oil/lanolin base, the cure rate was 80 per cent. There was no evidence of systemic toxicity.” (F.R. Bettley, Br.J. Derm. 1971. 84,74)
One-time treatment as a paint for soft venereal and other warts. Preparations. Liquid Extract: 0.3ml in water, twice daily. Tincture Podophyllum BPC 1934: dose, 0.3 to 4ml.
Powder. Dusting powder for malignant ulceration.
Paint of Podophyllin Compound, BPC. Contains 14.6 per cent of Podophyllum resin in compound Benzoin tincture. For external use. ... mandrake, american
Genital warts have been linked with the development of cervical cancer (see cervix, cancer of).
They may be removed by cryosurgery or by the application of the drug podophyllin, but there is a tendency for them to recur.... warts, genital
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