Evaluation of the Effect of Artemisia Absinthium L. Eye-Cream on Infra-Orbital Dark Circle: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

The relative darkening of the lower eyelid skin, often linked with dark circles, may make one seem tired and older than the actual age. Considering the recommendations in the sources of Persian medicine regarding Artemisia absinthium L., this clinical trial aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cream prepared from the aqueous extraction of A.absinthium for infra-orbital dark circles removal.

In this double-blind controlled clinical trial, an eye cream is made with 20% of the aqueous extract of A.absinthium in the base of the cream. For standardization based on Artemisinin, the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used. In two drug and placebo groups, 60 patients were equally enrolled in the trial. Erythema and pigmentation were evaluated via Mexameter®.

The cream was standardized, including 1.29±0.02 µg/mg Artemisinin in the product. Finally, 21 and 24 patients in the drug and placebo groups completed the study, respectively. In these groups, the difference in the mean ± standard deviation (SD) delta erythema (DE), delta luminance (DL), erythema, and melanin factors before and after the research were significant (P<0.05). However, the rate of reduction of DE, Erythema, and Melanin and the rise of DL are more significant in the treatment group than in the placebo group. Furthermore, the mean values of DE and DL factors before the research were significantly different in the two groups (P<0.001), but after the investigation did not show a significant difference. The mean value of the Erythema factor in the two groups before (P=0.25) and after (P=0.5) did not show a significant difference. The mean value of Melanin after the research between the two groups showed a significant difference (P=0.01).

The results show that the cream prepared from the herbal composition of Persian medicine improves the infra orbital dark circle around the eyes.