Development and Assessment of a Multipurpose Herbal Cream With Moringa oleifera Lam

Background: Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) is an indigenous tree extensively used as a nutrient and an antioxidant. In addition to its medicinal attributes, it possesses a promising role in moisturizing and cleansing the skin.

Objectives: Our study aims to formulate an herbal cream from Moringa oil and evaluate its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity.

Materials and methods: In the present study, Moringa oil was extracted from the seed kernels and formulated into an herbal cream, and the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated. Among the three formulations M1, M2, and M3, the formulation M1 was homogenous, more stable, and non-greasy with constant pH. M1 was subjected to further antimicrobial studies and anti-inflammatory studies by the agar-well diffusion technique and albumin denaturation assays, respectively.

Results: M. oleifera seed kernel oil cream exhibited the highest antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and the results were compared to the standard gentamycin. Moreover, M1 showed remarkable anti-inflammatory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 124.5 μg/mL.

Conclusion: The results show that the formulated cream will be efficient in its multipurpose activity. The current study validates the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory potential of M. oleifera seed kernel oil cream.