Department of Dermatology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.
Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2020 Nov-Dec;86(6):622-629. doi: 10.4103/ijdvl.IJDVL_402_19.
Humans have been anointing their skin with natural colorants since antiquity. Before the advent of modern cosmetics, tattoos and hair dyes, the spectacular colors in plants served as a palette for humanity's fascination with color. Skin, hair, nails, teeth and clothing have been altered with botanical colorants for centuries. Understanding the relevance of botanical colorants is an important part of cultural competency. Substitution or adulteration of plant colorants with synthetic colorants has played a role in varied dermatoses (eg. black henna, kumkum, and Holi dermatoses). Safety concerns over synthetic colorants have led to a resurgence of natural colorants. However, some plant colorants have produced adverse reactions. Plant colorants have also played an integral role in medicine. Ingested plant colorants are an indispensable part of our diet, playing crucial roles in the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. Excessive intake of some pigments can alter skin color (carotenoderma, lycopenemia, and the golden tan of canthaxanthin). We have relied on the colors of hematoxylin and alizarin red, derived from the logwood tree and madder roots, respectively, to study and diagnose disease in pathology. We briefly review the uses, cultural relevance, and adverse effects of the common botanical colorants on the skin, hair, and mucosa. We also describe their relevance in our diet, and in the diagnosis and description of dermatological diseases.
自古以来，人类就一直在皮肤上涂抹天然着色剂。在现代化妆品、纹身和染发剂出现之前，植物中的绚丽色彩就一直是人类对色彩着迷的源泉。几个世纪以来，人们一直用植物着色剂来改变皮肤、头发、指甲、牙齿和衣服的颜色。了解植物着色剂的相关性是文化能力的重要组成部分。用合成着色剂替代或掺杂植物着色剂在各种皮肤病（如黑色指甲花、kumkum 和 Holi 皮肤病）中发挥了作用。对合成着色剂的安全问题的担忧导致了对天然着色剂的重新关注。然而，一些植物着色剂已经产生了不良反应。植物着色剂在医学中也发挥了不可或缺的作用。摄入的植物着色剂是我们饮食中不可或缺的一部分，在维持健康和预防疾病方面发挥着至关重要的作用。一些颜料的过量摄入会改变皮肤颜色（胡萝卜素血症、番茄红素血症和角黄素的金黄色晒斑）。我们曾依赖于从苏木木和茜草根分别提取的苏木精和茜素红来研究和诊断病理学中的疾病。我们简要回顾了常见的植物皮肤、头发和黏膜着色剂的用途、文化相关性和不良反应。我们还描述了它们在我们饮食中的相关性，以及在皮肤病诊断和描述中的相关性。
