This herb is one of the few Chinese herbal products with a single botanical applied topically reported in the English medical literature. Many combinations of Chinese herbs administered as teas have documented effectiveness for dermatitis and psoriasis. Topically applied Camptotheca acuminata Decne was equally effective as 1% hydrocortisone in treating psoriasis but suffered a 12% incidence of allergic contact dermatitis (29).
Chinese medicine herbs must be used cautiously because in Taiwan 40% were adulterated with corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and/or central nervous system medicines. Over 50% of the Chinese herbal medicines have two or more of these synthetics (30).