Tracy Cornuelle and Jan Lephart
Research and Development, Nu Skin Enterprises, Provo, Utah, U. S.A.
Botanicals have been part of cosmetics and toiletries since before recorded history. As early as 10,000 BC scented oils and ointments were used to soften skin and mask body odor (1). The ancient Egyptians freshened their breath by chewing pellets made of ground tamarisk leaves (2) and made perfumes from mixtures of essential oils such as myrrh, chamomile, rose, and cedar combined in vegetable oils of olive, sesame, or almond (1). The Picts of the British Isles made blue body paint from woad (Isatis tinctoria L). We know this dye was used as war paint from Roman writings of the time. In ancient Persia, and across the ancient world, henna dyes were used to stain hair and faces and the Egyptians used it to paint their fingernails.
Botanicals aren’t just for fragrance and color. Many plant extracts have provided important pharmaceutical drugs. For decades, powdered Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) leaf (Powdered Digitalis U. S.P.) has been sold as a prescription drug for congestive heart failure. Tubocurarine, the active constituent from curare arrow poison (derived from the South American vine Chondrodendron tomentosum) is used as a skeletal muscle relaxant during surgery. Morphine and codeine (from Papaver somniferum L.) are still extremely important analgesics. Many important anti-cancer drugs, such as Paclitaxel (from the Pacific yew tree, Taxus brevifolia) and vincristine and vinblastine (both from Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, a common garden flower), originally were identified from plants.
Plants have the ability to biosynthesize a stunning array of primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites include those constituents that all plants make and are necessary for plants to function. These include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, etc. Secondary metabolites are compounds that are not generally found in every species of plant. Flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, and alkaloids are usually classified as secondary metabolites. These compounds perform special functions in the plant such as pollinator attractants, anti-feedants, antimicrobials, and antivirals. Plants don’t have the ability to get up and move, so they depend on their biosynthetic abilities to protect themselves and to propagate themselves.
The wide variety of chemical constituents found in plants, many of them highly complex chemical structures, have been used as a biochemical resource by mankind.
Plants have been extensively screened for biological activities that are useful to man, including medical and agricultural uses. The unique and complex structures have often shown new types of biological activity and have been a tool for elucidating aspects of how diseases attack our bodies or how pathogens damage crops. When a new mechanism of action is identified, a synthetic method for producing the compound is often pursued. The compound may be used as a template for the development of new drugs. Synthetic variations of the chemical structure can be analyzed for improved activity, fewer side effects, etc.
Biologically active compounds from plants have the ability to provide real health benefits, and perhaps real cosmetic benefits as well. Today botanicals can be found in everything from foot cream to lipstick. Botanical extracts come in many forms. Some are designed to be easily incorporated into cosmetic formulations, but impart little more than a pretty name to the ingredient deck. Other extracts are prepared in such a way as to optimize any potential benefits that the plant may impart. Some of these extracts are standardized to ensure a known concentration of the active compound and that the concentration of the compound will be consistent from batch to batch.