Cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale): Possible applications in dermatology

Abstract

The potential uses of medicinal plants are far from exhausted, and one of the most important tools in the study of medicinal plants is the rescue of traditional knowledge, which, in Brazil, combines Indigenous, African, and European influences. The rich Brazilian ethnobotany, associated with the greatest biodiversity in the planet, constitutes a promising field of studies, albeit rather neglected in the medical community. The investigation of Anacardium occidentale applications in dermatology from the bibliographic survey of the specialty found the following activity: antileishmanial, anti-ophidic, antibiotic, antityrosinase, and antifungal in vitro. Studies associating A occidentale and dermatology in medical literature seem incipient, and there is a lack of studies in humans. In vitro studies are useful as an initial step, but they are irrelevant if they do not develop into viable formulations that can be tested in humans.