Multani Mitti – Is it more than a placebo?
Keywords:
Multani mitti, Fuller's earth, Dermatology, cleanser, cosmeticAbstract
“Multani mitti” or Fuller’s earth is a popular substance as home remedy in south Asia. It has been traditionally used as a cleanser for skin and hair in this part of the world for centuries. Though Fuller’s earth as name suggests was used for cleaning wool in Europe, and in modern times is used to bleach oils or drill mud, as adsorbent and even in film industry to form dust clouds or as mud bath. People in south Asia, particulary India, Pakistan and Nepal use Multani mitti in daily life as face packs for enhancing their beauty or to cleanse hair. Often dermatology patients seek advice on using this readily available substance, in this scenario it is pertinent for clinicians to be aware of pros and cons of usage of Multani mitti.References
Bhola, K. L."Fuller's Earth in India". Transactions of the Indian Ceramic Society. 1946; 5(3): 104–124. doi:10.1080/0371750x.1946.10877805
Hosterman, John W.,Sam H. Patterson. "Bentonite and Fuller's Earth Resources of the United States" In Earth resources of United States. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1522. United States government printing office, Washington; 1992. P3-5.
Lotha, Gloria. "Fuller's earth". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. (13 September 2007) Retrieved 09 March 2019.
A Sakula. Pneumoconiosis. Thorax 1961.16; 176-79.
Charles L. Parsons. Fuller’s Earth. Deptt of Interior, Bureau of mines. First edition, Washington, Govt printing press, 1913; p. 6-12.
Revkin, A. C."Paraquat: A potent weed killer is killing people". Science Digest.1983; 91 (6): 36–38.
Fuller’s Earth. From Wikipedia.org available online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller's_earth. Accessed on 08/03/2019.
Khairunisa Nizam Memon. Craving for fuller’s earth during pregnancy. rcog2016.09 poster. Available at https://www.epostersonline.com/rcog2016/node/967.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160615-the-people-who-cant-stop-eating-dirt. Accessed on 08/03/2019.
Ziegler, J. L. (1997), Editorial: Geophagy: a vestige of palaeonutrition?. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 2: 609-611. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3156.1997.d01-359.x
"Taj Mahal to undergo mud pack therapy". Times of India. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 08/03/2019. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/good-governance/uttar-pradesh/Taj-Mahal-to-undergo-mud-pack-therapy/articleshow/47232524.cms?
Pareek A, Jain V, Ratan Y et al. Mushrooming of Herbals in in new emerging markets of cosmeceuticals. Int J of Advan resear Pharm boil sci. 2012. 2(4); 473-80.
RS Pal, Y Pal & P Wal. In-House Preparation and Standardization of Herbal Face Pack. The Open Dermatology journal. 2017. 11; 72-80.