Efficacy of Paragis (Eleusine Indica) as treatment for Seborrheic Dermatitis

SIP 8 STUDENTS

CRISTY B. ACOSTA
SIP ADVISER

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Dandruff is a common chronic scalp condition characterized by the flaking of
skin at the scalp. This causes mild to severe harm to human integuments
associated with the scalp and may also lead to embarrassment as it diminishes
a person’s confidence essential for his/her well-being. In resolving this unfavorable
condition, the process of antimicrobial inhibition will be utilized. The presence of
high antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties make paragis a feasible dandruff-
causing yeast inhibitor since these properties upon chemical reaction yield
antibacterial and pain-relieving compounds. (Brigida Adoptante, 2009).
In addition seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common inflammatory skin disease
presenting with a morphology in areas rich in sebaceous glands, particularly the
scalp, face, and body folds. The infantile (ISD) and adult (ASD) variants reflect
the condition’s bimodal occurrence. Infants are not usually troubled by seborrheic
dermatitis, but it may cause significant parental anxiety, often appearing as firm,
greasy scales on the crown and frontal regions of the scalp. It occurs in the first
three months of life and is mild, self-limiting, and resolving spontaneously in
most cases by the first year of life. ASD, on the other hand is characterized by
a relapsing and remitting pattern of disease and is ranked third behind atop and
contact dermatitis for its potential to impair the quality of life. (Dan Tucker,
Updated 2022).

The worldwide prevalence of seborrheic dermatitis is around 5%, but the

prevalence of its noninflammatory variant, dandruff, is probably closer to 50%.
SD affects all ethnic groups in all regions globally. The prevalence of SD is
bimodal with a peak in the first three months of life and then form adrenarche
to a second peak after the forth decade. In Australian preschool children, the
prevalence of SD was approximately 72%. (Dan Tucker, Updated 2022).

Manila, Philippines, a call center agent for five years, has been suffering from
scalp problem since his early 30s. He is married with two children at their
elementary years. At first he thought he was just having problems choosing the
right shampoo. He tried different brands, from the cheapest to the most
expensive ones, and still he got the same results. (Romuel, 2011).
A few patients who had dermatitis on Andili used different kinds of shampoo
brands (H&S, Vaseline, etc.) but unfortunately neither of the following brands had
any positive results for their condition so our plan on doing research is to make
a solution to cure the disease.

Objective of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of Eleusine indica
(paragis) as main ingredient to get rid of seborrheic dermatitis(SD) and to
answer the following objectives:
1. Which treatment has?have potential in treating the seborrheic dermatitis in
terms of;
1.1 Number of hair strands with the least signs of the disease/symptoms;
and
1.2 For how long did the shampoo eliminate/removed the disease from the
hair strand?
2. Is there a significant difference between the Eleusine indica to treat
seborrheic dermatitis and commercial product (ketoconazole shampoo)?

Hypothesis
From the statement of the problem, the null hypothesis was tested at 0.5 level
of significance.
1. There is no significant effect between the Eleusine indica as a main
ingredient to treat seborrheic dermatitis in terms of number of people got cured,
time that a person got cured.

Significance of the study

The result of the study will be beneficial for the following:
The Adolescent Health and Development Program (AHDP) and Department
of Health (DOH). The Department of health is the principal health agency in the
Philippines. It is responsible for ensuring access to basic public health services
to all Filipinos through the provision of quality health care and regulation of
providers of health goods and services. This study may lead for extra health
protection for Filipinos and may serve as the basis on how to use proper
hygiene.

SD patients. This study would give good news to the SD patients on how they
can treat their dandruff and to reduce itching. This will help them gain information
and knowledge about the effects of SD on human/animal health if left untreated.

Future Researchers. The study would be great contribution to have a new

knowledge, idea, way, on how to treat seborrheic dermatitis using herbal plant.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study was limited to providing a treatment on seborrheic dermatitis and to
determine the effects of eleusine indica to the environment and to treat
human/animal SD. Furthermore, the study has two phases:
In the Phase 1 of the study, it focused on treating seborrheic dermatitis using
Eleusine indica as main medicament for SD. In Phase 2, the researchers
interviewed different person to determine if the product they used is making
seborrheic dermatitis worse and the experiences of the people having seborrheic
dermatitis.
Definition of Terms
For better understanding of this study, the following terms are defined in the
context of this research.
Ointment. A substance used on the skin to soothe or heal wounds, burn,
rashes, scrapes, or other skin problems.
Medicated Shampoo. Relieve itching or scaling, but they can also treat bacterial
or fungal infections and kill vermin.
Imidazole Anti-Fungal Agent. Any imidazole antifungal agent that has been
used for the treatment or fungal infections in humans or animals.

Research Locale
The study will be conducted at the Municipality of Mawab particularly at Andili
Mawab Davao de Oro. Presented in the figure 1 is the map of research locale.

Figure 1. The map of Andili, Mawab Davao de Oro

Source: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fa9Srd578cfLxT6Q9
Theoretical Framework
Presented in Figure 1 is the conceptual model of the study. At the left side is
Eleusine indica, as the Independent Variable while on the right side is the
Seborrheic dermatitis as the Dependent Variable.

IV DV

Effectiveness Against
Seborrheic dermatitis
Eleusine indica

Chapter II
RRL
DANDRUFF

Seborrheic Dermatitis (SD) and dandruff are common dermatological problems

that affect the seborrheic areas of the body. They are considered the same

basic condition sharing many features and responding to similar treatments,

differing only in locality and severity. Dandruff is restricted to the scalp, and

involves itchy, flaking skin without visible inflammation. SD affects the scalp as

well as face, retro-auricular area, and the upper chest, causing flaking, scaling,
inflammation and pruritus, and can have marked erythema. Flaking in SD and

dandruff is usually white-to-yellowish, and may be oily or dry. (Department of

Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of

Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, RMSB 2023A, Miami, Florida 33136, USA)

This condition is likely caused by an overgrowth of Malassezia yeast (a

substance normally found in the skin) that triggers inflammation, causing changes

in the skin. In infants, the condition is often called “cradle cap” and typically

resolves on its own. In adults, the condition can improve without treatment or

worsen over a period of years.

Bacteria may be the culprits behind your flaky scalp, a new study suggests, not

fungi. A team from Japan and China found dandruff, which afflicts around half

the world’s population, is more strongly linked to populations of two bacterial

groups – Propionibacterium and Staphylococcus – than the Malassezia fungus,

which also happily colonises the human scalp and is widely believed to be the

main cause of the condition. Most dandruff studies have focused on Malassezia.

There are 14 known species of Malassezia, with two – M. restricta and M.

globosa – linked to skin diseases.

But they’re not the only microbes living in your hair. Bacteria like it there too.

It’s warm and full of food. Fungi and bacteria chow down saturated fatty acids

found in sebum, the oily substance s ecreted from the scalp. So Menghui Zheng
from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and colleagues swabbed the scalps

of 59 Chinese men and women, aged 18 to 60, 48 hours after washing with a

non-anti-dandruff shampoo to ascertain sebum levels and bacterial and fungal

populations.

Dermatologists also judged the subjects dandruff levels using the adherent
scalp flaking scale which scores dandruff on a scale of zero to eight. They
found, as expected, older people had more dandruff. The dominant fungus
was Malassezia, and the main bacterial populations were Propionibacterium and
Staphylococcus. No surprise there either.

But Malassezia levels weren’t associated with dandruff levels.

Instead, Propionibacterium and Staphylococcus held greater sway over scalp flakiness.

Compared to normal scalps, those with dandruff housed lower levels

of Propionibacterium and more Staphylococcus.

This mutual inhibition, the researchers write, has been shown before: the

bacteria each exude or meditate processes that make life difficult for the other.

Addressing bacterial imbalance, they suggest, by boosting Propionibacterium and

suppressing Staphylococcus may provide a more effective dandruff remedy for

those with severe cases than antifungals. ( Belinda Smith, 2016)

PARAGIS

Paragis, also known as wiregrass, dog’s tail, or goosegrass has a scientific

name of Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn (Garcia et al., 2003; Pizon et al., 2016; Amoah

et al., 2017). This grass is abundant and can be seen everywhere, but are
regarded as having no economic value. It is only utilized as carabao’s food, but

not until recently that the grass hit high popularity in social media, saying that it

may offer health-beneficial components, and it is believed to cure illnesses potentially.

According to the reports, Paragis indeed possesses many medicinal properties (Dolie T.

Makinano1 & Lynette C. Cimafranca1).

It is believed to have a diuretic effect (Gruyal et al., 2014), antiurolithiatic effect

(Amoah et al., 2017), antihelmintic activity (Morah & Otuk, 2015), antibacterial activity

(Al-Zubaire et al., 2011; Mora & Otuk, 2015), antidiabetic effect (Garcia et al., 2003;

Okokon et al., 2010), antifungal activity (Alaekwe et al., 2015), antiplasmodial effect

(Okokon et al., 2010), antioxidant activity (Al-Zubairi et al., 2011; Iqbal & Gnanaraj,

2012), and antihypertensive activity (Tutor & Hernandez, 2018).

It could also be used against airway inflammatory processes like influenza and

pneumonia, according to De Melo et al. (2005). The hepaprotective effect (Iqbal &

Gnanaraj, 2012) and pharmaceutical action of E. indica were reported to have been due

to the generous supply of phytochemicals and antioxidants. The grass contains

alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, and saponins (Okokon et al., 2010; ;

Etta et al., 2019)Gbadamosi and Otobo, 2014; Alaekwe et al., 2015; Morah & Otuk,

2015; Etta et al., 2019)

Acidic compounds, anthraquinones, and terpenes were likewise observed in E. indica

extracts (Alaekwe et al., 2015; Mora & Otuk, 2015; Okokon et al., 2010).
According to Gbadamosi (2012), this botanical plant, among others, supports increased

energy and nutritional requirements in pregnancy, prevent malnutrition, and

supplements phytochemicals in therapeutic activities. Moreover, safety in the

administration of the weed was confirmed through toxicological studies of the plants

(Gbadamosi and Otobo, 2014), aside from the fact that it has been extensively used in

traditional and herbal medicine applications in various countries, and possibly be

included in general medical practice (Al-Zubairi et al., 2011)

The potential of paragis in pharmaceutical and medical importance, therefore,

cannot be discounted. As a commodity that is locally available and abundant here in

Leyte and anywhere in the Philippines, and the neighboring countries, it calls for

creating value to this disregarded grass. Hence, the development of a high-value

product such as cookies that are incorporated with it.( Dolie T. Makinano1 and Lynette

C. Cimafranca1)

The presence of high antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties make paragis a

feasible dandruff-causing yeast inhibitor since these properties upon chemical reactions

yield antibacterial x` and pain-relieving compounds. ( Brigida Adoptante, 2019-01-18)

Paragis (Elusine indica) is a plant that has antioxidant properties that remove

dandruff from scalp. Paragis has protein, and its leaves have silicon monoxide

( Casiano, K. ., Dechavez, J. ., Dilao, G. ., Tria, J. M. ., De Guzman, A., Macanas, A.

M. ., & Asuncion, LPT, E. . (2020)

A mixture of minced paragis leaves (including its stems) and coconut oil can be

used as a shampoo to eradicate dandruff. ( 25 JANUARY 2018, NILA ESLIT)

Chapter III
METHODOLOGY
Research Materials
 Paragis
 Coconut oil
 Water
 Hairstrand
 Container
 Strainer
 Spatula
Research Design
This study uses experimental quantitative approach to create a cure for
seborrheic dermatitis using a shampoo made with paragis.

Statistical tools
MEAN
To determine the efficacy of paragis as dandruff treatment.

ONE-WAY-ANOVA
To determine if there is a significant difference between the Paragis shampoo
and the commercial product (ketoconazole shampoo).

Phase I: Preparation of materials

1. Collecting Paragis
The paragis (Eleusine indica) was collected at Purok.6 Malinawon, Mawab,
Davao de Oro.
 Collecting Paragis with its roots, stem and leaves.
 Wash the paragis till its clean
 Collect the hairstrand from the volunteers and keep it in a different
containers and put labels in each container.
Phase II. Preparation of Treatment
 Prepare all the materials needed.
 Get the paragis you washed and crash it then combine it with coconut oil.
 Use it as shampoo and observe the hair strand for the next several
months
 Boil some of the paragis to see what’s more effective.
 Add some desire amount of water and wait till fully boiled.
 Filtrate and put the boiled paragis water in a container.
 Let it cool down.
 Add some small amount of coconut oil.
 Stir it and you can use it as a shampoo.

T1 T2 T3 Tx T0

R1 R1 R1 R1 R1

R2 R2 R2 R2 R2

R3 R3 R3 R3 R3

Ethics
We did not use human as a test subject we only use the hair strand and
it was taken from the volunteers with the guidance of the expert and with
participant consent to ask for sample strand.

Target Date: February 20 2024

Estimated cost: 1.2k

Ethics
We did not use human as a test subject we only use the hair strand and
it was taken from the volunteers with the guidance of the expert and with
participant consent to ask for sample strand.

Target Date: February 20 2024

Estimated cost: 1.2k