INTRODUCTION:

In 2018, the WHO reported microbial diseases as the second leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases. While primarily viral or bacterial, opportunistic fungal infections are rising in both humans and animals globally. The increasing prevalence of fungal infections poses a major healthcare challenge, driven by a growing immunocompromised population due to immunosuppressive therapies and aggressive chemotherapy.^1,2,3. Prolonged use of antifungal drugs as prophylaxis in high-risk patients has fueled the rise of (multi) drug-resistant fungi. Globally, over 150 million severe fungal infections occur annually, causing 1.7 million deaths, making these diseases an escalating global health threat.⁴

Medicinal plants and herbal extracts are valuable in modern medicine due to their natural bioactive compounds. Their secondary metabolites offer diverse structures with significant therapeutic potential. Medicinal plants provide valuable bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential through their diverse secondary metabolites. Rising antibiotic resistance highlights the need to scientifically evaluate medicinal plants for developing new antimicrobial drugs against resistant pathogens.^6,7.

Herbal medicine has treated skin conditions for millennia. Growing concerns over synthetic drug side effects, the green movement, and demand for natural remedies have revived herbal use. Their effectiveness and lower toxicity compared to conventional drugs make them increasingly attractive.^8.

Creams are semi-solid topical preparations, either water-based or oil-based, designed for skin application to deliver targeted treatment for skin conditions.^5.

Skin Infections:

Fungal infections (mycoses) can affect various body parts. Superficial types include athlete’s foot, ringworm, and Candida infections (oral/vaginal thrush). Dermatophytes also infect nails (onychomycosis) and scalp (tinea capitis). Subcutaneous infections like sporotrichosis arise from soil exposure. Severe systemic mycoses—histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, Valley fever, cryptococcosis—and opportunistic infections (aspergillosis, mucormycosis) primarily threaten immunocompromised individuals.

· Garlic oil:

Garlic oil, extracted from the bulbs of the Allium sativum, belonging to the Liliaceae family and botanically referred to as Allium sativum^12.This oil is native to regions like Central Asia, South Europe, the USA, and India. It’s active compounds include allicin, alliin, diallyl sulphide, and ajoene^10,11,12Garlic oil, known for its pungent odor, contains sulfur compounds like allicin, which provide potent antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and anticancer effects. It dissolves in chloroform and slightly in methanol.^9,10,11.

· Cinnamon oil:

Cinnamon oil is derived from the plant Cinnamomum verum, belonging to the Lauraceae family and classified under the Laurales order^. It is predominantly found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and South America. Its primary active ingredients are cinnamaldehyde and trans-cinnamaldehyde. It is effective in fighting acne due to its antibacterial properties, which help reduce skin inflammation and prevent the growth of acne-causing bacteriaAdditionally, it is beneficial for reducing hair problems, such as hair loss and dandruff Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies indicates that cinnamon possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, cardiovascular, and immunomodulatory properties^12,13.

· Anise oil:

Anise oil, derived from Pimpinella anisum (Apiaceae family), is native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia.Anise oil's main component, anethol, gives it a licorice-like scent. It relieves gas, eases runny noses, acts as an expectorant, and aids digestion while stimulating appetite as a diuretic^.14

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Materials:

Beeswax (Analab Fine Chemicals), Liquid paraffin (Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.), Methyl paraben (Vishal Chem Mumbai) and Borax (Research Lab) were used for preparation of cream base. All herbal oils: Garlic oil (Maa Vaishnavi Ayurvedics), Cinnamon oil (Neeta Herbal) and Anise oil (Neeta Herbal) were purchased from ayurvedic shop in Pune, India. Sabouraud Dextrose Agar was obtained from the Microbiology Lab of P.E.S. Modern College of Pharmacy, Nigdi, Pune. This medium was used for the evaluation of antifungal activity. Equipments that are weighing balance, pH meter, Brookfield viscometer, autoclave and incubator were used during Research.

Table No. 1: Ingredients and their role of polyherbal cream

Sr. No.	Ingredients	Role
1.	Garlic oil	Active ingredient
2.	Cinnamon oil	Active ingredient
3.	Anise oil	Active ingredient
4.	Bees wax	Emollient
5.	Liquid Paraffin	Lubricating Agent
6.	Methyl paraben	Preservative
7.	Borax	In-situ emulsifier
8.	Distilled water	Vehicle

Method:

1. The required ingredients are gathered

· Garlic oil

· Cinnamon oil

· Anise oil

· Excipients that are Bees wax, Liquid paraffin, Borax, Methyl paraben.

· Other equipment’s and materials (eg. Water bath, Burner, thermometer, beaker, stirrer, mortar pestle).

2. The Formulation composition was determined.

· The desired concentrations of garlic oil, cinnamon oil and anise oil were decided. It depends on the intended use and the recommended dosage of the active ingredients.

· Four formulations were made, in which the ratios of excipients were determined based on their individual properties and their compatibility with the active ingredients. The quantities of all the ingredients used to make the formulation was according to the Table No.2.

3. Preparation of the fusion method:

· Water bath was setup and heated to 65 – 70°C temperature.

· The required quantity of Bees wax, liquid paraffin, borax and methyl paraben were weighed

4. Fusion Method:

a. Preparation of oil phase

· In a suitable container, Bees wax, liquid paraffin were taken.

· The container was placed in water bath and heated until the ingredients were melted and formed a homogenous mixture.

· The container was removed from the water bath and the mixture was allowed to cool slightly.

· The garlic oil, cinnamon oil and anise oil were added to the melted mixture and stirred until they are uniformly dispersed.

b. Preparation of Aqueous phase:

Water was heated between 65-70°C. Methyl paraben was added to the weighted borax.

c. Development of Cream formulation:

· When the water and oil phases were at the same temperature, the aqueous phase was gradually mixed into the oil phase with gentle agitation and agitated in the mortar and pestle. The emulsion was chilled to room temperature, yielding a semisolid cream

Table No. 2: Composition of formulation polyherbal cream

Sr. No.	Ingredients	F1	F2	F3	F4 (Optimized)
1.	Garlic oil	0.4 ml	0.25 ml	0.5ml	0.5 ml
2.	Cinnamon oil	0.5 ml	0.4 ml	0.5	0.5 ml
3.	Anise oil	0.7 ml	0.6 ml	0.7 ml	0.7 ml
4.	Bees wax	5 gm	6 gm	8 gm	9.86 gm
5.	Liquid Paraffin	17 ml	18 ml	20 ml	29.6 ml
6.	Methyl paraben	0.03 gm	0.03 gm	0.03gm	0.03 gm
7.	Borax	0.24 gm	0.3 gm	0.4 gm	0.49 gm
8.	Distilled water	9 ml	6 ml	8 ml	9.86 ml

CHARACTERIZATION OF FORMULATED: POLYHERBAL ANTIFUNGAL CREAM:

1. Visual appearance:

The physical appearance of prepared formulation was evaluated for their state, color, odor, homogeneity and texture. All evaluations were reported in table (3).

Table No 3: Characterization of polyherbal anti-fungal cream

Test	Result
Colour	Pale yellow
Odour	Pleasant
Appearance	Smooth
Consistency	Satisfactory
State	Semi- solid
Homogenicity	Good

2. pH:

The pH meter was calibrated using standard buffer solution. About 0.5g of the cream was weighed and dissolved in 50.0ml of distilled water and its pH was measured by using pH meter and results were noted in table (4).

Table No.4: pH values of polyherbal cream

Days	Formulations
	F1	F2	F3	F4 (Optimized)
1	7.32	7.24	6.62	6.56
15	7.32	7.24	6.72	6.55

3. Viscosity:

The findings revealed that the viscosity of all the formulations was satisfactory.

Viscosity of all the formulations has showed in Table No.5.

Table No.5: Viscosity of polyherbal cream

rpm	Formulations
rpm	F1	F2	F3	F4 (Optimized)
50	846	1084	1156	976
80	712	716.5	722.5	612.5
100	624.2	610.5	578	492

4. Spreadability:

Table No. 6: Spreadability of polyherbal cream

Sr. No.	Formulation	Time (sec)	Spreadability (g.cm/sec)
1.	F1	107	1.40
2.	F2	90	1.6
3.	F3	80	1.87
4.	F4 (Optimized)	66	2.5

Spreadability of system is essential to provide sufficient dose to be take in from pores and skin to get properly healing response. An apparatus where inas lid fixed on wooded block and top slide has movable and one cease of movable slide tied with weight pan. The formulation of creams result was noted in table (6).

5. Irritancy test:

Cream shows no redness, irritation, edema, inflammation during irritation studies. These formulations are safe to use for skin. Results are shown in figure no. 1

Fig. (1): Skin irritation test

6. Anti-fungal activity:

The polyherbal cream exhibited potential antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Effect of polyherbal cream against Candida albicans is shown in the Fig. No.6. The results demonstrated the capability of polyherbal cream to inhibit the tested strain Candida albicans, in which the inhibition zones were corresponding proportional with increasing concentration of polyherbal cream, since the diameter of inhibition zones were found to be 2.5 cm, 3 cm, 3.7 cm and 4.2 cm at 5%, 10%, 20% and 40% respectively (Figure No.2).

Fig. (2): Anti-Fungal Activity

DISCUSSION:

The study successfully formulated a polyherbal anti-fungal cream containing garlic oil, cinnamon oil, and anise oil, which exhibited significant anti-fungal activity against Candida albicans. The study aimed to address the growing issue of fungal infections, particularly those resistant to conventional treatments, by leveraging the anti-fungal properties of these herbal extracts. Based on the results we can say that all formulation F1, F2, F3 and F4 were stable at room temperature. Therefore according to evaluation results F4 is better formulation than F1, F2 and F3 formulation of herbal cream.

The physicochemical characterization revealed that the formulated cream possesses desirable attributes such as good spreadability, stability, and suitable pH, which are crucial for topical applications. Moreover, the in vitro studies demonstrated significant anti-fungal activity against fungal strain Candida albicans with inhibition zone were corresponding proportional with increasing concentration of polyherbal cream, since the diameter of inhibition zones were found to be 2.5cm, 3cm, 3.7cm and 4.2cm at 5%, 10%, 20% and 40% respectively, validating the therapeutic potential of the polyherbal cream. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was found to be 5% with inhibition zone of 2.3cm for the polyherbal cream.

Through a systematic formulation approach and rigorous evaluation methods, we have successfully created a cream with excellent anti-fungal properties. Our findings indicate that the combined action of these herbal extracts offers synergistic effects, enhancing the overall efficacy of the cream against fungal infections.

Furthermore, the safety profile assessment revealed no significant adverse effects, indicating the cream's suitability for topical use. This underscores its potential as a safe and effective alternative to conventional anti-fungal treatments, which often come with adverse reactions and resistance issues.

Overall, the development of this polyherbal anti-fungal cream represents a promising advancement in herbal dermatology, offering a natural and holistic approach to combating fungal infections. Further research warranted to explore its full therapeutic potential and to establish its efficacy in real-world settings.

CONCLUSION:

The development and evaluation of the polyherbal anti-fungal cream comprising garlic oil, cinnamon oil, and anise oil have shown promising results. Based on the results we can say that all formulation F1, F2, F3 and F4 were stable at room temperature. Therefore according to evaluation results F4 is better formulation than F1, F2 and F3 formulation of herbal cream.

The physicochemical characterization revealed that the formulated cream possesses desirable attributes such as good spreadability, stability, and suitable pH, which are crucial for topical applications. Moreover, the in vitro studies demonstrated significant antifungal activity against fungal strain Candida albicans with inhibition zone were corresponding proportional with increasing concentration of polyherbal cream, since the diameter of inhibition zones were found to be 2.5cm, 3cm, 3.7cm and 4.2cm at 5%, 10%, 20% and 40% respectively, validating the therapeutic potential of the polyherbal cream. The minimum inhibitory concentration was found to be 5% with inhibition zone of 2.3cm for the polyherbal cream.

Through a systematic formulation approach and rigorous evaluation methods, we have successfully created a cream with excellent antifungal properties. Our findings indicate that the combined action of these herbal extracts offers synergistic effects, enhancing the overall efficacy of the cream against fungal infections.

Furthermore, the safety profile assessment revealed no significant adverse effects, indicating the cream's suitability for topical use. This underscores its potential as a safe and effective alternative to conventional antifungal treatments, which often come with adverse reactions and resistance issues.

Overall, the development of this polyherbal antifungal cream represents a promising advancement in herbal dermatology, offering a natural and holistic approach to combating fungal infections. Further research warranted to explore its full therapeutic potential and to establish its efficacy in real-world settings.

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Received on 09.04.2025 Revised on 19.05.2025

Accepted on 23.06.2025 Published on 06.10.2025

Available online from October 13, 2025

Asian J. Pharm. Res. 2025; 15(4):369-373.

DOI: 10.52711/2231-5691.2025.00057

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.