The Biobrio 12(3&4), 2025

Some common medicinal plants used in protecting skin from Sun damage in district Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Vikram Kumar Sharma & Rashmi Mishra

ABSTRACT:

The current discussion relates to the rise of UV radiation reaching the Earth as a result of ozone layer depletion. Such dangerous UV rays cause several skin issues, including tanning, sunburn, redness or irritation, inflammation, hyperpigmentation (melasma), dryness, premature aging, and even skin cancer. Medicinal plants possess remarkable abilities to treat nearly all types of skin ailments known to humans for centuries. In this study, we documented several commonly used medicinal plants for healing sun-damaged skin within the region. The data was gathered from villages located across six adjoining blocks of Ranchi district. The surveyed villages were from the blocks- Nagri, Angara, Ormanjhi, Kanke, Bundu, and Mandar-yielded records of ten widely used medicinal plants, representing nine botanical families and ten distinct genera. These include Aloe barbadensis Mill., Artemisia nilagirica (C.B. Clarke) Pamp., Brassica campestris L., Cannabis sativa L., Citrus medica L., Cucumis sativus L., Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Müll. Arg., Mentha arvensis L., and Ocimum basilicum L.

Keywords:    

Sun damage, Sunscreen, Medicinal plants, Skin problems, Traditional knowledge

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