Abstract
Objective: Different types of skin diseases negatively affect the lives of many people, both physically and mentally. Here, we aimed to document medicinal plants used as traditional folk medicine for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis and vitiligo in Turkey. Material and Method: Literature search was conducted by screening ethnobotanical studies. Moreover, pharmacological and phytochemical studies were reviewed to assess the efficacy of the most commonly used plants on skin diseases. Result and Discussion: In total, 191 taxa belonging to 134 genera and 64 families were determined as being traditional herbal medicines used in defined skin diseases. Based on their number of citations, the most frequently used medicinal plant species are Juglans regia L. (19), Urtica dioica L. (18), Juniperus oxycedrus L. (9), Chelidonium majus L. (8), Dracunculus vulgaris Schott (7), Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. (6), Ficus carica L. (6), Malva sylvestris L. (6) and Rosa canina L. (6), respectively. It is concluded that several pharmacological and phytochemical studies support the traditional usage of plants, but further studies are needed. All findings are expected to be the basis for novel pharmaceutical products and a handbook for healthcare professionals.