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Is Fern Extract the New Sun Protectant?

  • Jun 6, 2018
  • 5 min read

When it comes to sun protection, many of us think about applying sunscreen to our skin, wearing sunglasses and protective clothing. However, there is emerging information that claims ingesting oral fern extract can help protect us from solar radiation.

Using fern extract is not exactly a novel idea, as Native Americans and South Americans have been using it for many years. Polypodium Leucotomos (PL), is a South American species of fern in the family Polypodiaceae (Nestor et. al). Native Americans have used this fern extract for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Fern extract, applied topically or ingested orally, has been purported to have multiple benefits. Fern extract has been used to treat different skin conditions, such as psoriasis, topic dermatitis, vitiligo, polymorphic light eruption, and melasma. Oral intake of PL extract can give effective protection against solar UV radiation (Nestor et. al).

Let’s take a look at the research examining the effectiveness of fern extract on protection against UV radiation.

The Research

In the 2013 study by Paula Aguilera, MD, et. al published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, the goal of the study was to test the possible role of an oral PL extract to improve systemic photoprotection in patients at risk of skin cancer. The main risk factors for melanoma are UV radiation and melanocytic nevi. Melanocytic nevi are noncancerous neoplasms made of melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the skin. There were 61 participants in the final sample size. 25 of 61 participants had familial and/or multiple melanoma, 20 of 61 participants had sporadic melanoma, and 16 of 61 participants with atypical mole syndrome without history of melanoma. To determine UVB minimal erythematous dose (MED), which is the threshold to produce sunburn, each participant received exposure to UVB light. Normal skin on the central back was irradiated in 6 consecutive increasing dose-exposure windows on a 2-cm2 area, 20 cm away from the UV800 lamp. This induced erythema at 24 hours with a square shape on the exposed skin site. After UVB exposure, each participant consumed a total of 1,080 mg of oral PL before the second UVB exposure. Of the 61 participants, 65% (40) of participants from all groups showed an increase in MED values, which indicated that their threshold to produce a sunburn increased. This also meant that intake of oral PL lead to a significant reduction of sensitivity to UV radiation.

In the 2015 study by Mark Nestor, MD, et. al published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, the aim of the study was to evaluate the safety of oral PL extract in healthy adults and to determine its ability to provide protection from exposure to UV. There were 40 participants, between 18 and 65 years old. 20 adults were randomized to receive the PL extract while the other 20 adults were randomized to receive the placebo. The adults consumed 240 mg of PL extract or placebo twice daily for two months. 10 adults from each group were randomized to undergo UVB minimal erythema dose testing, which consisted of three 2-minute exposures of UVB on the buttocks area. The results showed the placebo group had a higher likelihood of experiencing or more episodes of sunburn compared to the PL group. The PL group showed a greater likelihood of a reduction of sensitivity to UV radiation compared to the placebo group. This indicated that consuming 240 mg of PL extract twice daily for 60 days was a safe and effective way to reduce the damaging effects of UV radiation.

In the 2018 study by Chee-Leok Goh, MD, et. al published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, the effectiveness of PL extract on the treatment of melasma in Asian skin was evaluated. Melasma is a common acquired benign pigmentary disorder that occurs on sun-exposed areas of the skin. The gold standard for treatment for melasma is topical hydroquinone cream and sunscreen. This study compared treatment of PL extract with hydroquinone cream and sunscreen versus hydroquinone cream and sunscreen alone. The final sample size was 33 female adults with clinical diagnoses with melasma between ages 37-65 years recruited from the National Skin Centre in Singapore. Adults were randomly assigned to placebo or PL extract groups and were given either an oral 240 mg dose of PL extract or placebo twice daily at 8 am and 1 pm for 12 weeks. At the conclusion of the study, there was significant reduction in Melasma Area and Severity Index score in both placebo and PL groups, but it was significantly lower in the PL group compared to placebo. 31% of the PL group achieved an improvement of 75% or greater in the score while 6.3% of the placebo group achieved such an improvement. The results illustrated that oral PL extract can be used as an adjunctive therapy for melasma in combination with hydroquinone cream and sunscreen.

Another claim of PL is that it can help treat vitiligo. In the 2014 literature review by Mark Nester, MD, et. al, published in Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies showed significant improvements in vitiligo when oral PL therapy was combined with psoralens plus exposure to UVA and UVB. Vitiligo is an acquired, chronic loss of skin pigmentation. Standard therapy for vitiligo has been PUVA light therapy. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, PUVA therapy is the combination of UVA light and oral or topical medicine called psoralen to restore color to the skin. In these three studies, re-pigmentation of the skin improved in the groups taking oral PL.

The Take-Home Message

From these studies, there is strong evidence that oral Polypodium Leucotomos is beneficial in protecting yourself from UV radiation. Fern extract is not meant to be a substitute for topical sunscreen and should be used in conjunction with sunscreen, sunglasses, and protective clothing. PL is particularly useful for people who are more sensitive to the sun and/or have a family history of melanoma, melasma, and other skin conditions.

PL has not been clinically tested in people less than 18 years of age and in pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Taking oral fern extract does not appear harmful for your body. If you are thinking about purchasing a fern extract supplement, weigh the pros and cons before buying as these supplements are on the expensive side. If you are diligent about protecting yourself from the sun, it may not be necessary to purchase a fern extract supplement. Like all other supplements, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) branch does not regulate supplements. This means that there are no guarantees when buying supplements that the products contain what they assert and are safe for human consumption.

References

  1. Aguilera, P., Carrera, C., Puig-Butille, J. A., Badenas, C., Lecha, M., González, S., … Puig, S. (2013). Benefits of oral Polypodium Leucotomos extract in MM high risk patients. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV, 27(9), 1095–1100. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2012.04659.x

  2. Nestor, M. S., Berman, B., & Swenson, N. (2015). Safety and Efficacy of Oral Polypodium leucotomos Extract in Healthy Adult Subjects. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 8(2), 19–23.

  3. Goh, C.-L., Chuah, S. Y., Tien, S., Thng, G., Vitale, M. A., & Delgado-Rubin, A. (2018). Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Polypodium Leucotomos Extract in the Treatment of Melasma in Asian Skin: A Pilot Study. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 11(3), 14–19.

  4. Nestor, M., Bucay, V., Callender, V., Cohen, J. L., Sadick, N., & Waldorf, H. (2014). Polypodium leucotomos as an Adjunct Treatment of Pigmentary Disorders. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 7(3), 13–17.

  5. Vitiligo. (n.d.). American Academy of Dermatology. Retrieved from https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/color-problems/vitiligo#treatment


 
 
 

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