Fumaria Officinalis Extract

Fumaria Officinalis Extract is an extract of the flowers, leaves and twigs of the herb Fumaria officinalis. Also called Fumitory or Earth smoke, Fumaria Officinalis has been used in ancient Roman medicine.

Fumaria Officinalis contains many substances including alkaloids, potassium salts, as well as fumaric acid, which is naturally made by the skin when it is exposed to sun and is also used by skin cells to produce energy. The extract of the flowers, leaves and stems of the Fumitory is often used topically because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Applied externally it soothes psoriasis and is also used as a treatment for skin conditions such as eczema and scabies. It is also effective treatment for acne.

Antioxidant activities of alkaloids and phenolic extracts of these species have been studied. Moreover, Fumaria contains some kind of fatty acids with antioxidant effects. As these are unsaturated fatty acids the herb may have industrial use as natural additive to cosmetics and dermal medicines.

• International Journal of Biological, Biomolecular, Agricultural, Food and Biotechnological Engineering Vol:5, No:2, 2011 – Antioxidant Components of Fumaria Species