Development and Characterization of a Topical Herniarin Ointment from Tarragon

Abstract Herniarin may be a potential drug candidate for skin diseases due to its strong biological activities, including anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Formulation studies for herniarin are quite insufficient in literature. In this study, a new dermal ointment formulation of herniarin was performed. Herniarin was purified from the aerial parts of tarragon ( Artemisia dracunculus L.) by chromatographic methods. Ointments were prepared using different ratios of Vaseline, beeswax, and castor oil, and herniarin (0.1% w/w) was added to the most applicable formulation. Characterization studies of the developed formulations were performed with Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, active ingredient amount, pH, viscosity, and in vitro release. Herniarin ointment showed shear‐thinning properties in viscosity measurements. As a result of the in vitro release study, the developed ointment formulation showed slow and continuous release compared to the solution form of herniarin. The release profile was examined mathematically, and it was concluded that the ointment formulation was released with Higuchi kinetics. In this study, a dermally applicable ointment formulation containing high‐purity herniarin was successfully developed for the first time. This study presents the first‐ever report of a dermally applicable ointment formulation containing high‐purity herniarin, introducing a novel and promising topical delivery system for this pharmacologically active coumarin.