Synergizing Ethno-medicine and Technology: Transdermal Herbal Formulation against Scabies

Abstract

Scabies is a highly contagious parasitic skin disease that continues to impose a substantial global health burden, particularly in resource-limited, overcrowded, and displaced populations. Despite the availability of conventional scabicides such as permethrin and ivermectin, treatment outcomes are increasingly compromised by drug resistance, poor ovicidal activity, adverse effects, and low patient adherence. These limitations highlight an urgent need for safer, more effective, and accessible therapeutic alternatives. Ethnomedicine offers a rich repository of plant-based agents with proven antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and wound-healing properties; Their clinical translation is often constrained by poor skin penetration, variability, and lack of standardization. This review explores the strategic integration of ethnomedicinal knowledge with modern transdermal drug delivery technologies for the management of scabies. Emphasis is placed on advanced delivery platforms such as nanocarriers (liposomes, ethosomes, phytosomes), microneedle-mediated systems, and quality-by-design–based formulation strategies that enhance dermal penetration, bioavailability, controlled release, and patient compliance. The emerging role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in formulation optimization, skin permeabilit prediction, and rational selection of herbal actives is discussed as a transformative approach to accelerate development and improve therapeutic precision. Collectively, the convergence of ethnomedicine, transdermal technology, and data-driven optimization presents a promising, sustainable, and culturally acceptable paradigm for scabies management. Such integrative strategies have the potential to overcome current therapeutic gaps, reduce disease burden, and support global efforts aligned with neglected tropical disease control and universal health coverage.