Natural Products as Emerging Therapeutics for Scabies

Abstract

Scabies is a contagious parasitic skin disease caused by the ectoparasite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis and remains an important public health concern, particularly in tropical, overcrowded and resource-limited settings. Although conventional scabicides, including permethrin and ivermectin, are widely used, treatment failure, emerging mite resistance, skin irritation and limitations in infants, pregnant or breastfeeding women and older people support continued interest in alternative or adjunctive options. Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, essential oils and isolated phytochemicals, offer chemically diverse compounds with potential acaricidal, ovicidal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing activities. This review evaluates the biological and bioactive properties of natural products investigated for scabies management and anti-scabies product development. The reviewed evidence indicates that plant-derived compounds such as terpenoids, limonoids, phenolics, alkaloids, capsaicinoids, saponins and rotenoids may affect mite survival through cuticular disruption, neuromuscular interference, mitochondrial dysfunction, inhibition of growth and reproduction, and modulation of inflammatory pathways. Medicinal plants including Azadirachta indica, Melaleuca alternifolia, Curcuma longa, Artemisia vulgaris, Capsicum annuum, Achyranthes aspera, Rosmarinus officinalis, Eupatorium adenophorum, Heteromorpha trifoliata and Neorautanenia mitis are discussed in relation to their principal bioactive constituents and proposed mechanisms. The evidence also suggests that several botanicals may help address secondary bacterial infection and pruritus, which are clinically relevant complications of scabies. However, the available data remain heterogeneous and are often limited by variation in extraction methods, phytochemical standardisation, experimental models, formulation quality, safety assessment and clinical validation. Further well-designed preclinical studies and randomised clinical trials are needed before natural product-based interventions can be integrated confidently into scabies management.