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Seven hundred years ago, Marco Polo mentioned "a big well with oil . . . that cures dermatoses and other diseases" located in today's Azerbaijan.¹ To date, Ivanic Grad, near Zagreb, Croatia, is the only other location in the world where this heavy naphthen oil referred to as Naphthalan (Industria Nafte, Zagreb, Croatia) is found and successfully used in the treatment of psoriasis.² Naphthen oil contains polycyclic naphthol hydrocarbons and to a lesser degree bicyclic to pentacyclic hydrocarbons, most importantly those with a cyclopentanoperhydrophenentren nucleus.

We studied the clincial course of 5 patients with chronic–plaque stage psoriasis. Prior to therapy, the patients exhibited psoriasis area and severity index scores of 9.9, 16.9, 16.6, 22.1, and 35.6, respectively (Figure 1). Treatment consisting of a bath for 12 minutes in naphthen oil at a temperature of 30°C to 34°C six times per week resulted in a markedly improved clinical appearance . . . [Full Text of this Article]