ABSTRACT

Ranunculaceae is a large and varied family of herbaceous perennials consisting of approximately 66 genera and 2000 species. Members of the family are distributed throughout the world, but are found mainly in temperate to cold regions. Certain members of Ranuculaceae family in Turkey are important herbs in traditional medicine that have been especially used in poultices form to relieve articular joint pain. The plants in this family contain some extracts such as ranunculin and protoanemonin, which may cause severe irritant contact dermatitis. We report a rare case of phytodermatitis presenting as second-degree burn-like injury in a 60-year-old woman. This was caused by the application of the poultices of a member of the Ranunculacea family, Ranunculus constantinopolitanus, as a folk remedy to relieve knee pain.