Salve and Burdock: A Safe, Effective Amish Remedy for Treatment of Traumatic Wounds?

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Amish patients show a demonstrated preference for traditional, herbal remedies over modern medical interventions such as skin grafting. One such remedy is a mixture of Burn & Wound Ointment (B & W Ointment; Holistic Acres, LLC; Newcomerstown, Ohio) and steeped burdock leaves. Although both have demonstrated some antimicrobial and wound healing properties, burdock and/or the combination of B & W Ointment and burdock has never been studied to determine its purported ability to reduce pain, prevent infection, and accelerate wound healing.

METHODS:

A retrospective chart review was performed on 6 Amish patients treated with salve and burdock leaves instead of skin grafting following complex traumatic wounds to determine whether the traditional treatment incurred any patient harm.

RESULTS:

The time of wound epithelialization and healing complications were noted, among other data points. Time to full epithelialization ranged from 1 to 7 months. Time to full wound healing was proportional to wound size.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although the treatment presented here is unconventional, it did not cause harm to the patients studied.

• Authors: Mitchell D Flurry, Kelsie L Herring, Logan W Carr, Randy M Hauck, John D Potochny
• Journal: Advances in skin & wound care (Adv Skin Wound Care) Vol. 30 Issue 5 Pg. 213-217 (May 2017) ISSN: 1538-8654 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 28426569 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Plant Extracts

Topics

• Adult
• Amish
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Formularies, Homeopathic as Topic
• Humans
• Male
• Patient Safety (statistics & numerical data)
• Phytotherapy (methods)
• Plant Extracts (therapeutic use)
• Plant Leaves
• Retrospective Studies
• Sampling Studies
• Wound Healing (drug effects, physiology)
• Wounds and Injuries (diagnosis, drug therapy)