Burn wound healing is a complicated process including
inflammation, re-epithelialization, granulation, neovascularization and
wound contraction. Several biochemicals are involved in
burn healing process including
antioxidants,
cytokines and liver and kidney damage
biomarkers. Although several preparations are available for the management of
burn wound, there is still a necessity of researching for efficacious medicine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate
herbal preparations and their
phytochemical constituents for
burn wound management. For this purpose, electronic databases including Pubmed, Scirus, Scopus and Cochrane library were searched from 1966 to July 2013 for in vitro, in vivo or clinical studies which examined the effect of any
herbal preparation on different types of
burn wound. Only 3 human studies were found to include in this review. In contrast, there were 62 in vivo and in vitro studies that show the need for more clinical trials to prove the plant's potential to cure
burn wound. Among single
herbal preparations, Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Centella asiatica and Hippophae rhamnoides showed the best
burn wound healing activity.
Flavonoids,
alkaloids,
saponins and phenolic compounds were active constituents present in different herbs facilitating
wound closure.
Glycosides including
madecassoside and
asiaticoside and
proteolytic enzymes were among the main active components.
Phytochemicals represented positive activity at different stages of
burn wound healing process by various mechanisms including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antioxidant,
collagen synthesis stimulation, cell proliferative and angiogenic effect. Overall, several herbal medicaments have shown marked activity in the management of
wounds-especially
burn wounds-and therefore can be considered as an alternative source of treatment. Furthermore, various natural compounds with verified
burn-induced wound healing potential can be assumed as future natural drugs.