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Medicinal Plants and Products from Traditional Medicine Systems Contribute to Clinical Wound Management

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Chronic Wound Management

Abstract

Medicinal plants and plant products used in traditional medicine systems play potent roles in the management of many pathological conditions by accelerating the process of healing. The properties of plants and products are derived from basic laboratory studies on animal models, data from clinical studies in man are lacking. Some notable exceptions are single medicinal plants such as Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, Hypericum perforatum, Centella asiatica and Pterocarpus santalinus and products such as honey and leaves of banana plant. Some data from clinical studies of the value of a polyherbal preparation used in Ayurvedic medicine to irrigate wounds also exist. These are examined in this chapter to support the argument that the medicinal plant systems valued by Traditional Medicine systems may have untapped potential to benefit clinical wound management. There are data driven offers from Traditional Medicine systems from which allopathic or western medicine may benefit.

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Abbreviations

AYUSH:

Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy

BLD:

Banana leaves dressings

BPPB:

Boiled potato peel bandage

DFU:

Diabetic foot ulcer

FGF:

Fibroblast growth factor

FPG:

Fasting plasma glucose

HOMA-IR :

Homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance

MMP:

Matrix metalloproteinase

PUSH:

Pressure ulcer scale for healing

PWAR:

Percentage wound area reduction

PWSR:

Percentage wound score reduction

QUICKI:

Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index

REEDA:

Redness, edema, ecchymosis, discharge, and approximation

TCM:

Traditional Chinese Medicine

TGF-α:

Transforming growth factor–alpha

VAS:

Visual analogue scale

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

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Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to Dr. Sayan Halder, BAMS for providing original photograph of Banana tree (Musa paradisiaca), Aloe vera and Centella asiatica.

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Biswas, T.K., Chakrabarti, S., Pandit, S., Mani, R. (2023). Medicinal Plants and Products from Traditional Medicine Systems Contribute to Clinical Wound Management. In: Mani, R. (eds) Chronic Wound Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26110-7_7

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