Efficacy of Herbal Remedies for Burn: A Scoping Review

Burns are a prevalent form of injury that can be found throughout the world. The most common causes of burns are fire and flame, scalding, contact with objects, electrical, and chemical. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review on the efficacy of herbal medicine in the treatment of burn wounds.

This systematic review adhered to the principle set forth by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for performing the literature search. An amount of 1,282 publications were found via searches of six literature databases. The PRISMA process was then applied to systematically review the literature, with 50 articles excluded due to duplicates. The titles and abstracts of the remaining studies were assessed for relevance, and 1,216 were found to not meet the inclusion criteria.

After further review of the relevant literature for eligibility, a total of 16 papers were chosen for inclusion in this study. This review highlights that Aloe vera is the most commonly used plant for burn wounds, offering numerous benefits such as reducing inflammation, aiding proliferation, and supporting remodeling.

This review highlights the potential of herbal therapies in burn wound healing, with herbs promoting re-epithelialization, collagen synthesis, and angiogenesis. Their bioactive compounds offer anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and regenerative benefits. Further research is needed to clarify their mechanisms and standardize clinical use, with the integration of herbal treatments potentially enhancing burn care and improving patient outcomes.