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

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.