Wound Healing: Contributions from Medicinal Plants and Their Phytoconstituents

Abstract

Wound is an inescapable condition in one's lifetime that may arise due to physical injuries that can result in an opening or break of skin or chemical means. Wounds represent a significant burden on patients and can affect the physical and mental health of millions of patients thereby imposing a significant cost on them. Wounds are major cause of physical disabilities. The wound area is an ideal medium for the manipulation of many infecting organisms. The injured skin, therefore, remains vulnerable to invasive microbial infections. The primary objective of wound care, therefore, is to prevent or minimize infection and promote healing. Various materials and methods, especially antibacterial drugs are employed. Some of these wound care methods employed include the topical antimicrobial therapy of plant extracts. The present article, therefore, focuses on the review of the role medicinal plants play in wound healing with special attention on plants that have demonstrated both wound healing and antioxidant properties. Further attention was given to isolated compounds from wound healing plants that exhibited wound healing properties.