Heal Wounds - The Vedic Way

Wound healing is an area where traditional medicine could have much to offer. On 28 and 29 August 1994 a satellite meeting of the European Tissue Repair Society was held at the Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in England. The rationale of the meeting was well expressed in the title of the first paper – “Why should wound healers of the western world be interested in traditional medicine of the developing world” – presented by Professor Terence Ryan of the Department of Dermatology. While the United Kingdom, USA CHINA, Syria Vietnam and Zimbabwe participated in the meeting, there was no representative from India.

The invitation by a specialised group in western medicine to experts in traditional medicine research is a step in the right direction. Similar meetings have been held in India where experts made presentation on what traditional medicine had to offer in the areas of diabetes, gastroenterology and obstetrics and gynaecology. Such meetings may not have immediate visible effects but we now have evidence that these interactions certainly have a long term effect by increasing awareness and by inspiring a few clinical investigators to work in traditional medicine- particularly in the evaluation of herbal remedies.

There are several plants in India which have been mentioned in the Ayurveda as having a beneficial effect on wound healing. Much research has been carried out on this subject on experimental animals although good clinical trials have not yet been published. A centre where much work has been carried out in the past is the research was published in 1970 in review entitled “Wound healing under the influence of certain indigenous drugs in the book advances in Research in Indian Medicine.

The sunflower plant, Helianthus annus, has been mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts by Sushruta as having a beneficial effect on wounds. This was confirmed in experimental studies. An extract of the plant was prepared after which a 5 per cent ointment was prepared with Vaseline. This ointment certainly demonstrated wound healing properties as there was a significant reduction in the total healing period after the application of the ointment. Another plant substance used for treating wounds in South India is Morellin from a plant called Garcinia morella. Morellin was effective in inducing wound healing in animals when applied to the experimental excised wound.

Another plant which is reputed for its wound healing is Jasmina auriculatum. Sushruta has specifically mentioned its beneficial effect in eye ulcers. Fresh juice of the plant was applied to the experimental wound and a therapeutic effect was seen. Professor Deshpande and his colleagues concluded that the juice contained some substance which enhanced wound healing. A fourth plant which again demonstrated wound healing activity was Vernonia cineria given in a juice from.