Penn Herb Wellness Guide
Wound Healing
Also indexed as:Cuts, Cuts & Scrapes, Injuries (Wounds), Skin Wounds, Wounds
Repair the damage to your skin and other soft tissues by caring for affected areas and focusing on your overall health. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful.
- Reliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.
- Contradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit.
- For an herb, supported by traditional use but minimal or no scientific evidence. For a supplement, little scientific support.
Our proprietary “Star-Rating” system was developed to help you easily understand the amount of scientific support behind each supplement in relation to a specific health condition. While there is no way to predict whether a vitamin, mineral, or herb will successfully treat or prevent associated health conditions, our unique ratings tell you how well these supplements are understood by some in the medical community, and whether studies have found them to be effective for other people.
For over a decade, our team has combed through thousands of research articles published in reputable journals. To help you make educated decisions, and to better understand controversial or confusing supplements, our medical experts have digested the science into these three easy-to-follow ratings. We hope this provides you with a helpful resource to make informed decisions towards your health and well-being.
| Supplement | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|
Bromelain | 3,000 MCU (2,000 GDU) three times per day for several days, followed by 2,000 MCU three times per day |  [3 stars] Taking bromelain may help reduce swelling and speed the healing time for surgical wounds and soft tissue injuries. |
Vitamin B-Complex | Follow label directions | [3 stars] Thiamine (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), and other B vitamins have all been shown to play a role in wound healing. For this reason, some healthcare practitioners recommend a high-potency B vitamin supplement to promote wound healing. |
Vitamin C | 1 to 3 grams daily | [3 stars] Taking vitamin C may promote connective tissue repair. |
Zinc | 30 mg daily (with 2 mg copper daily to prevent depletion), or apply topical zinc preparations regularly | [3 stars] Zinc is a component of enzymes needed to repair wounds, and even a mild deficiency can interfere with optimal recovery from everyday tissue damage. |
Aloe | Apply stabilized gel three to five times daily |  [2 stars] Aloe has been shown to decrease inflammation, promote cellular repair, and facilitate wound healing. |
Chamomile | Apply an ointment containing 2% chamomile extract or standardized for chamazulene and bisabolol content three to four times daily | [2 stars] Topically applied chamomile can be used to speed wound healing. |
Chondroitin Sulfate Topical | Refer to label instructions | [2 stars] Applying an ointment containing chondroitin sulfate may speed healing of skin wounds. |
Copper | 2 to 4 mg daily | [2 stars] Copper plays a role in the strengthening of connective tissue and may help promote wound healing. |
Gotu Kola | Take a standardized herbal extract providing 60 mg total triterpenoids once or twice per day | [2 stars] Applying an ointment containing gotu kola may speed healing of skin wounds. |
Honey | Take under medical supervision: apply 10 to 20 ml twice per day | [2 stars] Topical application of honey has been used since antiquity to accelerate skin wound healing. Honey has been shown to inhibit the growth of several organisms responsible for wound infections. |
Horse Chestnut | Apply topically | [2 stars] Horse chestnut contains a compound called aescin that acts as an anti-inflammatory and reduces swelling after trauma, particularly sports injuries, surgery, and head injury. |
Hyaluronic Acid | 1% solution for ears | [2 stars] Topically applied hyaluronic acid is sometimes used in skin wound dressings to improve healing. |
Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate | 10 to 30 grams daily | [2 stars] Supplementing with OKG has been shown to significantly improve wound healing and decrease the length of hospital stays. |
Vitamin A | Take under medical supervision: 25,000 IU daily | [2 stars] Vitamin A plays a central role in wound healing and may be useful as a supplement or in a topical ointment. |
Vitamin E | 400 IU daily | [2 stars] Supplementing with vitamin E may enhance healing and prevent adhesion formation after surgery, applied topically, the vitamin may help prevent scarring. |
Arginine | Refer to label instructions |  [1 star] Arginine appears to improve wound healing by increasing protein synthesis. |
Arnica Topical | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Some practitioners consider topically applied arnica to be among the best wound-healing herb available. |
Bladderwrack | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Alginic acid is one of the main constituents in bladderwrack. Calcium alginate has shown promise as an agent to speed wound healing. |
Calendula | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Topically applied calendula can be used to speed wound healing. |
Carnosine | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Carnosine, a small molecule composed of the amino acids histidine and alanine, appears to promote wound healing. |
Chaparral | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Chaparral has been used topically to decrease inflammation, and pain, and promote healing of minor wounds. |
Chondroitin Sulfate Oral | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Supplementing with chondroitin sulfate may promote wound healing by providing the raw material needed by the body to manufacture connective tissue. |
Comfrey | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Comfrey has anti-inflammatory properties that may decrease bruising and help heal wounds when the herb is applied topically. |
Echinacea | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Echinacea is used among European practitioners of herbal medicine to promote wound healing. |
Glucosamine Sulfate Oral | Refer to label instructions | [1 star] Supplementing with glucosamine sulfate may promote wound healing by providing the raw material needed by the body to manufacture connective tissue.
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