Clinical and Biological Efficacy of Jin-La-Wan Herbal Oil Formulation for the Treatment of Pressure Ulcers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Pressure ulcers (PUs) represent a significant globally public health issue owing to their considerable effects on morbidity, death, and healthcare costs. This study aimed to assess the clinical and biological efficacy of TTM medicine for PU therapy, using the Jin-La-Wan herbal oil formulation in comparison with standard treatment. The chemical composition analyzed using GC-MS revealed that monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were the major component classes in Jin-La-Wan herbal oil, accounting for 33.33% and 28.57%, respectively. The Jin-La-Wan herbal oil demonstrated no cytotoxicity in macrophages at concentrations of 50 and 100 µg/mL, with IC50 values recorded at 138.54 ± 2.10 µg/mL. Jin-La-Wan herbal oil had inhibitory impact on nitric oxide production at concentrations of 50 and 100 µg/mL, with percentage inhibitions of 12.5 ± 62.98% and 33.94 ± 2.52%, respectively. In the clinical study, the therapeutic efficacy of Jin-La-Wan herbal oil for pressure ulcers was assessed by the Braden score and the PUSH score, respectively. After the treatment, the Braden score shown an improvement, whereas the PUSH score demonstrated a significant decrease in comparison to the baseline value. The findings supported regular application of TTM at Phrasaeng hospital, particularly the application of Jin-La-Wan herbal oil as an alternate therapy for PUs. Moreover, the present study is the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating the effectiveness of Jin-La-Wan herbal oil in treating mild and moderate pressure ulcers, namely stage I and stage II.