Effekten av Plantago major vid olika typer av sår : En litteraturstudie

Background P. major is a medicinal plant with documented antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, as well as the ability to stimulate fibroblast proliferation and angiogenesis. These properties make the plant of interest as a complementary treatment for hard-to-heal wounds, where conventional methods yield insufficient results. Aim The aim of this literature review is to investigate the effect of P. major in the treatment of three types of wounds: oral mucositis, pressure ulcers, and diabetic foot ulcers, with focus on how the plant’s properties may influence the wound healing process. Methods A literature review was conducted using “PubMed” to analyze the evidence on P. major In treatment of various wound types. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2019 and 2024 investigating P. major in wound healing were included, while studies on herbal mixtures, case reports, and conference abstracts were excluded. The selection process involved screening titles, abstracts, and full texts and extracting data on study design, population, intervention, and results. Search terms: “Plantago major” combined with “wound”, “oral mucositis”,” pressure ulcer” and “diabetic foot ulcer”. Results Five studies have examined the effect of P. major on different types of wounds. The first study showed that P. major syrup was effective in reducing symptoms in patients with head and neck cancer who underwent radiation therapy, compared to placebo. The second study showed that extract of P. major was not more beneficial compared to a double dose of five percent sodium bicarbonate. The third study showed that extract of P. major combined with phenytoin in topical preparations gave a good effect compared to placebo. The fourth study showed that traditional treatment combined with extract of P. major for treating diabetic ulcer was more effective than traditional treatment combined with placebo. The fifth study showed that topical 10 % P. major gel significantly reduced wound size and erythema and increased the proportion of fully healed diabetic foot ulcer and pressure ulcer compared to modern wound care alone. Discussion P. major extract appears to be effective in wound treatment; however, further research is needed to confirm whether P. major extract directly contributes to wound healing. The advantage of P. major is that the plant is easy to cultivate, and its extract seemingly does not cause serious side effects. All studies were the first of their kind in their respective areas, and the promising results should encourage further research in this field.