Abstract
Use of synthetic drugs for the treatment of burn wounds has decreased due to adverse effects, and they are gradually being replaced by compounds obtained from natural products, especially medicinal plants. This review focused on pre-clinical and clinical studies examining the efficacy of medicinal plants in promoting burn wound healing. This systematic review was performed congruent with the guidance delineated in the PRISMA statement. Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science, along with the search engines Google Scholar and Google, were utilised to retrieve published literatures from 2000 to 2023. Articles were screened according to the determined criteria and appraised using primary evaluation checklists. A total of 108 published articles met the eligibility criteria and were selected for discussion. Of these, 72 were in vivo studies, 28 were in vitro studies and 8 were clinical trials. Various medicinal plants discussed in this review improve the burn wound healing process due to the presence of diverse biological compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. These plants affect the four phases of wound healing. These plant species and their compounds could be potentially used for the development of effective natural remedies against burn wounds.