Pharmacological efficacy of Aloe vera in wound healing: a narrative review

Abstract

Aloe Vera has different therapeutic effects, including wound healing. The objective of this review is to determine the potential efficacy of the topical use of Aloe Vera in the healing of skin wounds. A bibliographic search of preclinical and clinical studies was carried out from 1999 to 2020, which included the therapeutic use of Aloe vera in the healing of: burns, surgical wounds, lactation disorders, anal ssure and anal stula; in the databases of the VHL regional portal, PubMed and Google Scholar. It was obtained that the topical administration of Aloe vera was effective in the healing of the mentioned wounds by mainly increasing epithelization and collagen content. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that the properties and pharmacological presentation, chemical components and the effectiveness of Aloe vera to reduce the healing time of wounds make this plant a great therapeutic alternative; however, more studies are required regarding its antimicrobial property.

Keywords

• aloe vera
• wound healing
• burns
• surgical wounds
• fissure in ano