Therapeutic Applications of Turmeric and Its Principle Constituent Curcumin in Wound Healing and Skin Regeneration from the Perspective of Conventional Medicine and Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM)

In Iranian traditional medicine, turmeric is known as Auruk-e-Sufr. This spice is obtained from the root of Curcuma longa L which is a member of ginger family. The present study aimed at introducing turmeric and its active constituent Curcumin, and investigating the effectiveness of its therapeutic applications especially in dermal wound healing process based on traditional and conventional medicine resources. In the view of traditional medicine, turmeric has antibacterial effects and was used to strengthen the eyes, alleviate liver obstruction and jaundice and improve edema. In modern medicine, the most important reason of using this herb to prevent or slow the progression of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pulmonary and autoimmune diseases, as well as inflammatory bowel disease is attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Skin regeneration and wound healing is a complex process which includes many cells as well as various processes such as proliferation, cell migration, matrix synthesis and contraction that ultimately leads to recovery of cellular structures and tissue layers. There are many recommendations in traditional medicine that suggest the use of turmeric as an antiseptic therapeutic agent is beneficial in treating the skin injuries and healing of wounds, as well as improving rash, and scabies. Based on the results of the studies reviewed in this paper, due to anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant and angiogenesis activities of curcumin and turmeric, they can accelerate wound healing and improve scars regardless of the type of the wound or the route of the administration of the agent. Also, one of the main effects of this plant on accelerating wound healing is due to its ability to regulation TGF-β1 signaling pathway.