A herbal cream consisting of Aloe vera, Lavandula stoechas, and Pelargonium roseum as an alternative for silver sulfadiazine in burn management

Abstract

Background: Silver sulfadiazine (SSD) is the most used topical agent for the treatment of burn wounds. However, it has some side effects such as delayed and incomplete epithelialization, generation of black scars, and limited penetration to the depth of a wound. Objective: The present study investigated the efficacy of herbal combination cream containing Aloe vera gel and essential oils of Lavandula stoechas and Pelargonium roseum in the alleviation of symptoms in patients with superficial second-degree burns and comparison of its effects with those of SSD 1% cream. Methods: One hundred eleven patients with second-degree burns (occurring in the preceding 48 hours and affecting Results: Both groups experienced a significant reduction in the pain severity at day 14 compared to baseline (p 0.05). There was a single case of infection in the herbal cream group, which cleared with continuation of treatment. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that the herbal cream used here is superior to SSD 1% cream in the alleviation of pain and may serve as a natural alternative for treatment of second-degree burns. Keywords: Aloe vera, burn wound, Lavandula stoechas, Pelargonium roseum, silver sulfadiazine