The use of Aloe vera in wound healing: Synthesis of clinical evidence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i10.49647Keywords:
Aloe vera, Wounds, Wound Healing.Abstract
Chronic and difficult-to-heal wounds represent a relevant challenge in healthcare, demanding effective, accessible, and safe therapeutic options. Aloe vera stands out for its anti-inflammatory, healing, analgesic, and regenerative properties. This study aimed to identify the main scientific evidence on the efficacy of Aloe vera use in wound treatment. This is a narrative literature review with searches conducted in Scielo, Lilacs, and Medline databases. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 studies were selected that address the topical use of the plant in surgical wounds, burns, chronic ulcers, and in vitro models. The results confirmed the superiority of Aloe vera over silver sulfadiazine, demonstrating superior efficacy with lower toxicity. In surgical wounds, there is evidence of benefits in various postoperative procedures. Regarding chronic wounds, the results showed divergences. The study highlights that Aloe vera accelerates epithelialization, reduces inflammation and pain, stimulates cell proliferation, and presents low incidence of adverse effects in acute wounds. Its use represents a viable complementary therapy for surgical wounds and burns, while its application in chronic wounds requires additional studies to clarify existing controversies.
References
Ali, B. G., Akram, H. M., Abed, S. A., & Rasheed, F. S. (2023). Wound healing effect of a one-week Aloe Vera mouthwash: A pilot study. Brazilian Dental Science, 26(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4322/bds.2023.e3853
Andrade Júnior, F. P. de, Aciole, I. H. M., Souza, A. K. de O., Alves, T. W. B., & Souza, J. B. de P. (2020). Uso de babosa (Aloe vera L.) como pró‑cicatrizante em diferentes formas farmacêuticas: Uma revisão integrativa. Revista de Ciências Médicas e Biológicas, 19(2), 347–352. http://dx.doi.org/10.9771/cmbio.v19i2.31939
Aparicio Salcedo, S. V., Carranza Aldana, B. S., Chávez Salas, S. A., Quispe Tinco, L. S., Palomino Zevallos, C. A., Peralta Medina, A. N., & Robles Esquerre, J. M. (2023). Pharmacological efficacy of Aloe vera in wound healing: A narrative review. Revista de la Facultad de Medicina Humana, 23(1), 73–78. https://doi.org/10.25176/RFMH.v23i1.4341
Avijgan, M., Kamran, A., & Abedini, A. (2016). Effectiveness of Aloe Vera gel in chronic ulcers in comparison with conventional treatments. Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences, 41(3 Suppl), S30. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-1995.186016
Cavalcante, L. T. C., & Oliveira, A. A. S. (2020). Métodos de revisão bibliográfica nos estudos científicos. Psicologia em Revista, 26(1), 82–100. https://doi.org/10.5752/P.1678-9563.2020v26n1p82-100
Dat, A. D., Poon, F., Pham, K. B. T., & Doust, J. (2012). Aloe vera for treating acute and chronic wounds. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2), CD008762. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008762.pub2
Hekmatpou, D., Mehrabi, F., Rahzani, K., & Aminiyan, A. (2019). The effect of Aloe vera clinical trials on prevention and healing of skin wound: A systematic review. Advances in Skin & Wound Care, 32(4), 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASW.0000552427.12943.12
Hosseini, M. A., Khani, M. R., Abdi, S., Abdi, S., & Sharifi, N. (2024). Comparison of aloe vera gel dressing with conventional dressing on pressure ulcer pain reduction: A clinical trial. BMC Research Notes, 17(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-023-06682-8
Leng, H., Pu, L., Xu, L., Shi, X., Ji, J., & Chen, K. (2018). Effects of aloe polysaccharide, a polysaccharide extracted from Aloe vera, on TNF‑α‑induced HaCaT cell proliferation and the underlying mechanism in psoriasis. Molecular Medicine Reports, 18(3), 3537–3543. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2018.9319
Levin, G., Goldberg, A., & Hamadeh, G. N. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing burn healing outcomes between silver sulfadiazine and Aloe vera. Burns, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2022.07.012
Lorenzi, H., & Matos, F. J. A. (2021). Plantas medicinais no Brasil: nativas e exóticas (3ª ed.). Instituto Plantarum.
Mahboub, M., Aghazadeh Attari, A. M., Sheikhalipour, Z., Mirza Aghazadeh Attari, M., Davami, B., Amidfar, A., & Lotfi, M. (2022). A comparative study of the impacts of Aloe vera gel and silver sulfadiazine cream 1% on healing, itching and pain of burn wounds: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Caring Sciences, 11(3), 132–138. https://doi.org/10.34172/jcs.2022.30306
Miguel, S. P., Ribeiro, M. P., Coutinho, P., & Correia, I. J. (2017). Electrospun polycaprolactone/Aloe vera–chitosan nanofibrous asymmetric membranes aimed for wound healing applications. Polymers, 9(5), 183. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9050183
Mohr, H. S. S., Soares, C. F., Loss, D. S., Belaver, G. M., Paese, F., & Pereira, M. (2024). Nursing care for people with wounds in primary health care: Challenges and strengths. ESTIMA, Brazilian Journal of Enterostomal Therapy, 22, e1437. https://doi.org/10.30886/estima.v22.1437_PT.
Molazem, Z., Mohseni, F., Younesi, M., & Keshavarzi, S. (2014). Aloe vera gel and cesarean wound healing: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Global Journal of Health Science, 7(1), 203–209. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v7n1p203
Moriyama, M., Moriyama, H., Uda, J., Kubo, H., Nakajima, Y., Goto, A., Akaki, J., Yoshida, I., Matsuoka, N., & Hayakawa, T. (2016). Beneficial effects of the genus Aloe on wound healing, cell proliferation, and differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. PLOS ONE, 11(10), e0164799. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0164799
Oliveira, S. H. dos S., Soares, M. J. G. O., & Rocha, P. de S. (2010). Uso de cobertura com colágeno e aloe vera no tratamento de ferida isquêmica: Estudo de caso. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 44(2), 346–351. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342010000200015
Pereira, A. S. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. [free ebook]. Santa Maria. Editora da UFSM.
Razia, S., Park, H., Shin, E., Shim, K.-S., Cho, E., Kang, M. C., & Kim, S. Y. (2022). Synergistic effect of Aloe vera flower and Aloe gel on cutaneous wound healing targeting MFAP4 and its associated signaling pathway: In-vitro study. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 290, 115096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115096
Reddy, K. S., Chittoria, R. K., Kerakada, N., Thomas, N., Srinath, R., Indushekar, T. C., & Sriram, V. S. (2024). Role of topical application of Aloe vera for accelerated wound healing of cutaneous burns: A case report. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 17(3), 246–248. https://doi.org/10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_8_22
Rocha, L. P. B. da, Alves, J. V. de O., Aguiar, I. F. da S., Silva, F. H. da, Silva, R. L. da, Arruda, L. G. de, Nascimento Filho, E. J. do, Barbosa, B. V. D. da R., Amorim, L. C. de, Silva, P. M. da, & Silva, M. V. da. (2021). Use of medicinal plants: History and relevance. Research, Society and Development, 10(10), e44101018282. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i10.18282
Ruppelt, B. M., Ghelman, R., Frickmann, F. S. e S., Caldas, G. R., Sanches, P. S., Abdala, V., & Takeda, M. (2022). Mapa de evidências sobre a efetividade clínica das plantas medicinais brasileiras: Informe executivo (48 p.). BIREME/OPAS/OMS. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8005526
Sabaghzadeh Irani, P., Ranjbar, H., Varaei, S., Bostani, S., Akbari, O., & Askarymahani, M. (2021). Comparison of the effectiveness of Aloe Vera gel with 2% Nitrofurazone ointment on the healing of superficial partial-thickness burns: A randomized clinical trial study. Nursing Practice Today, 9(1), 7–14. https://doi.org/10.18502/npt.v9i1.7320
Santos, M. B., Silva, L. M., & Costa, J. L. (2010). Uso de cobertura com colágeno e Aloe vera no tratamento de ferida isquêmica: Estudo de caso. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 44(2), 346–351. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342010000200015
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Barbara Becker Spindula, Silvana Ceolin

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
