Some European Gentiana Species Are Used Traditionally to Cure Wounds: Bioactivity and Conservation Issues

Wound care will always be among the main tasks in all surgical specialties. Several medicinal plants have proven efficacy to cure wounds. Ethnobotanical research and ethnopharmacological research have virtually endless potential to find new lead compounds. The aim of this research review is to assess the potential of some Gentiana species as sources of promising active compounds to support wound healing. Gentians are among the most popular medicinal plants used in many countries for a wide spectrum of health conditions. Traditionally, those used to cure wounds are Gentiana lutea, G. punctata, G. asclepiadea, G. cruciata, G. oliverii, G. septemphida, and G. gelida. Candidate compounds with skin regeneration and wound-healing potential isolated from gentians are isogentisin, isoorientin, mangiferin, lupeol, pinoresinol, syringaresinol, eustomoside, and sweroside. Based on the rich source of traditional knowledge on the properties of gentians to cure various skin and soft tissue complications; only very few modern pharmacological studies have been performed to test this potential. Our review demonstrates that this field deserves further investigation. Many gentians are declining in number and have high IUCN conservation status, and cultivation and micropropagation methods are the only solution for the development of new drugs based on gentian extracts.

Automated summary

Wound care is a crucial task in surgical specialties, and medicinal plants like Gentiana species show potential for wound healing. Traditional knowledge identifies several Gentiana species, such as Gentiana lutea and G. punctata, as effective remedies for wounds. However, further pharmacological studies are needed to explore their potential. Due to the declining numbers and conservation status of these plants, cultivation and micropropagation methods are essential for developing new drugs based on Gentian extracts.