Topical Administration of Teucrium polium on Diabetic Foot Ulcers Accelerates Healing: A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Study

• Published in: International journal of lower extremity wounds 2024-06, Vol.23 (2), p.238-246
• Main Authors: Fallah Huseini, Hasan, Yaghoobi, Maryam, Fallahi, Farhad, Boroumand, Farzaneh, Ezzati, Mohammad Hassan, Tabatabaei, Seyyed Mohammad, Sotvan, Homa, Ahvazi, Maryam, Badiee Aval, Shapour, Ziaee, Mojtaba
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Topical; Aged; Diabetic Foot - drug therapy; Diabetic Foot - therapy; Female; Humans; Iran; Male; Middle Aged; Ointments - administration & dosage; Phytotherapy - methods; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Teucrium; Treatment Outcome; Wound Healing - drug effects
• ISSN: 1534-7346; 1552-6941
• DOI: 10.1177/15347346211048371

  Diabetic foot ulcer is one of the most devastating complications of uncontrolled diabetes. Although there have been advances in the management of diabetic foot ulcers, still diabetic foot ulcers are a major cause of many amputations in diabetic patients. Teucrium polium (T. polium) is widely used by folk medicine practitioners in Iran for the treatment of diabetic ulcers. The present study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of topical T. polium ointment besides the standard treatment in diabetic foot ulcers. A total of 70 diabetic patients with foot ulcers grade 1 or 2 according to Wagner's scale were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in both groups received standard treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. In addition, group 1 received topical T. polium ointment, and group 2 received topical placebo ointment for 4 weeks. The T. polium and placebo ointments were rubbed twice daily two hours before the conventional dressing. The ulcer size, healing time, and laboratory tests were measured in both groups at baseline and end of the study after 4 weeks. Twenty-nine patients remained in the T. polium group and 26 in the placebo group until the end of the study. The mean surface area of ulcers was 3.52 ± 1.47 and 3.21 ± 1.67 cm2 in T. polium group and placebo group respectively at baseline which decrease to .717 ± .19 and 1.63 ± .72 cm2 respectively at the endpoint. The mean ulcer surface area was significantly lower in T. polium compared with the placebo group (p