RESEARCHERS at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, have developed an herbal ointment that significantly accelerated wound healing in laboratory animals, raising hopes that plant-based formulations could one day provide affordable alternatives for treating skin injuries.
The study, published in the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research, investigated the wound-healing effects of ointments made from aqueous leaf extracts of Acacia nilotica, Aloe vera and Calotropis procera, used individually and in combination.
Acacia nilotica, commonly known as the gum arabic tree or prickly acacia, is one of the most widely used medicinal trees across Africa and Asia. In Nigeria, it is particularly common in the northern savannah and Sahel regions.
Its leaves, bark and pods—known locally as Bagaruwa in Hausa and Booni or Kasia in Yoruba—have long been prepared as poultices or decoctions and applied to cuts, ulcers and burns. Traditional healers believe the plant helps stop bleeding, prevent infection and promote
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