Minor injuries are small cuts or bruises. It is important to care for them so they may heal.
They are treated with first aid to lower the risk of infection. Natural therapies have also been used to ease pain and promote healing.
Natural Therapies
Likely Effective
These therapies are likely to promote healing:
May Be Effective
These therapies may ease pain and promote healing:
- Aloe vera is a succulent plant that can be applied to the skin as a gel or cream. A1, A3, A4
- Proteolytic enzymes are a group of compounds that help the body break down food. A6
Not Enough Data to Assess
- Silver A5, A7
Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.
Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.
Herbs and Supplements to Be Used With Caution
Talk to your doctor about any supplements or therapy you would like to use. Some can interfere with treatment or make conditions worse.
References
Herbs and Supplements
REFA1 Khorasani G, Hosseinimehr SJ, et al. Aloe versus silver sulfadiazine creams for second-degree burns: a randomized controlled study. Surg Today. 2009;39(7):587-591.
REFA2 Voigt J, Driver VR. Hyaluronic acid derivatives and their healing effect on burns, epithelial surgical wounds, and chronic wounds: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Wound Repair Regen. 2012;20(3):3173-3131.
REFA3 Dat AD, Poon F, et al. Aloe vera for treating acute and chronic wounds. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 15;2:CD008762.
REFA4 Shahzad MN, Ahmed N. Effectiveness of aloe vera gel compared with 1% silver sulphadiazine cream as burn wound dressing in second degree burns. J Pak Med Assoc. 2013 Feb;63(2):225-230.
REFA5 Jamec GB, Kerihuel JC, et al. Cost-effective use of silver dressings for the treatment of hard-to-heal chronic venous ulcers. PLoS One. 2014;9(6):e100582.
REFA6 Chandanwale A, Langade D, et al. A Randomized, Clinical Trial to Evaluate Efficacy and Tolerability of Trypsin:Chymotrypsin as Compared to Serratiopeptidase and Trypsin:Bromelain:Rutoside in Wound Management. Adv Ther. 2017;34(1):180-198.
REFA7 Li HZ, Zhang L, et al. Silver-containing dressing for surgical site infection in clean and clean-contaminated operations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Surg Res. 2017;215:98-107
REFA8 Ye J, Mani R. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Nutritional Supplementation in Chronic Lower Extremity Wounds. Int J Low Extrem Wounds. 2016 Dec;15(4):296-302.
Other Therapies
REFB1 Westby MJ, Dumville JC, et al. Dressings and topical agents for treating pressure ulcers. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Jun 22;6:CD011947.