artemisia

submitted by Pierre Lutgen, Jerome Munyangi and Mutaz Akkawi

Zinc (Zn) plays an essential role in many biological processes including immune response. Impaired Zn status promotes immune dysfunction, and it has been associated with enhanced chronic inflammation during aging. Zinc has a pivotal role in the entire immune system fostering resistance to infections by virus, fungi and bacteria. The immune system is strongly impaired by zinc deficiency, predominantly the cell-mediated response by T-lymphocytes.

Already in 1925 burns were treated with tannins.

As it often happened in the past century the use of this natural product in the treatment of wounds was abandoned in the mid-forties due to the availability of topical antibacterial agents. It has regained interest. A clinical trial in Malawi comparing a decoction of ground tea stalks with silver sulfadiazine gave better results for bacterial growth, eschar formation.

            L Chokotho, E van Hasselt. The use of tannins in the local treatment of burn wounds-a pilot study. Malawi Med Journal, 2005, 17, 19-20