Resin-salve from Norway spruce--a potential method to treat infected chronic skin ulcers?
The home-made resin salve from Norway spruce is traditionally and widely used in folk medicine to heal various skin infections and wounds in Northern Finland. We have performed laboratory studies to solve the mechanism of resin salve. The resin salve exhibited a bacteriostatic effect against all tested Gram-positive bacteria important in human medicine including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), but was not effective against Gram-negative bacteria. An exception among the Gram-negative bacteria was Proteus vulgaris against which resin salve was effective. High amounts of lipophilic extractives, like resin acids were dissolved into water from the resin salve. Also, a large proportion of lignans and cinnamic acid were found in the water extract.
Department of Surgery, Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, FIN-18120 Heinola, Finland.
Arno
A
Sipponen
Merja
M
Rautio
Janne J
JJ
Jokinen
Tapio
T
Laakso
Pekka
P
Saranpää
Jouni
J
Lohi
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005387:Finland; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D028222:Picea / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D012116:Resins, Plant / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012116:Resins, Plant