Abstract

Herbal medicine’s acceptance into the healthcare system has been hampered by the lack of scientific proof supporting
its pharmacological action, including the efficacy of Vernonia amygdalina to treat wounds. Despite traditional proof
of its effectiveness in wound healing, the usage of root bark ash, which has been used to treat wounds since ancient
times, is also a disappearing practice in modern society. By contrasting the wound-healing properties of root bark
aqueous extract and root bark ash extract of V. amygdalina, this study aimed to fill this gap. Elastoplast ointment
served as the positive control and distilled water served as the negative control as we examined the wound healing
activities of these extracts on male mice in an excision wound model utilizing both root bark aqueous and root bark
ash extracts at 1% w/v, 2% w/v, and 3% w/v concentrations. From day 1 to day 21, wound diameter was measured
every four days, and the data was utilized to determine the diameter of the reduced wound in each group. In
comparison to the negative control group, all root bark ash extracts and root bark aqueous extracts from V.
amygdalina demonstrated a considerable amount of wound healing activity. The wounds in groups 4 (3% w/v
aqueous) and 7 (3% w/v Root bark ash) healed more quickly than those in the negative control. With its greater
concentrations functioning better than the same concentrations in the root bark aqueous category, root bark ash
was found to have the best wound healing activity. The study's conclusion revealed the following ranking; Group 7
(3% w/v Root bark ash) > Group 4 (3% w/v aqueous) > Group 6 (2% w/v Root bark ash) > Group 3 (2% w/v
aqueous), followed by Group 5 and Group 2 (1% w/v root bark ash and 1% w/v root bark aqueous), Group 4 (3%
w/v Aqueous) > Group 8 (Negative control). According to our findings, both root bark ash and Root bark aqueous
extracts of V. amygdalina Root barks proved effective in treating wounds, providing evidence for its traditional use
in treating wounds. With 3% w/v root bark ash extract standing out among the rest, root bark ash extracts in their
individual concentrations performed better than the same concentrations in the root bark aqueous extract groups.