Anti-Inflammatory and Wound-Healing Medicinal Plants of Uzbekistan and Central Asia: An Ethnopharmacological Review

Abstract

Chronic wounds and inflammatory skin conditions remain a substantial clinical burden worldwide, and limitations of conventional anti-inflammatory and wound-care agents, including antimicrobial resistance and adverse effects, have renewed interest in plant-based alternatives. Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region host one of the richest reservoirs of medicinal flora globally, with several hundred documented medicinal plant species used in traditional practice for skin disorders, yet this ethnopharmacological knowledge remains comparatively underrepresented in the international literature. This review synthesizes current evidence on the anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties of medicinal plants traditionally used in Uzbekistan and Central Asia, focusing on Plantago major, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Artemisia terrae-albae, and Hypericum perforatum. For each species, we summarize the traditional ethnobotanical use, the principal bioactive phytoconstituents identified to date, and the pharmacological evidence supporting activity through mechanisms such as nuclear factor kappa B pathway inhibition, pro-inflammatory cytokine suppression, matrix metalloproteinase modulation, and antioxidant enzyme enhancement. A recurring finding is that extract concentration critically determines outcome, with excessively high concentrations of flavonoid-rich extracts paradoxically reducing healing efficacy. Overall, the reviewed species demonstrate consistent, mechanistically plausible activity, supporting their potential as sources for standardized phytotherapeutic formulations, while highlighting the need for region-specific pharmacological and clinical validation of Central Asian plant populations.