Skin, Wound and Topical Herbs
The Herbs (9)
Bhringraj
Small Asian wetland weed famed in Ayurveda for hair and liver; hair-growth claims rest on rodent studies, not human trials.
Read the deep dive →Cassia Alata
Tropical ringworm bush whose crushed leaves are a traditional antifungal skin rub, endorsed in the Philippines; not the laxative senna.
Read the deep dive →Snake Grass
Southeast Asian shrub listed in Thailand as a topical preparation for herpes lesions; there is no trial evidence it treats cancer.
Read the deep dive →Comfrey
Old knitbone herb whose creams have trial support for sprains, bruises and back pain; swallowing it risks serious liver damage.
Read the deep dive →Crape Jasmine
Ornamental dogbane-family shrub rich in potent alkaloids, used traditionally on skin and wounds; not a tea herb and no safe dose is known.
Read the deep dive →Yarrow
Feathery roadside herb named for Achilles, treasured for centuries for stopping bleeding and helping wounds close, with supportive laboratory evidence.
Read the deep dive →Self Heal
Creeping violet-flowered mint known as heal-all in Europe and Xia Ku Cao in China, used as a wound wash and gargle.
Read the deep dive →Silk Cotton
Scarlet-flowered tropical Asian tree whose flower, gum, root and fruit serve different traditions, though no human clinical evidence exists yet.
Read the deep dive →Dragon's Blood
Red Amazonian tree sap used on wounds and bites, the source of the licensed antidiarrhoeal drug crofelemer, and one of several resins sharing the name.
Read the deep dive →Herbs applied to the skin rather than swallowed â wound herbs, the antifungal leaves, and the hair traditions. Some belong here precisely because they are unsafe internally, comfrey most of all.
A herb is filed here by what it is traditionally used for, not by a claim that it works. Each herb page states its own evidence tier, its documented harms and its drug interactions — read those before the category name.