Melilotus: Contribution to wound healing in the diabetic foot

Melilotus is a genus of plants including 20–25 species that are widely distributed throughout the world. Melilotus officinalis, also known as Yellow Melilot, is one of the main species used for clinical purposes. Its characteristic sweet odor, intensified by drying is derived from its coumarin content. It has been indicated in several studies that Melilotus extract application on the skin and administration orally or intravascularly has beneficial effects in ameliorating skin aging and treatment of pimples. In addition, it improves microcirculation and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. M. officinalis is the major ingredient of Semelil (Angipars™) which is a new herbal extract that has been produced in oral, topical, and intravenous forms. Early studies suggest that Semelil may have a role in the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. Among persons diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus, the prevalence of foot ulcers is 4–10%, the annual population-based incidence is 1.0–4.1%, and the lifetime incidence may be as high as 25%. Despite all efforts in treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, the incidence of amputation of lower extremities is still high and there is need for effective and safe treatments for this condition. The value of the new treatments is primarily to prevent amputations, but also to improve quality of life, to control infection and to reduce the costs of treating difficult to heal wounds. This paper presents a brief review of the properties of M. officinalis and its extract Semelil with its role in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.