Not so bland: Vanilla can heal chronic wounds

Vanilla gets a bad rap as the bland, middle-of-the road choice—but it is a powerful wound healer that also has anti-inflammatory qualities.

Vanillin, the compound that gives vanilla its distinctive flavour, could help heal chronic wounds, infections and damaged tissue, as scientists at Flinders University in Australia have discovered.  Best of all, as it’s the main fragrance in vanilla pods, it’s readily available, inexpensive and far cheaper than standard drugs.

It can be harnessed to enhance standard medical therapies, and especially treatments of chronic wounds and ulcers that never seem to heal because of persistent inflammation, bacterial contamination, and damage caused by oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress occurs when harmful reactive molecules overwhelm the body’s protective defences, potentially damaging cells and interfering with tissue repair.

Compounds in vanillin seem to treat all three problems in one go, say the researchers who have been exploring vanillin’s healing properties for a few years.

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