Topical phytochemicals: applications for wound healing.

To maximize the effectiveness of any complementary therapy in treating chronic wounds, the clinician must fully appreciate the scientific basis in which this treatment modality influences wound healing. The biological changes influenced by phytochemical compounds can have a positive effect on wound healing, which often depends on extract selection and clinical application. A sound understanding of the physiological changes that are associated with phytochemical compounds will help the clinician to make an appropriate extract selection and guide treatment decisions.Tissue adhesion has long been considered a key step in determining a bacterium's pathogenicity. The process of preventing infections by decreasing bacterial-tissue adhesion has been reported in the literature, with particular focus on the antibacterial effects of ingested cranberry juice. Cranberry juice has been studied primarily as a "home remedy" in the treatment of urinary tract infection with its antiadhesion and/or antibacterial effects in a chronic wound needing further investigation.