Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the healing potential of medicinal plants belonging to the Brazilian National List of Medicinal Plants of Interest to the Unified Health System (RENISUS).
Method: PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were searched for relevant articles, regardless of the language, from 2010 to June 2016. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility. Articles were included if they presented evidence of healing potential of medicinal plants. Only those available as full and open access texts were considered.
Results: A total of 1381 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 156 studies were considered eligible and were reviewed as full text. Following full analysis, 64 studies were included in this review. The studies covered 27 of the 71 plants belonging to RENISUS, nine of which are native to Brazil. In addition, two species are currently available in the Brazilian public health system as herbal medicine.
Conclusion: This review may encourage and contribute to the appropriate use of medicinal plants in the public health system in Brazil.
Keywords: medicinal plants; public health; systematic review; wound healing.