Burns

Overview

Several supplements have been studied for burn care, mostly in small trials with mixed outcomes. Topical Aloe gel or cream may speed healing by a few days in some studies and may ease itching, though it has not always beat standard burn treatments.

Selenium taken with copper and zinc may lower lung infections during hospital care for serious burns but does not clearly shorten healing or overall stay; a flaxseed-oil-and-soy cookie intervention showed faster healing in mild-to-moderate burns in one small trial. Glutamine and Berberine (in combination creams) have limited or uncertain evidence. See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for full trial detail.

Effect graph

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Relevant supplements

Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.


Aloe	★★★★★	Medium
Selenium	★★★★★	Low
Flaxseed Oil	★★★★★	Low
Berberine	★★★★★	Very Low / None

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Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

4 supplements for , and rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

AloeView supplement →

Consider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeMediumEvidenceMediumTrustHigh

Evidence Review

Some studies show that putting aloe gel or cream on burns can help them heal faster—sometimes a few days quicker—compared to common burn treatments.
Aloe may also help with itching.
But in some studies, aloe did not work better than the usual recommended treatments.

Browse 1 study1 meta-analysis

MetaSecond-Degree Burns and Aloe Vera: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review2022n=133

A systematic review and meta-analysis found topical Aloe vera may aid second-degree burn healing, though evidence quality varied across included studies.

Effect: Benefit
Population: Patients with second-degree burns
Participants: 133

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SeleniumView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeLowEvidenceMediumTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Taking selenium along with copper and zinc has been studied in people with serious burns.
Some small studies show this combination may help lower lung infections in the hospital but does not seem to speed up wound healing or reduce the time spent in the hospital.
Another small study found that a higher dose of these nutrients might shorten hospital stays but does not change how well wounds heal or treatment needs.

Browse 3 studies

RCTReduction of nosocomial pneumonia after major burns by trace element supplementation: aggregation of two randomised trials2006n=82

Combined analysis of two burn trials in 82 patients found IV trace elements including selenium reduced nosocomial pneumonia and ICU stay versus placebo.

Effect: Benefit
Duration: 8–21 days
Dose: 3.1 mg/day
Population: Burn patients
Participants: 82

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RCTTrace element supplementation modulates pulmonary infection rates after major burns: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial1998n=20

In 20 burn patients over 30 days, trace element supplementation including selenium raised leukocyte counts and shortened hospital stay versus placebo.

Effect: Benefit
Duration: 30 days
Population: Burn patients
Participants: 20
Avg age: ~40

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Controlled trialInfluence of large intakes of trace elements on recovery after major burns1994n=10

In 10 burn patients, high-dose IV copper, selenium, and zinc improved trace element status and leukocyte recovery versus standard intake.

Effect: Benefit
Dose: 190 μg/day selenium + trace elements
Population: Burn patients
Participants: 10
Avg age: ~34

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Flaxseed OilView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeLowEvidenceLowTrustMedium

Evidence Review

In a small study of patients with mild to moderate burns, eating cookies daily that contained flaxseed oil and soy protein helped wounds heal faster than eating regular cookies.
This improvement was seen after about 3 weeks.
However, when compared to cookies with soy protein and corn oil, the healing speed was similar.

Browse 1 study

RCTThe effect of isolated soy protein adjunctive with flaxseed oil on markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, acute phase proteins, and wound healing of burn patients; a randomized clinical trial2017n=88

In 73 burn patients (20–50% TBSA) over 3 weeks, isolated soy protein plus flaxseed oil reduced hs-CRP and ferritin and increased albumin versus wheat flour plus corn oil control.

Effect: Benefit
Duration: 3 weeks
Population: Burn patients
Participants: 88

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BerberineView supplement →

Do not purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeVery Low / NoneEvidenceLowTrustMedium

Evidence Review

It is uncertain if berberine alone helps heal burns.
One early study found that a cream containing berberine and other ingredients used frequently for 20 days healed second-degree burns as well as the usual silver sulfadiazine cream.

Browse 1 study

RCTEvaluating the role of alternative therapy in burn wound management: randomized trial comparing moist exposed burn ointment with conventional methods in the management of patients with second-degree burns2001n=57

An RCT of 115 partial-thickness burn patients found berberine-containing MEBO ointment healed similarly to conventional care by day 17 but provided better early pain relief and 8% lower hospital costs.

Effect: No Benefit
Population: Burn patients
Participants: 57
Ages: 12–80

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Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

Purchase-guidance distribution

How many supplements fall in each purchase band

Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 4 supplements for burns (6 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
Selenium	★★★★★48%	3	0	50%
Aloe	★★★★★64%	1	1	17%
Berberine	★★★★★32%	1	0	17%
Flaxseed Oil	★★★★★44%	1	0	17%

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Overview

Effect graph

Relevant supplements

Studies

Evidence visualised

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