Therapeutic Potential of Alum and Turmeric in Oral Ulcer Management: A Review

One of the most frequent lesions of the oral mucosa is oral ulcers, which is usually accompanied by pain, inflammation, and poor quality of life. Traditional treatments, in spite of their some level of effectiveness, are usually restrained by the side effects, recurrence, and cost. This has led to an increasing interest on natural agents that have reported therapeutic value. Alum (potassium aluminium sulphate) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) have traditional medical uses in the treatment of the oral cavity, since their pharmacological property range is quite extensive. Alum has astringent effects, microbiocidal effects and haemostatic effects that aid in decreasing inflammation and healing of the ulcers. Curcumin-rich turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and wound-healing effects that are also associated with regenerative action of the mucosal, and analgesic effects. New preclinical and clinical data demonstrate their synergistic effect in the oral ulcer treatment, which offers an alternative to synthetic drugs in the management of oral ulcers, as a naturally-derived, safe, and economical option. This review summarizes the existing scientific evidence on the phytochemistry, pharmacology, formulation, and therapeutic effect of alum and turmeric on the treatment of oral ulcers. It also talks about restrictions and safety with regard to the future research of creating optimized formulations. The results indicate that alum and turmeric, alone or in combination, have great potential as natural therapeutics in the treatment of oral ulcers, and that should be explored further via well-designed clinical trials.