Page 97 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Winter 2016

The chemicals diallyl disulfide, allicin, and allyly pro- 6. Zazzera E. A 7-month-old infant with plantar garlic burns
pyl disulfide have been identified as the burn agents. [published online ahead of print May 12, 2016]. J Emerg
7,3
Nurs. In press.
An almost immediate burning sensation and a second- 7. Karabacak E, Aydın E, Kutlu A, et al. An unusual garlic burn
degree chemical burn have been reported to occur 1–12 occurring on an unexpected area. BMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014..
hours after exposure. In this case, the 12-hour delay of 8. Yilmaz HH, Gormez O, Hastar E, et al. Garlic burn in a pa-
5,7
a burning sensation is the longest to date. tient with trigeminal neuralgia: a case report. Eur J Dent.
2010;4:88–90.
Factors thought to contribute to the development and 9. Lee TY, Lam TH. Contact dermatitis due to topical treatment
with garlic in Hong Kong. Contact Dermatitis. 1991;24:
extent of the chemical burns include concentration of 193–196.
the compound/product, underlying health conditions, 10. Hosseini A, Hosseinzadeh H. A review on the effects of Al-
area of application, and variability among individuals. lium sativum (garlic) in metabolic syndrome. J Endocrinol
5
The same three chemical agents mentioned in the previ- Invest. 2015;38:1147–1157.
ous paragraph are thought to cause the contact derma- 11. Fraser C. 15 natural home remedies for wounds. http://live
lovefruit.com/?s=15+Natural+Home+Remedies+For+Wounds.
titis and second-degree chemical burns. There are no Accessed 27 October 2016.
3
reports of third-degree burns related to topical appli- 12. Top 10 Home Remedies. How to heal minor wounds at home.
cation of garlic. Other studies suggest that the sulfides http://www.top10homeremedies.com/how-to/heal-minor
contained within garlic participate in metabolism of cys- -wounds-home.html. Accessed 27 October 2016.
teine proteins, which could explain the ability of garlic
to penetrate the epidermal junction, leading to necrosis
and chemical burns of the skin. 1,3,5
Mr Oberle is affiliated with the Edward Via College of Osteo-
pathic Medicine-Auburn Campus, Auburn, Alabama; e-mail:
Conclusion moberle@auburn.vcom.edu.
It is uncommon for a patient to present with a second- Mr Wachs is affiliated with the Edward Via College of Osteo-
degree burn to the face that occurred secondary to topi- pathic Medicine-Auburn Campus, Auburn, Alabama.
cal application of a homemade garlic paste. Patients
commonly find this home remedy on the Internet. Medi- COL (Ret) Brisson, US Army, is affiliated with the Edward
cal professionals have treated garlic burns on various Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Auburn Campus, Au-
skin locations; however, this is the third reported facial burn, Alabama.
burn, to our knowledge. This patient recovered with-
out any specific treatment. Healthcare providers need to
be aware of the dangers of this home remedy and dis- Editor’s Note
courage its dermatological use. Furthermore, healthcare Those conducting or participating in operations glob-
practitioners should deter their patients from using the ally can encounter cultural beliefs, practices, and tradi-
largely unregulated Internet as a healthcare authority. tional healers. Part of their (host nation people) culture
and location could give way to self-care, home remedies,
Disclosure or consultations with traditional healers. Some of these
treatments could cause further harm to the patient. In
The authors have nothing to disclose. traditional Arabic and Islamic medicine, garlic is widely
used to treat bites, stings, and pain; to kill microbes;
References and to prevent gangrene. In traditional Ethiopian medi-
cine, garlic is used for the common cold, malaria, cough,
1. Al-Qattan MM. Garlic burns: case reports with an emphasis on pulmonary tuberculosis, hypertension, wounds, asthma,
associated and underlying pathology. Burns. 2009;35:300–302.
2. Bagga S, Thomas BS, Bhat M.. Garlic burn as self-inflicted mu- parasitic infections, toothache, and diabetes. Some of
cosal injury—a case report and review of the literature. Quin- garlic’s uses as treatments are not accepted or do not
tessence Int. 2008;39:491–494. have the scientific data to support their use per West-
3. Xu S, Heller M, Wu PA, et al. Chemical burn caused by topi- ern medical standards. During the past decade, herbal
cal application of garlic under occlusion. Dermatol Online J. remedies have become more increasingly popular in the
2014;20:21261.
4. Keles MK, Bayram Y, Durmus M. How fast can a naturopathic United States; you can buy garlic essential oils from gro-
medicine cause skin burn? A case report of garlic burn. Ann cery stores or surf the Internet to find recipes to make
Burns Fire Disasters. 2015;28:228–229. types of garlic pastes.
5. Dietz DM, Varcelotti JR, Stahlfeld KR. Garlic burns: a not-so- —John Dominguez, MSG, ATP, TP-C, FP-C
rare complication of a naturopathic remedy? Burns. 2004;30:
612–613.

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