Parents always worry about their children falling down and getting hurt when they play. To prevent their various wounds from leaving a scar, and helping to quicken recovery, it is important to avoid any secondary infection.

Madecassol is an ointment or a powder made from an extract of Centella asiatica, a medicinal herb, and is designed to prevent scars from forming. Since it was released in Korea for the first time in 1970, it has been loved by the public as a wound-healing balm for the past 45 years.

Dongkook Pharmaceutical, the current manufacturer of Madecassol products, originally imported Madecassol ointment, powder and patches from Laroche Navarron, a French pharmaceutical firm, and introduced them here in Korea. Later, Dongkook started extracting the raw materials from Centella asiatica and manufacturing the product using its own technology. In 1985, the company introduced a new line of products, Madecassol Complex Ointment, with a new green packaging containing an image of the plant and stressing the fact that it is made from the extracts of plants.



Madecassol is made from an extract of Centella asiatica, a medicinal herb originally from Madagascar, an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa. People there have used the medicinal plant to treat skin infections or leprosy for centuries. The name of the product also came from Madagascar, the plant's origin.

In addition to extracts from Centella asiatica, an herb that helps new flesh to grow, Madecassol also contains the antibiotic neomycin and the anti-inflammatory hydrocortisone, among other medicines. The Centella asiatica extract helps normal collagen synthesis during the healing process, quickens the growth of new flesh and prevents the formation of scars.



The Madecassol range of medicines consists of several products, including Madecassol Care Ointment, Madecassol Powder, Madecassol Ointment and Madeco Balm.

Madecassol Care is suitable for wounds with a relatively smaller risk of infection or for sensitive skin, and is highly recommended for babies and young children, in addition to adults. Madecassol Powder is made from 100 percent plant extract and it can be applied to wounds with discharge or which are bleeding, like bedsores. It is also recommended when the wound causes too much pain to use an ointment.

Madecassol Ointment is also made from 100 percent plant extract. It's now categorized as a sanitary aid and can be purchased at discount stores or convenience stores, not only pharmacies. It can be applied to wounds with no risk of a second infection. If it is applied repeatedly before or after a scab is formed, it is effective in preventing scars.

Finally, Madeco Balm is a lip balm that contains a Centella asiatica extract.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr