Abstract
Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS), a unique traditional herbal mixture, has been used topically to stop bleeding for centuries in Anatolia. ABS is a standardized mixture of the plants Thymus vulgaris, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Vitis vinifera, Alpinia officinarum, and Urtica dioica. Through its effects on the endothelium, blood cells, angiogenesis, cellular proliferation, vascular dynamics, and cell mediators, ABS is now becoming an official alternative hemostatic medicine for intractable bleedings that are resistant to conventional anti-hemorrhagic measures in Turkey. Furthermore, ABS seems to have a considerable therapeutic benefit, because of its anti-infective, antineoplastic, and wound healing properties, to restore and maintain tissue homeostasis in a variety of diseases. (Altern Med Rev 2010;15(4):329-336)