Global trends and hotspots of natural medicines for pathological scar treatment: a visualized bibliometric analysis (2008–2025)

Background The therapeutic role of natural medicines in pathological scars has received widespread attention in recent years. However, there is no systematic bibliometric study to analyze the research hotspots and trends in this field. Purpose This study aimed to provide researchers with a comprehensive summary of natural medicines in pathological scars; visualize the current research status, hotspot directions, and development trends; and offer references for subsequent research and clinical translation in this field. Methods Publications related to the topic from 2008 to 2025 were retrieved from the WOSCC and PubMed databases. Bibliometric analyses were performed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, Microsoft Office Excel, and GraphPad Prism. Results Global publications on natural medicines for pathological scar treatment have steadily increased. A total of 234 papers were retrieved, contributed by 1,395 authors from 396 institutions across 39 countries/regions. China far outnumbered other countries in publication output, with four of the top five authors residing in China. Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranked first among institutions by publication count. The most recent keywords—drug delivery, transdermal delivery, antioxidant, angiogenesis, and the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad—suggest emerging research frontiers. Conclusion Research on natural medicines in pathological scars is still in a developmental stage. This is the first bibliometric analysis in this domain, highlighting the current hotspots and shedding light on future research directions.