Characterization of humic substances in waters and their therapeutic applications – a review

Abstract

Aim: In this review, the authors characterise bioactive ingredients of humic waters, the chemical structure of humic acids and their properties, methods of their analysis and isolation. The aim of the study is also to review the application of humic waters and humic acids in different fields such as medicine and balneology. Materials and Methods: A literature review was done based on the available PubMed bibliographic database from 1994-2023. Articles in Polish and English were included. During the search the keywords such as humic waters, humic acids, peloids, balneotherapy and balneology were used. The authors also used other sources for the search, such as books and internet websites. Conclusions: Humic acids have a very high sorption capacity and a variety of biological properties including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, which can be successfully applied in different fields of medicine: dermatology, gastrology, diabetology and balneotherapy. The multitude of biological properties of humic waters and humic substances raises the question of whether or not they should be considered natural medicinal resources.