Chlorophyll and its derivatives have found wide applications in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Chlorophyll stimulates tissue growth through the facili­tation of a rapid carbon dioxide and oxygen interchange between the tissue and the blood stream [8, 19, 50]. Because of this tissue-growth stimulating propensity, chlo­rophyll is able to prevent bacterial advancement in a wound and speeds up the wound-healing process [8, 50]. Some studies have found that chlorophyll can accel­erate the rate of wound healing by more than 25%. Chlorophyll is used as a wound­healing accelerator in the treatment of ulcers and oral sepsis. Chronic ulcer is a significant health problem in society, with lengthy periods required for its treatment. The application of ointments containing chlorophyll derivatives on the ulcer was found not only to rapidly eliminate pain but also to improve the appearance of the affected tissues. The ulcer discharge and characteristic odour also decreased significantly after a few days of chlorophyll treatment [7]. The antibacterial prop­erty and deodorising nature of chlorophyll were found to be very helpful in the treatment of oral sepsis [15].

Chlorophyll and its derivatives have recently been identified as a powerful thera­peutic for cancer chemoprevention due to their high displays of antioxidant and anti­mutagenic activities [12, 25] . Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables that contains high levels of chlorophyll has been associated with reducing cancer risks.