Лечебные грязи: особенности морфогенеза и современные технологии применения в клинической практике (Peloids: morphogenetic characteristics and modern application technologies in clinical practice)
Key Findings
- Reviews peloid types with emphasis on peat and sapropel muds
- Identifies key active components: humic, fulvic, and hymatomelanic acids, lignin, enzyme-like and hormone-like substances
- Non-thermal thin-layer mud applications increasingly used — fewer contraindications, well-tolerated
- Confirms efficacy of peat peloidotherapy across multiple clinical conditions
Review published in the Russian Journal of Physiotherapy, Balneology and Rehabilitation (2026), covering the morphogenetic origins of peloids and modern clinical application technologies. By the same author as the companion RCT (Kulikov 2023), this review provides the theoretical framework behind the clinical work on non-thermal peat applications.
Peloid Morphogenesis
The review covers how different peloid types form — peat through bog plant humification over millennia, sapropel through lake-bottom anaerobic decomposition, silt muds through coastal and fluvial deposition. This morphogenetic perspective explains why peat peloids differ from mineral peloids not just in composition but in how their bioactive fractions develop. The humification process that forms peat’s humic substances is a geological process that cannot be replicated in a laboratory or factory — it is inherently natural and time-dependent.
Active Components Identified
Beyond the standard humic/fulvic/hymatomelanic acid triad, the review identifies enzyme-like and hormone-like substances as components of peat peloids. These are less well-characterised than humic substances but may contribute to the biological activity observed in cell and tissue assays. Their presence supports the view that peat’s pharmacological effect is not reducible to a single compound class.
Non-Thermal Trend
The review explicitly discusses the increasing clinical use of non-thermal thin-layer peat applications. The rationale: cardiovascular contraindications exclude many patients from heated peloid therapy, particularly elderly patients with heart disease. Non-thermal approaches retain the chemical mechanisms (humic substance delivery through skin) while eliminating the thermal stress. Kulikov positions this as a methodological evolution that broadens the eligible patient population without sacrificing efficacy.