First aid from nature

Bruising, cuts and abrasions can not be avoided in everyday life. Here are some home remedies that can support the healing.

Just not paying attention and it happened: a cut in the finger with the vegetable knife, abrasions on the hand when weeding, a bruise after the collision with the open dishwasher door. The little injuries that everyday life entails are rarely dangerous, but often painful and annoying. Patches, bandages, ice packs, etc. quickly provide first aid, but you can do even more: in the garden and on the lawn we find many plants that can promote and accelerate the healing process.

Pretty wound healer

For chaps, cuts, abrasions and superficial and deeper skin injuries nature has given us the pretty marigold. If there is no ointment in the medicine chest, you can make a brew with the fresh or dried flowers as a quick helper. The wound is dabbed or covered to inhibit inflammation and to stimulate the regeneration of the skin. For immediate cleansing after the injury there is also the brew of another plant – the rather inconspicuous and not so well known ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), which grows on many meadows. The heart-shaped leaves, which tend to grow over the ground, have disinfecting and contracting agents.

Also common are skin injuries from splinters and sting. Anyone who works a lot in the garden does not wear gloves at all knows that this is happening all the time. Thorns of roses and blackberries are particularly bad to remove. Often, a piece remains in the skin, that pricks or even become inflamed. If a splinter is stuck and can not be grasped with the tweezers, treat the place with a blistering ointment (see recipe below).

Classic home remedies

The classics for the treatment of skin injuries belong in the natural medicine chest. This includes a tincture in which ribwort plantain was extracted – which, with its disinfecting and analgesic ingredients, is one of the most effective wound healing agents in nature. Already in antiquity another helper was known: St. John’s wort. The anti-inflammatory and soothing oil from the flowers promotes tissue fusion in fresh wounds and has also proven itself in the care of scars. You can also use it well for other ailments – such as nerve pain, muscle strain, contortions and all kinds of blunt injuries. In the latter, comfrey can also provide excellent assistance. This is the plant that is used most often in injuries of the musculoskeletal system. It is an universal plant for sprains, bruises, broken bones, skin damage, poorly healing, purulent wounds, cuts, tears and ulcers. Because the root has an analgesic, anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory effect, comfrey is also a favorite for bruising, osteoarthritis, arthritis, scar pain, phantom pain, tennis elbow, tendonitis, and bursitis.

First aid along the way

If the universal remedy of comfrey ointment is not at hand, we find first aid along the way. Coltsfoot grows almost everywhere and its leaves contain astringent, drying out and anti-inflammatory substances that promote healing. Almost throughout the year daisies are blooming, their ingredients have a hemostatic and analgesic effect and stimulate skin metabolism. These two plants can be used for bruising and bruises quickly and easily.

Blistering ointment

for splinters or thorns in the skin

Ingredients

• 25 g / 1 oz of purified spruce resin (also called burgundy resin)
• 25 g / 1 oz marigold oil (preparation see recipe marjoram-bugleweed oil below)
• 25 g / 1 oz of butter
• 25 g / 1 oz pork fat
• 12 g / 0.5 oz beeswax or carnauba wax (as a vegan alternative)
• 8 drops of pine essential oil

Preparation

1. Put spruce resin, marigold oil, butter and pork fat in a heat-resistant beaker. Do not choose the container too small because the ingredients will foam up a bit!
2. Heat the glass directly on the stove or in a water bath and keep it below the boiling point until everything has melted.
3. Strain the mixture through a cloth or handkerchief and stir in the essential oil.
4. Fill the still liquid mixture into the prepared jars. When stored cold, the ointment will last for at least 6 months.

Application

If a splinter is stuck in the skin, the ointment can prevent pain and inflammation. It is applied thickly to a patch and placed on the splitter. Renew the patch daily. It has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, decongestant and analgesic effects, promotes the circulation of tissue and accelerates the removal of the foreign body.

Marigold decoction

for a wash for mild burns, inflammation and suppuration of the skin, for poorly healing wounds

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons of fresh or 2 teaspoons of dried marigold blossoms

Preparation

1. Put the flowers in a small teapot and pour with boiling water.
2. Let it draw for 10 minutes, then drain the brew as sterile as possible. Allow to cool to skin temperature.

Application

Soak a thin cloth in the decoction and dab the affected area carefully. You can also apply the cloth as an envelope and cover it with a linen cloth. All marigold preparations promote granulation in the growth of new skin, so an oitment with marigold is also helpful in post-injury recovery, bruising, scarring or open legs, bruising, sunburn and strains.

Ground ivy decoction

for the cleansing of badly healing and purulenting wounds

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons fresh or 2 tsp dried ground ivy herb

Preparation

1. put the herb in a mug, dash with boiling water and leave to draw for 10 minutes
2. drain the decoction as sterile as possible and allow to cool to skin temperature

Application

To cleanse a purulenting or poorly healing wound, soak a cloth in the decoction and carefully cleanse the affected area. The broth is also suitable for cleaning a wound immediately after the injury. For preparing a compress soak a gauze, wring it out and place it on the affected part. If necessary, fix with a towel. Ground ivy has disinfectant and anti-inflammatory agents that support healing.

Marjoram-bugleweed oil

for rubbing bruises

Ingredients

• a handful of bugleweed (leaves) and marjoram (leaves and flowers) in equal parts
• 250 ml (1 cup) of olive oil

Preparation

1. Cut the plants into small pieces and place in a sealable glass.
2. Add the olive oil and place the container in the sun. Shaking every day is important so that the oil does not mold.
3. After 2 to 3 weeks you pour the oil through a tissue. Stored dark and cool, it is stable for at least 6 months.

Application

If necessary, rub gently into the affected part of the body. The faster you use the oil after a collision, the less blue the spot gets. Relieves pain, inhibits inflammation, has an antibacterial effect and promotes healing.

Daisy tincture

for an envelope for blunt injuries such as bruising or dislocation

Ingredients

• a handful of daisy blossoms
• 250 ml (1 cup) of 50% alcohol (e.g., vodka or double corn schnapps)

Preparation

1. Cut the flowers roughly with a ceramic knife and place loosely in a screw-top jar.
2. Pour as much alcohol that all parts of the plants are well covered.
3. Place the container on a window and let it rest for four weeks. Shake daily.
4. Then strain and fill in a clean bottle. Dark and cool, the tincture is stable for at least 3 years.

Application

For an envelope, dilute 1 teaspoon of tincture with 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) of water. Soak a piece of gauze or wrap in it and place on the affected area. Fix with a strong cloth. Promotes healing, stimulates skin metabolism and relieves the pain. If you need to go fast, you can also use a strong brew for the envelope. In case of shock or fright after the injury, the diluted tincture helps to calm down.

Coltsfoot layer

bruising and bruising

Ingredients

• fresh coltsfoot leaves – amount depending on the size of the injury

Preparation

1. Spread the leaves on the table or on a board and work with a rolling pin to soften them.

Application

Place the squeezed leaves on the affected part of the body and fix with a wrap or bandage. Let the layer work for at least 20-30 minutes, then renew the leaves if necessary. Frequently, the symptoms improve after one day and the injury heals faster.