top of page

Injury

The more quickly we tend to an injury, the better we heal and the less likely we are to have chronic pain, local or systemic infection, or need medical intervention. The world of natural healing has a long history of using herbs to help us respond, repair, recover and get back on track. This presentation covers the most common issues we experience and how to use natural tools which are easily kept in our homes and can save us time, money and misery.

Why Use Herbal Remedies Instead of Western Meds

​

Over the counter medications and other western anti-inflammatories relieve pain quickly, BUT they come with a great number of side effects. They shut down the healing process, overburden the liver, kidneys and lymph system, and irritate and slow down the stomach and intestines.

​

Herbal repair herbs stimulate the tissues to repair themselves; there is no western medical equivalent. They reduce inflammation, allow nutrition to get to injured areas help your body naturally to eliminate waste products as they repair tissues.

The Basics - Tools & Herbs

​

  • Cayenne - in powder, oil, or tincture form, cayenne is a powerful tool to stop bleeding.

  • Arnica tincture/cream/oil/homeopathic remedy- use arnica in tincture and homeopathic forms to manage pain and inflammation. Unmanaged pain and excessive inflammation keep you from resting and healing.

  • Castor oil (cold pressed)- breaks up and clears out waste products (dead skin, scar tissue, and cysts/retained fluids).

  • Contrast therapy means alternating hot packs and cold packs. You can also just use one or the other. A good rule of thumb is to use heat for stiffness and cold for sharp and hot pain. Contrast therapy is good for any closed injury.

  • Therapeutic baths - Add a handful of baking soda and a handful of sea salt to a bath and soak. Baking soda and sea salt is the best combination to remove waste products and balance all your electrolytes. Lots of people use epsom salts, which only balances your magnesium levels and leave the skin dry and susceptible to infection.

The Basics - Injury Types

New, open wounds

  • Cuts

  • Gashes

  • Scrapes

Old injuries (closed) & arthritis

  • Sciatica

  • Arthritis

  • Stenosis

  • Scar tissue

  • Keloids and Cysts

  • Cuts

  • Gashes

  • Scrapes

New, closed wounds

  • Bruises

  • Blows

  • Swelling

New, closed wounds

  • Bruises

  • Blows

  • Swelling

New Open Wounds

First Aid​

​

If there is profuse bleeding and clear signs of broken or torn tissues, there is no substitute for medical attention: the urgent care or emergency room is your best choice.

 

That said, the ABCs of first aid are always appropriate until medical attention can be accessed

​

  • Airway: make sure airways are clear so breathing is possible

  • Breath: Make sure they are breathing and if they are not, apply CPR; If breathing and alert, help them to calm and slow their breathing: Rescue Remedy is an excellent tool when there is a crisis of this nature.

  • Circulation: if there is profuse bleeding, the natural tools for bleeding are excellent stopping bleeding, normalizing blood flow, and stabilizing blood pressure: Cayenne as a tincture, under the tongue, and/or directly on the wounds followed by a clean cloth with pressure over it SAVES LIVES.

What to do if you can't get to a hospital

​

If you do not have access to medical care and you think there may be a broken bone, a severed artery, there’s impaled object in the body, etc. 

  • Manage shock and bleeding as before

  • Stabilize impaled objects, possible broken bones or torn tissues

  • Apply arnica and/or cayenne on closed skin

  • Pack with ice - especially head injuries

  • Apply pressure with an elastic bandage and/or tape to keep bleeding at a minimum then transport if possible

  • If transport is not possible, continue to manage bleeding, shock and pain and when all three are stable enough to remove an object and realign bones and joints with traction you repeat the process of managing bleeding, shock, pain and treating it either as a closed or open wound.  

  • A deep gash or open wound responds well to plasters of the combination of wheat germ oil, honey and comfrey root powder. . . .  (insert the information in the email here)

  • It is essential to take herbs for infection by mouth every 3-4 hours until the wound is closed and all signs of infection are gone--5-10 days is the generally timetable

Nighttime​

​

  • Take homeopathic arnica for pain and to prevent excessive inflammation

  • Take Rescue Remedy for shock/fear/distress if necessary. Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself.

  • Administer by mouth and/or apply cayenne  to stop bleeding and put a clean cloth over the bleed and apply pressure until the bleeding stops

  • Clean the wound: Once the bleeding has slowed and the bandage can be removed, clean the wound with running water and soap to remove dirt/debris; 

  • Disinfect: using MGS+ (antibiotic) as a tincture, oil or powder. 

  • Apply Repair herbs or salve over the disinfectant herbs

  • Cover wound well with a clean (sterile if possible) bandage. Choose a bandage based on the injury, keeping in mind that the edges of a wound must touch each other to knit back together; if the cut is gaping and would benefit from stitches, but you don’t have access to a medical facility you should use butterfly bandages to bring the edges of the wound together..

  • If there is a high possibility of infection spreading because of the depth of the cut or the location, it is a good idea to take an herbal antibiotic formula (myrrh/goldenseal/cayenne) four times a day until you’re sure there’s no infection developing

  • Clean the wound 2x/day (or more often if it gets wet or dirty) with Cayenne Plus Oil (a MGS+ based oil) or use the MGS+ tincture to disinfect and then rub a small amount of salve/ointment over the area. Olive or cooking oil is a good alternative if you don't have access to a salve. Let the wound air out after cleaning it. If it is still bleeding, tender, or weeping apply the bandage as before. When the injury is closed and won’t reopen or start bleeding again without a bandage, 

  • Leave the bandage off while you are at rest and the area won’t get dirty. If you plan to do any activities that can break the skin again or introduce infection, apply repair herbs and/or cover it during that activity.

  • When healing is working, itching starts, so just apply Repair Salve as needed to keep the area from drying out and breaking open.

bottom of page