Herbal first aid - wounds
Herbal remedies for wound care are often those pesky weeds that grow everywhere
Herbal First Aid - wounds
If you're on a walk and out left the bandages behind, what can you do? Or a klutz in the house and you need something super quick? I'm a clumsy one so I need things I know can cut the mustard.
My fave is yarrow, Achillea millefolium. I dry some and keep it dried to sprinkle to bleeding wounds and I like the how quickly it staunches it. You can pick some fresh and use it on wounds in general. The leaves bring to mind stitches, if you are aware of the Doctrine of Signatures.
Ribwort aka plantain, Plantago lanceolata, or broadleaf, Plantago major, is another useful weed for wounds. It has actions of styptic, astringent and vulnerary which point to its usefulness when it comes to skin injuries. This means it stauches bleeding wounds, 'tightens the weave' and is has topical actions. Try it on blisters when you're on a tramp.
Self heal, Prunella vulgaris, is a prolific weed that grows widely in damp areas and lawns in Canterbury. Another one of its many fold names is woundwort. Some people believe it to be as good at stauching blood as yarrow.
The best herbs are often the ones we find growing everywhere, the ones we really get annoyed with seeing among the roses and growing in the lawn.
Plantain is a herb I reach for when I have a wound