Do you sometimes wonder, “What should I put on this wound?” There are so many products and natural home remedies available. But which ones work and which ones need to be avoided with the current knowledge we have available to us? Is Arnica, honey or turmeric paste for wound care just a passing fad?
First off, let’s look at the history of wound care
- 2200BC, a clay tablet described washing wounds and making a plaster as a dressing.
- Many types of wounds and care of all kinds have been found in recorded history: Arsenic, silver, bile, bark, blood, tar, lard, beer, honey, turmeric, myrrh, mashed banana, green tea, calendula, aloe vera, marshmallow, tea-tree leaves and urinating on the wound. Different civilisations made use of what they had and the plants growing nearby.
- 1940’s, antibiotics were introduced as the modern solution
- 2013 due to microbial resistance there is increasing research about wound care that doesn’t rely on antibiotics – “Antimicrobial resistance is a ticking time bomb” says UK Chief Medical Officer.“
While there is an increase in research in modern medicine, there are still millions of people across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, where traditional medicines are the mainstay of wound care; for some, it is the only source of wound care.
The good and bad of antiseptics
There are over 5,000 different antiseptics and wound products available commercially and the debate about which is the best method for individual problems rages on. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of modern day antiseptics?
| Advantages | Disadvantages | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean water | Use copiously to remove dirt. Large, minor wounds can be cleaned in the shower. | No known disadvantages | You don’t need antiseptics to clean a simple cut or scrape. |
| Chlorhexidine 0.05% | Broad spectrum effective against most bacteria. | It’s antiseptic effect is inactivated by soap, saline, iodine, blood and body fluids. Ineffective against fungi and viruses. | Is it worth it to use it? There may be better options. |
| Povidone Iodine - Betadine | Broad spectrum effective against bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa. | May delay wound healing. Inactivated by body fluids. Risk of an allergic reaction. On large areas people will absorb a dose of iodine, they may or may not need it. | Is it worth it to use it? There may be better options. |
| Hydrogen peroxide | Will start a bubbling action which helps remove debris. | May delay wound healing. Can destroy healthy cells and therefore affect wound healing. | Not recommended on a long-term basis. It cleans the wound and kills bacteria initially, but delays wound healing |
| Calendula | Anti-inflammatory, anti fungal and antibacterial. Stimulates cell healing: angiogenesis and fibroblast activity. | No known disadvantages | No serious adverse events have been associated with calendula. Promotes wound healing. |
What does research say about cleaning wounds?
- Many antiseptics act like a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Their widespread use has prompted speculation on whether they too induce antibiotic resistance.
- Routinely cleaning a wound every time you change the dressing can do more harm than good, as disturbing the freshly granulating wound may disrupt fragile tissue growth. The body may perceive this as a new injury and re-launch an inflammatory response, delaying the healing process.
- Make sure to use warm water when cleaning during wound care. After cleaning with a cold solution, a wound can take up to 40 minutes to reach the optimum temperature for healing again.
- Potable tap water is as safe and effective as normal saline for wound cleansing, although saline should be used on post operative wounds.
- If wounds take too long to heal, consider if there is adequate protein, iron, zinc and good fats in the diet.
- Calendula ointment considerably increases the speed of cesarean wound healing. Researchers have paid attention to it because it is cheap, effective, accessible and acceptable by women after birth who are on the lookout for natural options.
- The antimicrobial action of manuka honey has been demonstrated to work in research, against a wide range of problematic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
- Silver nanoparticles are incorporated into bandages due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. However, there is a problem in that silver has the potential to actually impair healing by exerting its effects on keratinocytes and fibroblasts which are necessary for wound healing. So, if wounds are infected, silver bandages are beneficial for the first few days, after that non-silver dressings should be used instead. For clean wounds and closed surgical incisions, silver really doesn’t give a benefit and may irritate and slow the healing of those wounds.
- In research on chronic wounds, a paste was made from 100 gm of honey mixed with 10 gms of good quality turmeric powder and applied to a gauze pad and the wound was covered. Direct application of the paste to the wound was avoided. There were no adverse effects, it was much cheaper than silver dressings and had faster wound healing. “It is like a poor people’s antiseptic ointment”.
What is biofilm?
Biofilm is a colony of bacteria which is attached to a wound surface which promotes chronic wound inflammation and is resistant to antibiotics.
For slow healing wounds, there are options available which will help to remove biofilm but not affect the healthy skin cells eg: Manuka honey, tea tree oil and turmeric paste.
Manuka honey
- Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial.
- Controls malodour.
- Helps maintain wound hydration.
- Has claimed a place on the modern list of accepted traditional medicines.
- Eradicates and prevents the formation of biofilm. Bacteria are unable to develop resistance to honey, even under conditions that rapidly induce resistance to common antibiotics.
- Don’t apply straight from the jar, the drawing effect might be painful, it’s called osmotic debridement.
- Ideally, a person should use medical-grade honey because there are theoretical risks of infection using raw honey, although these risks are likely overstated.
- The frequency of dressing changes, will depend on how rapidly the honey is diluted by the wound fluid and may require daily changes in the initial stages of wound healing. As exudate levels decrease, fewer dressing changes are required and they can be left in situ for up to 3-7 days.
Tea tree oil
- Research shows that tea tree oil is good in managing dermatitis, acne and tinea.
- Laboratory studies have demonstrated tea tree oil’s activity against bacteria, fungi and herpes simplex virus.
- Commercial preparations of tea tree oil including sprays, solutions and impregnated dressings.
- More traditional use of tea tree oil includes using it as a wash (two drops of pure essential oil diluted in 250 ml of warm water.
Turmeric/ curcumin
- Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial.
- Local inflammation is reported as a minor side effect from application of turmeric to skin.
- The benefits of turmeric powder are long known in India with direct application of a paste prepared from turmeric root, mustard oil and water.
- Turmeric stains can be remarkably persistent, the natural pigment can stain your skin a yellowish colour.
- Turmeric paste has the ability to enhance granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, tissue remodeling and wound contraction.
- To write this blog I did an informal survey and asked 35 Australian natural therapy practitioners if they had used turmeric paste for wound care. Only three said yes. One of them had tried it once and said “It’s very yellow and gets everywhere.” One said “It really seems to help with scarring.” The other was homeopath, Dimple Kirpalani who had grown up in India and she said “When I was a child, it was known to stop a wound bleeding or oozing. It’s used for open wounds but without milk – just the dry powder. It stains! But you couldn’t say no to grandma. If the quality of the turmeric is good, the pain relief is astounding especially for sprains and strains.” Perhaps it is an underused option in Australia with little knowledge here about how to actually use it effectively.
- When people say “use a good quality turmeric for wound healing paste” they say this for good reason.
How to make turmeric paste
- Mix 1-2 teaspoons of ground turmeric (depending on how large the wound is) with enough mustard oil or coconut oil to make a paste consistency (generally about half the amount of turmeric you use). If you make turmeric paste with water it will dry out too soon. Put in a pot on the stove. Reduce on medium-low heat while stirring until it begins to form a thick paste then let cool a little. It should be pasty, so don’t expect it to look like a cream.
- Be sure to wash your hands before applying it.
- Always patch test before using it.
- Apply the warm paste gently on the area, it can be put on an open wound and may sting. (Some people such as Dimple Kirpalani remember from her childhood that her grandmother would apply turmeric powder on an open wound.)
- Place your bandage of choice over the wound and tape around the edges, leave overnight.
- Should be a bit waterproof because of the oil.
- Let it sit for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours. Wash off the next day, repeat.
- Do this for three days.
How do you make turmeric paste to use for swelling, such as painful knees or a sprained ankle?
Sapnaa Palmer from Harbord Homeopathic Clinic knows a lot about using turmeric paste not just from her training as a Doctor/Homeopath in India but also from the fact that she grew up with a family whose first port of call for painful knees and sprained ankles would be turmeric paste. First hand experience.
She said “We still personally use it for sprains and pains/inflammation of joints and it does help! First of all you will need 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder. This depends on how large the swollen area is. Also, you need 1 tablespoon of mustard oil or coconut oil to make a paste consistency. Don’t use water. Generally the oil should be about half the amount of turmeric you use. Then heat the oil and add 2-3 whole cloves of garlic to it and cook on medium-low heat until garlic is nicely cooked (black or brown in colour). Remove the garlic cloves and in the same hot oil add turmeric in desired quantities to make a paste and apply it warm on the affected area. Cover the ankle with cling wrap and tape the edges.”
Homeopathy for wounds, accidents and injuries
When homeopaths prescribe a remedy, they take into account the whole symptom pattern of the person with all their physical and emotional bits and pieces. Then they work out an individual remedy. This is absolutely appropriate with chronic wounds that just won’t heal. However, it’s different when it comes to recent wounds being treated at home by people with a first aid kit. The choice of remedy is made from observations.
Often enough injuries will result in a few different problems like when Jess fell off a skateboard going down a hill and slammed into a tree: as well as being pretty shaken up, he had a flesh wound on the thigh and grazed skin on the knees and hands plus a sprained ankle. Which remedies would you give? First you get him to stand under the shower to clean the wounds and help a bit of debris remove itself from the grazed knees. Next you give Arnica every three hours for a couple of days for the whole picture of shock then because the ankle is really needing it you start Rhus tox.
Helpful hint #1: Remember Hypericum is for injuries to nerve tissue, Arnica to muscle tissue, Bellis perennis to soft tissue and Ruta grav is for ligaments and tendons. Keeping these few essential facts about the remedies in mind will help you greatly in knowing which one to select in a trauma situation.
Helpful hint #2: Keep remedies in your first aid kit for taking to the sports field or packing for your camping trip – at the very least Arnica, Hypericum and Ledum. They can all be in a 30c strength.
The remedy descriptions below are aimed at the barefoot homeopaths out there who have a home remedy kit and are learning every day some more about how to use it.
• Arnica is usually the first remedy we think of for wounds and injuries because the initial shock, bruising, swelling, and soreness respond so well to it (or even just after a challenging session at the gym or in the garden). After injury take Arnica every three or four hours throughout the day for 1 to 2 days. You should switch to another appropriate remedy once the swelling has subsided. (You should not use Arnica in an ointment if there are open cuts.) Does Arnica help bruising? Absolutely!
• Calendula can be used as a homeopathic remedy as well as a herbal tincture for cleaning. It encourage speedy healing and is used for wounds where the skin is broken and it is painful but there are no other symptoms. It seems like the pain is out of proportion to the injury.
• Bellis perennis is useful for injuries to the trunk and deeper tissues, surgery or caesarians, especially if a feeling of stiffness or coldness develops in the injured area. If Arnica has been given for an injury but has not had much effect, Bellis perennis may be helpful.
• Rhus tox is used after the initial symptoms of an injury have improved from a few days of Arnica but the affected area still generally feels hot and achey especially after overexertion injuries. If the injured part feels like a “rusty gate” (worse after rest, better after continued movement), then Rhus tox is the remedy of choice. Typically, the stiffness and pain of getting out of bed or a chair is soon relieved by a hot shower and moving around a bit. Then things loosen right up and seem to be relatively pain free. Frequent changes of position, such as shifting back and forth while sitting, or tossing and turning in bed, alleviate the pain momentarily.
• Bryonia for swollen injuries that get worse with movement and injuries that result in the desire to keep the affected body part immobilized. Any motion causes the pain to get worse. This remedy is especially useful for chest, shoulder, and hamstring injuries. It is often thought of if Arnica or Rhus tox fail. Bryonia is usually best for the initial stage of acute pain, and Rhus tox works well in later stages when stiffness has set in.
• Ruta for tendinitis, torn ligaments, fibrous tissue and other injuries that feel hot to the touch. Symptoms tend to be worse with initial movement, but continued motion does not bring relief. If the injured part is better with heat and rest consider Ruta. This remedy is of use in areas where the skin is close to the bone, like the shin bone. Remember: Rhus tox is for when it feels worse with rest.
• Ledum relieves bruises from blunt or pointed objects with puncture wounds, especially where the skin is thin (around the eyes, fingers and toes). Long discolouration after injuries. Ledum is unequalled in its ability to resolve large areas of bruising.
• Hypericum for injuries to nerve rich parts of the body such as fingertips, toes or tailbone with a symptom pattern of numbness, tingling and electric-shock sensations along a nerve path. One of my gardening patients had a big cut on one finger and a crush injury on another finger. They alternated Arnica and Hypericum and it healed faster than expected.
• Traumeel. A cream, gel or remedy made from a mixture of homeopathics. One study found that Traumeel was as effective as conventional anti-inflammatories for reducing the pain and inflammation associated with sprained ankles.
Possible signs of an infected wound
- Aches and pains or the area around the wound is warm.
- Yellow or green discharge.
- Emits an unpleasant odour.
- Red streaks appear on the skin around it.
- Fever / chills, nausea or vomiting.
Some wounds need more than home care
- Any infected wound or debris that you can’t remove.
- Large or jagged edges and will not stay closed (may require stitches).
- Resulted from a bite or an injury with a dirty or rusty object.
- Keeps bleeding, even after applying pressure.
- Helpful hint #3 you can use Arnica in the car on the way to medical help.
Last points about looking after cuts, scrapes and injuries
- Everyday we hear more about how micro-organisms can adapt, so it’s not surprising that resistance to extensively used antiseptics and disinfectants as well as antibiotics has been reported. When you can, just use plain water to wash a wound and use the most natural methods you have available to look after it.
- Just because something has gained a reputation in natural healing circles doesn’t mean it can be used without careful thought. For example, colloidal silver is popular but it delays wound healing.
- It’s not unusual for the effects of injuries/ sprains to linger on, never quite resolving. Then it’s too easy to re-injure yourself. By having a kit of first aid remedies and studying up how to use homeopathy for wounds, you can head off a lot of pain and suffering and stop acute injuries from becoming chronic problems.
- If you are prone to allergic reactions don’t forget to always do a test patch first of any ointment or paste. For example, be careful using Manuka honey for people who have bee sting allergies.
The most exciting blog I wrote recently was about Dr Rajendran being interviwed by Ty Bollinger. I wanted to scream it from the rooftops and share it with everyone. "Homeopathy can promote epigenetic changes" that's what Rajendran said.Powerful stuff this homeopathic medicine.
Latest posts by Linlee (see all)
- Filling in the Gaps: A Homeopath’s Tour of a Dental Technician Lab - 08/11/2024
- Homeopathy surge worldwide - 11/08/2024
- Autism is helped by several different styles of homeopathy - 07/05/2024
