The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Karen (Calgary, CA) on 04/29/2014
★★★★★
Thank you again, EC!!! I came here for ideas on how to take care of my son's rather painful knee injury (he had walked into a chair with all his weight). I soaked a handcloth in ACV and then put on a towel wrapped-ice pack. The bruise and pain were gone in 15mins. Awesome stuff.
Essential Oils
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 12/08/2013
★★★★★
My little boys were roughhousing last night and my two year old ended up hitting his head very hard on the corner of a wooden post in our house. He had a good sized dent in his forehead that was 2-3 inches long and beginning to turn blue in the dent. I held him while he cried and we assessed him and my husband went to find remedies. We started with ice (how they hate that! ) Then we applied a homemade arnica oil (recipe below). Next I gently massaged Geranium Essential oil over the spot and beyond. (I figured it was a bit diluted with the arnica oil. But, Geranium is safe used straight, though I am not quick to use any essential oils straight on little children and babies.)
The ice didn't last on his head more than a minute. Within a few minutes he was up and playing again. 24 hours later, there is a faint light red line where he hit his head. It must not have been noticeable because no one at church today even asked what happened to his head. (And he is fair skinned with a buzz cut...) I am sure without the geranium and/or arnica he would have had a lot of bruising and swelling. I have seen either of these treatments work effectively for serious head bumps. Raw onion works great, too, but I didn't see how I was going to keep a raw onion poultice on a 2 year old's head for any amount of time. Geranium and arnica were very pleasant!
A bottle of Geranium essential oil is a great thing to have on hand. It is good for bumps, bruises, bleeding, depression, insect repellent, acne, skin issues, etc.
We make our own Arnica Oil. It is great for bumps and bruises and also to massage into sore muscles. Here is what we do:
Put dry arnica flowers into a glass canning jar. (4 ounces is plenty.) Cover with a carrier oil. We like Almond Oil. Adding a couple of vanilla beans, if you happen to have any (We usually have some left over from making homemade vanilla extract) will make it smell incredible! Let sit for 2 weeks. Strain out the arnica flowers and the vanilla beans. You can add some vitamin E oil to preserve it, but we go through it pretty fast. Store out of light.
Have a great day!
~Mama to Many~
Arnica Gel
Posted by Mommy V (Washington, D.C., Usa) on 10/21/2011
★★★★★
This stuff works like a miracle. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. I recently smashed the distal phalanx (smallest bone) of my pinkie. My fingertip swelled to the size and color of a grape in a matter of minutes. I applied a thin layer of Arnica Cream (which I bought at my local health food store) and literally watched as the swelling and bruising disappeared to almost nothing overnight. I also use Arnica frequently on my toddler boys, the youngest of which manages to incur knots on his forehead at an alarming rate. Same story. Goose eggs all but disappear overnight; swelling and bruising are down to just a small mark. It even works on blood blisters. (My aunt, a Farsi accupuncturist, introduced me to this stuff and I am SO grateful!)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kay (St Augustine, Fl/usa) on 12/31/2010
★★★★★
Thank you earthclinic! I put a paper towell in ACV(Apple Cider Vinegar) and within 24 hrs the bruise was gone. Amazing! Oh, by the way, my knee pain was gone too!
Butter
Posted by Christina (Brooklyn, Ny, Usa) on 12/18/2010
★★★★★
I always apply butter (cold) and my children have not had a bruise when in my care after a fall or bump in years!! The best home cure ever known to man kind. I use it on my spouse and myself as well. Mash it with hands and apply. Promise no bruise will appear.
Black Tea Bag
Posted by Jasmine (Chicago, Illinois Usa) on 12/16/2010
★★★★★
As the mom of a four year old, I've dealt with every type of bump, bruise, pinch, burn and cut imaginable. And for everyone I use one simple remedy. A black tea bag. Any brand will do, but makes sure its good quality and fresh. Great thing about it is, I can slip it in a ziplock back and throw them in my pocket, car or purse and forget about it until an injury occurs. Dunk the tea bag once or twice in hot water if available and blow on it or wave it in the air to get it to cool down. If there is no hot water, hot faucet water works great. And if that's unavailable, just wet it with room temperature water until the liquid coming off of it turns brown. Then apply as a poultice. You may need to wet it again whenever it dries. It takes the pain out, eliminates swelling, and quickens healing.
My daughter is so spoiled with this remedy, she thinks that "owies" are "fixed" by mommy and comes straight to me for any little hurt. If it's in an ackward or large area, throw 3 bags of tea in a hot mug of water for 3-5min, cool it down with ice cubes after and use a rag or paper towel to apply it (be sure you dont like the rag because it will stain). Its important to use this remedy asap. The sooner its applied after the injury, the better and more dramatic the results. After the tea poultice or compress:
(1)if its a nasty bruise, I'll dress it with a thin layer of castor oil and wrap it up.
(2)If its an open cut, I'll dab it with raw honey and cover it with a cartoon bandaid (cartoons optional).
(3)If its a bad burn I'll put the tea poultice over the burn, place a piece of plastic wrap over it and wrap an ace bandage around that. This worked for me on a 2nd and 3rd degree burns I received from a very hot lightbulb. It wouldn't stop stinging until I used the tea. I fell asleep with the ace bandage on, woke up 2-3hrs later with the pain 100% gone and the best part yet, when it healed it didn't scar!
Also, for those lovely times when your child slams there hand in a door or cabinet, I brew the 3 bags in a wide mouth cup, cool it with ice cubes (to a luke warm/cool temp) and have her stick her whole hand in it until she tells me it stopped hurting (usually 5-20min). If it doesnt stop hurting, I would know she may have actually broken something (although thankfully its never been serious). I figured out the black tea bag remedy out of desperation when burning myself years ago on that light bulb. After that, I began experimenting on my own cuts and bruises. Since my daughter was born, its been the best thing I've ever tried, and it has yet to let me down.
Arnica Gel
Posted by Lisa (Socal, Ca) on 06/19/2010
★★★★★
I had bruise on my leg that was a very dark purple and didn't fade after 1 1/2 weeks. I tried ACV and witch hazel and nothing happened. I bought some Arnica gel at a health food store Wednesday mid day and applied 3-4 times a day by gently rubbing in. By Saturday morning the bruise was barely visible. I could see the bruise fading each day, I've never seen anything quite like it.
Pineapple
Posted by Kathie (Rock, Mi) on 05/06/2010
★★★★★
I recently went under total knee replacement surgery. As most know there is a major amount of bruising that goes along with this. Well the first day I got home I started eating pineapple and drinking pineapple juice. My bruising was gone in almost a week. The Dr and therapists could not believe how good my knee and leg looked. They never have seen anyone have bruising go away that fast. The more natural the pineapple without added sugars is the best. Just thought I would share my experience in hopes it might help someone else too.
Castor Oil
Posted by Soulon (Dittmer, Missouri) on 03/17/2010
★★★★★
If you've ever been hit by a ball or smashed your finger then "Castor Oil" is your best bet. As soon as the hit or smash occurs, saturate the entire area with Castor oil and leave on. Really lay it on! This has been advice that was given by a medical practitioner some 40 yrs. ago and it works. It will also remove blood blisters, take the swelling down and stop the pain. I was hit in the arm muscle with a zinger grounder and immediately applied my Castor oil. It took out the pain and never swelled and where I did not go down my arm far enough it did bruise, but where I applied the Castor oil it did NOT bruise. It's awesome for toddlers who constantly are falling. Apply ice on top of the Castor oil if you wish, but many times it's unavailable and the oil is handy to carry on you in a small bottle.
Vegetable Oil
Posted by Danielle (Grand Rapids, Michigan) on 05/27/2009
★★★★★
For bruising, if you put a little oil on the bumped spot before the bruise appears it will not show up. At most it will only be a little red. My son is quite hard on himself and I have done this so many times for him. I don't know if it takes the pain away as well or not but every time he gets hurt he asks for oil on it now. It can really be any kind of oil, usually around the house I have vegetable oil or olive oil.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Encina (Phoenix, Arizona) on 01/31/2009
★★★★★
Last night my girlfriend and I had a night we call game night, where we invite all our close friends over to play games and have fun at home. Well, one of our friends got a little too wasted face and decided to start wrestling (very roughly) with my girlfriend until she couldn't move anymore. after she finally got off of her my girlfriend had bruises ALL over. her ankle was the worst of it (couldn't even walk on it). she went to bed because she was in so much pain. I then went onto this website because it's my favorite for home remedies, and I looked up "contusion" and sure enough ACV was the first thing that popped up.
I dipped a paper towel into a small bowl of the ACV until it was wet, but not dripping (remember she was in bed and I didn't want this stuff all over the sheets... it's not a fun smell to get out) i then set the ACV dipped paper towel onto her ankle where it was bruised and extremely swollen. After 5 minutes of the ACV setting directly onto the skin, her throbbing went away. After 10 minutes of the ACV setting directly directly onto the skin her bruises started to subside and lighten. I decided to keep the ACV dipped towel on her ankle for a good 30 minutes before removing and wiping off with a baby wipe to get rid of the smell. this morning she can move her ankle like nothing had happened. she can walk again. IT'S A MIRACLE!!! ;)
Ice
Posted by Anna (Philadelphia, PA) on 10/06/2008
★★★★★
Ice is perfect for bruising! As soon as possible after blunt hit I get anything--usually some veggies--from the freezer and hold it touching the hit place. Usually 10-15 min. I also take homeopathic ARNICA - whatever potencies I have.
Witch Hazel
Posted by Betty (Laverne, Oklahoma) on 08/07/2008
★★★★★
Witch Hazel is an awesome remedy I learned from my Grandmother and I am sure she learned it from her mother (b. 1861). The trick is to bathe the bruise as quickly after injury as possible. Then repeat for several times. But even if you can't immediately treat the bruise, witch hazel will take some of the soarness & discoloring away even the next day. Awesome stuff! Of course, witch hazel has an alcohol base so do not ingest it or get it in your eyes (common sense).
Vicks Menthol Rub
Posted by Lori (Moxee, Wa) on 06/22/2008
★★★★★
I have found that using vicks or menthol rub will quicken the healing process of a bruise. The campor in the products speeds the healing. It really has many healing properties. Cheap and usually in my medicine cabinet. Just a dab will do, about 3 times a day. Don't use it around the eyes.
Pork Fat
Posted by Nadia B (Toronto, Ontario Canada) on 06/10/2007
★★★★★
Whenever I've gotten a burn or a bruise, I've used raw pork fat (salo) applied directly to the wound and change the fat as needed. (After 8-12 hours or overnight) It never fails! The key is to apply it immediatly. I go to my local butcher and ask for pork salo. I cut the fat up into thin pieces (0.5 inch thick) of various sizes and then store them in the freezer in case of emergency. That way I always have some on hand. (Pork salo is very cheap, and in some cases the butcher will give it to you for free). DO NOT try this remedy using bacon etc (the salt will irritate the wound).
