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.
Cayenne
Posted by Zark (Emerald City) on 02/02/2015
★★★★★
+1 for Cayenne (we just call it 'chilli' in oz).
I had tried out some home made black salve on a mole (it works by the way but is so very potent and must be used with great care and in small amounts) and the wound it left was healing a bit too slow for my liking. After reading this page on EC I tried chilli powder - the speed of healing is astounding. Just in one night a very noticeable healing.
There is only a mild stinging from the chilli which is comparable to a mosquito bite. Previously I was just using turmeric as a precaution against staph, but now I use mostly chilli with a little turmeric.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Zark (Emerald City) on 09/02/2014
★★★★★
ACV works very well!
A very dear friend of mine was in the passenger seat during a car accident. Her face was quite badly cut and bruised when the airbag activated.
We recommended ACV and it worked beautifully. All the bruising and swelling cleared nicely. The first morning after the accident she woke with swelling around her mouth (the airbag hit her mouth and cut it quite badly), she applied the ACV and the swelling quickly went down. 3 weeks later and it is healing beautifully and it looks like there won't be any scars.
It stung a bit so we diluted it until tolerable, she found that it would only sting at first and then after a few minutes the sting would cease to be an issue when ACV was reapplied. ACV can dry the skin out a little (nothing major), in which case you just need some moisturiser.
Epsom Salt, Turmeric, Charcoal
Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 11/26/2013
★★★★★
Hi! Last week my husband stepped on a nail that was in an old board at work. It went through his shoe and foot. He cleaned it up and put on a bandaid. It didn't bleed much, as it typical for a puncture wound. While it was not a rusty nail, it was old and obviously not freshly sterilized! My husband has not had a tetanus shot since he was a teen. (He is now 47.)
When he got home from work, he soaked it in hot water with Epsom Salt. (This is what Herbalist Rachel Weaver says to do. She says she grew up on a farm and when they stepped on nails they treated it this way. They never had tetanus shots and never had a problem. But they soaked each wound many times and used very hot water.) I put a charcoal poultice on it overnight. I also put him on 4 capsules of turmeric 4x a day. (Turmeric is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and a blood purifier.)
The next day he went to work without a charcoal poultice. When he got home his foot was sore and also red. Not hot and angry red, but red nonetheless. We did another Epsom salt soak and charcoal poultice overnight. He continued the turmeric. The next day he soaked it twice (he was home.) and we continued the turmeric and overnight poultice. The red was receding, as was the pain.
He didn't like using charcoal poultices during the day. So, during the day I would put 1 drop of turmeric essential oil diluted in some olive oil on the wound. (Which was just a puncture.)
So, it has been a week. We are no longer soaking it or poulticing it. (I think we did that for four days.) I still have him taking turmeric, just in case. The wound looks fine. It is still just a bit uncomfortable. (I think he had some soft tissue damage that is still healing.)
We made the poultices very large. The charcoal part was about 4x6 inches. I had it covering the area that was initially red and at least an inch beyond.
I think the turmeric essential oil was optional. Charcoal poultices during the day would have been as good, just not as convenient. Turmeric essential oil isn't the most common thing to have around, like the other things we used.
We were glad to avoid a doctor or hospital expense to get a tetanus shot. There are instances when I would consider one but I like to know other options and share them, especially since medical treatment is not always easy to come by, and is often not affordable.
I hope this story will help someone else to deal with a nail wound.
Have a great day!
~Mama to Many~
Arnica Gel
Posted by Amy (Reno, Nevada) on 05/11/2010
★★★★★
Five years ago, while I was in my early 20's, I went to the doctor to get a Kenalog shot hoping that it would help relieve my chronic allergy symptoms (sneezing, rashes, etc.) to animals and pet dander. While there, an assistant administered the injection to my right buttock area near the sciatic nerve. I can't remember exactly how long it took, but within a couple of days to a week the tissue around where the shot was given turned purple and seemed to cave inward in the shape of an inverted cone. The area of this purplish necrotic tissue was about 2 inches in diameter. At first I thought this was a severe bruise, so I chose to ignore it for a while, hoping it would heal on its own. I experienced local pain and also pain that shot down my leg at random times while walking, which I believe was caused by the close proximity to the sciatic nerve. After a couple months of no improvement I went back to the doctor. While there I was told that there was nothing that could be done and that I might have the wound for the rest of my life. After hearing this I stopped looking for a cure. Luckily, six months after receiving the injection, someone suggested that I try massaging arnica gel into the wound 3 times a day for 5 minutes while thinking positive thoughts until it healed. I didn't use a specific dose, just enough to cover the surface area and I remember that a little bit went a long way. At first rubbing the wound was very painful, but I persisted. Within a month the cavity filled in, my skin returned to it's normal color,the pain went away, and it was as if I had never had the wound in the first place. To this day, it has remained fully healed and I am grateful. This experience has led me to look into many more natural remedies whenever I have an issue, many of which I find right here on earthclinic.com. Thanks, EC for such a wonderful site. I hope this helps someone else who may be looking for an answer.
Cayenne
Posted by Deirdre (Earth Clinic) on 11/03/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
This happened over a year ago, but I forgot to put my feedback on Earth Clinic until I read Amydearmas's post. This is my cautionary tale about using cayenne for deep wounds.
I opened the fridge one summer day in 2008 and a mayonnaise bottle came crashing down onto the kitchen floor, smashing into large pieces. I was barefoot and one of the thick glass shards sliced into the side of my foot. Blood gushed out of the 1 inch wound. My husband suggested I immediately go to the Emergency Room and get it stitched, but after reading all the YEAS on Earth Clinic about cayenne for deep wounds, I decided that cayenne was the way to go, not stitches. So, after sterilizing the wound and making sure there was no glass left in my foot, I slathered cayenne on the cut. It burned like no tomorrow, but I dealt with it. I did this day after day, one day cayenne, the next day neosporin.
Long story short, the cayenne worked okay, but the wound, which was quite deep, took a couple weeks to heal. I was then left with a nasty scar and lingering pain for months. My lesson, get deep cuts stitched up ASAP! We have an ER only 1 minute from our house, so it was pretty idiotic that I didn't go. The wound would have healed far more quickly with stitches and left a much smaller scar.
Garlic
Posted by Sonia Azooz (San Antonio, Texas) on 12/30/2008
★★★★★
I had cut my finger with a knife while cooking, I was worried because I am a diabetic, it wasn't healing properly. I decided to cook another day and I was chopping some garlic, the juices got on my cut finger and like a miracle my wound was completely healed and dried like the next day.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Michelle (West Palm Beach, Florida) on 03/05/2008
★★★★★
I couldn't find this one so here goes. Best for kids, as it helps whatever is causing the fever, especially virus. Two drops of Oreganol Oil, on each foot rub it in and fever will break in a matter of five (5) minutes. I have four kids and have used this on ALL of them. It has absolutely always worked.
You can rub a few drops on chest for congestion or sinus trouble too. I have used two drops behind ear (rub all around area) for curing ear infections, ear pain, etc.
You can't beat it for cuts, they will never get infected! Best for little finger cuts as they are hard to keep clean! Also cures toenail fungus, especially seriously infected ones, drop several drops around nail bed, under nail, and around affected toe, with in hours, the pain is gone! Three times a day and the toe infection will be gone in a few days. My friend 6'11" male, was about to go to the ER when I told him to try this, he could barely walk! It was easy to walk in a matter of hours and completely cured in a few days! Three times a day several drops. Epsom salt soaks help to draw out infection and help pain too.
Earth Clinic is my Favorite for everything!
Cayenne
Posted by Paul (Brisbane, Australia) on 03/04/2008
★★★★★
I wanted to share the excellent result I got from using "organic" cayenne pepper to stop the bleeding on my foot. Yesterday the 04.03.08 I got a cut on the top middle of my right foot about one inch long and all the way through the layers of my skin. You could see inside my foot! It was very unsettling as I've never had such a deep cut before. I'm a regular reader of Earth Clinic and have been familiar with the uses of cayenne pepper for a long time so my first instinct was to grab it and smear in about 1/3 of a teaspoon into the cut until it completely sealed the cut. Let me say that reading others testimonials is one thing but seeing it personally in action was remarkable. The bleeding stopped instantly and only the slightest pain remained. My family wanted to take me to the hospital to get stitched up but my intuition told me that it would be fine. After about ten minutes there was still no bleeding so I smeared a thin layer of manuka honey(Its rating was UHF 30 ) over the cut and covered it with a large bandaid. The next day I checked the cut and it had rejoined and is healing nicely without any stitches required. I cleaned of the gunk from the previous day and applied a fresh thin layer of manuka honey over the cut and thin layer of organic cold pressed coconut oil to keep it free from infection. Much Love and Gratitude to Earth Clinic and all the people who take the time to share their experiences so that the rest of us can be enlightened on the healing powers of Mother Nature!
Cayenne
Posted by Sue (Montreal, Canada) on 08/10/2007
★★★★★
Hello everyone. This is what I know about cayenne pepper...big zero except that my husband shaves his head and one time he cut himself and like most guys was walking around with a little piece of toilet paper on his head. I remembered reading that cayenne was not only good sor my spaguetti sauce but if you apply it to a cut it stopped the bleeding. He did that and it stopped. Another time he did it again and used the cayenne right away and it worked. I don't think I would try it on a deep cut but I know it works on a cut when shaving. Again, I must say this site is really interesting and well made.
Aloe Vera
Posted by Joanne (St. Louis, MS)
★★★★★
I find fresh aloe to be an amazing cure-all for burns and cuts. I recently discovered its fast healing power for a deep scratch I had on my hands from cutting roses in the garden. After applying antiseptic, I dabbed the gel from a fresh piece of my aloe plant and wow! it healed remarkably fast. The scratch turned a deep crimson color in the process.
A & D Ointment
Posted by Pamela (VA) on 09/23/2024
I like the idea of using Cod liver oil or aloe instead of petroleum vaseline. I worked as a wound care nurse specialist to help resolve difficult to treat wounds. I was taught that vaseline has micro glass in it that interferes with cell wall integrity and healing.
Ground Black Pepper
Posted by JoJean Nelson (Oregon) on 10/13/2021
★★★★★
my husband sliced his finger deep while cutting meat. I filled a shot glass with ground black pepper and had him stick his finger in it for 5-10 min. It built a crust and the bleeding stopped.
Honey
Posted by Teena (Melbourne, Australia) on 10/23/2018 233 posts
Update on using honey for wound, no scar.
Cayenne
Posted by Dale (Raleigh, Nc) on 11/07/2015
★☆☆☆☆
I tried cayenne on a knife cut I got on my pointer finger. The pain of the initial cut wasn't too bad, and washing it out with soap was bearable. There was no pain remaining and the bleeding had stopped a couple hours afterward when I read the post on Cayenne Pepper hoping to heal the cut faster. I sprinkled a little Cayenne in the cut, and on came the burn. It was an extreme pain, even though the cut was at the tip of my pointer finger, the pain burned through to my thumb and middle finger. I left it for about a minute thinking the "mosquito bite" type pain was under-exaggerated. It just got worse. I eventually washed it out with water, but the pain lingered. I applied neosporin, and the pain slowly went down and away in about 10 minutes. Wouldn't recommend this experience.
I tried to think of explanations because I'm the one Nay as of now. At first I thought the Cayenne I used had salt blended in. But that wasn't the case. Then I thought it was from the grains spreading the would open. That wasn't it either because with Neosporin, I can flap it all the way open without pain.
Cayenne
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, Usa) on 12/08/2015 533 posts
Hi! Just wanted to share a tip regarding the application of substances to the skin.
I had a cut on the bottom of my foot and applied cayenne with "kinesiology tape" and forgot all about it. Two days later IT WAS STILL STUCK! And it wasn't hard to get off, either!
It's called "Kinesiology Tape" and comes in all kinds of different colors - I'd heard of it and then forgot all about it until I noticed it at my GROCERY store! Apparently it's very widely used for whatever they use it for which I don't fully understand, but what drew my attention when I first heard about it was that it stays put, even if you sweat. And it really does!
Plus, using it as I did, the roll I bought will probably last me the rest of my life because you don't have to "wrap" it around and use a bunch of it - you just cut a little piece, put the herbs or whatever you're applying in the middle and leave a clean edge to stick to the skin. Just a small piece is all it takes.
Awesome!
Cayenne
Posted by Rsw (Uniontown , Oh) on 03/26/2013
Hi Rick, Thanks for the feedback on the cayenne pepper. Good to know.
I have seen several people on the LDN Yahoo Group who have done very well after discouraging cancer reports by using low dose naltrexone, IP6, DCA, PawPaw, fasting from Sunday morning until Wednesday morning with vegetable juicing and liquids and then the first thing Wednesday AM take baking soda mixed with a small amount of sugar or Maple syrup to carry the baking soda directly to the cancer cells who have continued to work (while normal cells slow down from the fast) and pick up the baking soda, causing cell death, and reducing chemo distress by taking the treatments on Tuesday while the normal cells are in slow-down mode from the fast and seem to not absorb the chemicals as readily. Best wishes and thank you for your thoughtfulness in posting your experience.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Maasmusik (Eugene, Oregon) on 12/14/2012
★★★★★
I want to share about another wonder of coconut oil. I discovered that applying coconut oil to a cut immediately heals the cut. Absolutely amazing. A few days ago, I had two small, paperlike cuts with one bleeding to where I needed to use a bandaid. I applied coconut oil on the cut and covered up the cut with the bandaid. Two days later, the cut without the application of coconut oil still hurt while the other cut that was bleeding was completely healed. I immediately applied coconut oil on the hurt area and it healed immediately. Then two days ago, I was cooking dinner for 100 and I accidentally cut into my finger, cutting the nail and bleeding. I immediately applied the coconut oil and used a bandaid. This was a rather deep cut. The next day, I could still feel the pain. However, two days later, it completely healed. It's an absolute miracle.
Tomato
Posted by Citygirl27 (Richardson, Tx, Usa) on 06/17/2012
★★★★★
A tomato remedy that I learned at one of my old jobs - This is apparently an every day "cure" in traditional Mexican areas. I cut my finger on a broken coffee pot and one of my Mexican coworkers threw a tomato slice at me and told me to put it on there. It stopped the bleeding right away... I have no idea how but it did and it worked. She said leave it on for 5 minutes. Even the manager was amused.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Dean (Los Angeles, California) on 01/03/2012
★★★★★
2 weeks ago I cut my middle finger right in the inside of my middle digit. It was very deep and bleed for over 24 hours. I knew I didn't hit a main artery but it was just flowing out at a steady rate not squirting. I wrapped it up with some non-stick gauze and tape and the next morning I washed off most of the blood and put some coconut oil over the wound, I wasn't too sure if it would help due to the fact that blood was till coming out of the cut but not as fast as the night before. I took off the bandage again that night and the bleeding has stopped so I put some ACV on a paper towel and wiped my finger down and put the coconut oil back on the wound and continued to change the bandage and reapply the coconut oil for the next 3 days.
On the 4th day I noticed the wound had closed with no sign of infection. I stopped wearing the bandage and just switched to a large athletic band aid and now 10 days later it is completely healed up with no infection. I have never used coconut oil on a cut before but it did speed up the healing process and I believe kept it free of infection. I get cuts quite a bit (I work with glass) so I have a good idea of how long a deep cut takes to heal and this time by using the coconut oil it cut down the healing time by at least half.
Cayenne
Posted by Ec6270 (South Florida, Fl, Us) on 07/20/2011
★★★★★
Amazing results, a bad knife cut on my forefinger bled profusely for 45-60 minuted. After reading EC suggestions, I swabbed it with ACV and then put as much cayenne powder on the area as I could. Bleeding stopped immediately, wound stayed closed in subsequent days and healed much faster than expected. Thanks again EC!
