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 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!
Aloe Vera
Posted by Kate (Kingston, Ny) on 06/27/2011
★★★★★
Aloe is great! Topically applied, the gel from the cut stem of the plant dries to form a protective layer on the skin's surface, preventing any dirt or bacteria from entering. Aloe contains a concentrated mix
of enzymes, anti-inflammatory fatty acids, and compounds that boost the immune system and speed healing. I found some good information on how to use aloe at home here:
www.aloeplant.info
Cayenne
Posted by Ann (Indianapolis, In) on 02/01/2011
★★★★★
I have to add my experience with cayenne. I was cutting potatoes for dinner and the knife slipped. I ended up taking a big chunk out of the side of my finger. It bled profusely.... Through at least 4 bandages. I was panicking, thinking I needed to get stitches and decided to see if there were any alternatives first.
I finally got the courage to try the cayenne pepper. I packed the wound full of the stuff--and there was a huge hole in my finger tip---and wrapped it with a fresh bandage. Now, I have to disagree with those who said it stings for a little bit. It stung like nobody's business for a couple of hours then subsided to a dull throb, but the bleeding stopped immediately. I left it alone for 24 hours. After that I rinsed it with cold water and rebandaged it. Three days later, the gaping hole has closed itself and there is only a fine reddish line where the wound itself was. It's a bit sensitive to touch, so I keep it covered at work, but otherwise it's as if the tip of my finger was never sliced off. Everyone who saw the wound before the cayenne is totally amazed that a "folk cure" worked so well and quickly. Thank you!
Cayenne
Posted by Jake (Chicago, Il) on 12/11/2010
★★★★★
This past summer my soon to be 94 year-old mother fell and sliced a three to four inch gash on the back of her hand just above the knuckles. The bleeding was moderate but there was about an inch distance between the two sides of the cut. Anyone would have said it cannot heal without stitches. But the skin was so fragile, I wondered too how any stitching would be able to hold together. Adding to the complexity of the moment, my mother is on blood thinning medication and I was a bit nervous to take the situation into my own hands.
I nonetheless packed the space with cayenne which in a short time stopped the bleeding. I bandaged her and each time in the days afterward - I cleaned the wound and reapplied cayenne, and I pulled the two sides of the canyon closer together in hopes that the skin would eventually reconnect. The wound oozed for weeks and almost daily my mother protested and was sure she needed to see a real doctor. She didn't see the daily progress that I noticed. When a scab finally seemed to take, I applied iodine to help the healing, and that seemed to speed the process fairly dramatically. Eventually she healed perfectly, no scarring, and I myself was amazed how clean the result turned out. I called it a work of art, and we both laughed.
Onion
Posted by Leriejane (Seattle, Wa, Usa) on 07/17/2010
★★★★★
If you have a cut, putting a piece of onion skin, the transparent film, onto it will stop it from bleeding immediately. I got this tip from a magazine and tried it when I cut myself chopping vegetables. The onion instantly stopped the bleeding. The cut was no longer than 1 inch, and not seriously deep, just enough to gross one out.
Epsom Salt
Posted by Diane (Everett, Wa) on 06/23/2010
★★★★★
Soak it in warm water with episom salts as often as possible and put some antibiotic ointment w/ bandage. It workes for me. If not better in 24hrs i would see a dr about getting some medication.
Epsom Salt
Posted by Blanche (New Iberia, Louisiana) on 06/22/2010
★★★★★
What always worked for me is soaking the finger in a warm epsom salt solution for a few minutes, then gently pressing on it. If it is ready to expel pus, it will come right out. If not, wait another day and try again. Don't really measure but about 2 or 3 tablespoons to a cup of water.
Arnica Gel
Posted by Elsaeasterly (Elsewhere, Ca, Usa) on 06/07/2010
Amy,
So glad to see your post!
Many years ago as a teen I was given Kenalog shots and was told by the nurse that they could damage the surrounding tissue. Just being a kid, though, I didn't really understand how disfiguring it would be. I have one "crater" that sounds a lot like what you describe (not discolored, just deep) and at least one smaller one that I attribute to these injections. There may have been discoloration at the time, but I just didn't look. I didn't know until years later how bad the damage was.
Just in the last year I searched the net looking for side effects of Kenalog injections and did not find tissue damage among them. In fact, I couldn't find a lot about Kenalog at all. And this is the first time I've heard anyone else describe having an experience similar to mine.
Even though it has been many years, I believe I will try the gel you had success with. I did a search and came up with TR by PM. I hope this is the same stuff you used.
Thanks again! At least I know I'm not the only one.
Tea Tree and Lavender Oils
Posted by Regulator555 (Grand Rapids, Mi, Usa) on 06/02/2010
★★★★★
In my house, essential oils are a must for their medicinal uses. The staple two are tea tree and lavender. Best healing tale: My husband caught his finger in the band saw at his work. As you can imagine, his finger was a mangled mass of meat. There was nothing to stitch together. Gross. Anyway, he applied a drop of tea tree and a drop of lavender, neat, to the wound twice daily and kept it clean, dry, and bandaged. He would air it out a bit once a day for a few minutes. It never became infected - never. It healed well with virtually no scarring.
Arnica Gel
Posted by Amy (Reno, Nevada) on 05/11/2010
One more thing
The arnica gel I used included some other herbs as well. It was from a brand that formulates a mixture of herbs to help heal tendons. The ingredients on the label in order: organic comfrey, arnica, organic rosemary, and aloe (as well as some natural preservatives, etc...) I ended up using almost all of the 3.5 oz that I bought during the month.
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.
Bach Flower Rescue Remedy Cream
Posted by Blaseyblase (San Francisco, California) on 02/07/2010
★★★★★
The first time I used this cream I was six years old, and had been scalded on half my body very badly. My mom immediately applied the cream and you couldn't even tell the next day. I still use it all the time, for burns and bruises. Its amazing. Do note, the older it is, the better it works.
Cayenne
Posted by Taozen (Nyc, New York) on 12/30/2009
★★★★★
I had a gash on my palm and it was a bleeder. I knew of the Cayenne paste cure and tried it.I used aprox 3 tablespoons and made a paste after cleaning the wound with peroxide. I made a tight bandage of gauze and left it alone for at least two days before I checked the wound. I removed my bandage very slowly so as not to disturb the caked on cayenne powder. It was much better and I re-wrapped the wound after more cayenne. I added tape to the fresh gauze covering and went three more days and it was almost completely healed and the scar is almost non visible today.
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.
Cayenne
Posted by Amydearmas (Las Vegas, Nv) on 11/03/2009
★★★★★
Update: My finger stopped bleeding about 10 minutes after the cayenne. The wound sort of "seared" shut. I kept it clean, changed my bandages daily and I actually healed in a week. My finger nail has not returned yet, but the healing was really amazing! The finger healed to normal! I also applied ozonated olive oil. I highly recommend the cayenne- but be prepared for the burning if it's a bad cut.
Cayenne
Posted by Amydearmas (Las Vegas, Nv) on 10/12/2009
I cut off part of my finger chopping green onions. I put on organic cayenne powder. The cayenne BURNED LIKE I WAS ON FIRE. HOLY COW! It is still bleeding. I put on a feminine mini pad and I'm pressing. Hope this works!!
Cayenne
Posted by Don (Southwest, Michigan, Usa) on 10/11/2009
★★★★★
Cayenne Pepper For Cuts
I had a piece of loose cuticle skin on the side of my left thumbnail. One evening while watching a movie I did a stupid thing and tore it off. I tore the top two or three layers of skin off the entire side of my thumbnail leaving raw skin. I cleaned it with peroxide, put on some ointment and a bandage and forgot about it. Three weeks went by and it did not heal. Usually if I keep it pulled away from the nail it will heal up ok. But three weeks went by and now my thumb was swollen and an ugly purple color and hurt bad. I had some antibiotic on hand and after taking that I began to feel better but the ulcer had formed under the cuticle. I knew the ulcer had to be removed before the skin would heal. I got a new razor blade and every thing I would new to clean it and moved to the bathroom sink to do the operation. The cuticle was still raw, ugly and painful but it had to be done. After removing the top half of the ulcer I let it bleed out to self cleanse the wound.
Before I did the operation I went to this site to see what others had used to heal cuts and I read the post by the women who was stuck on an outpost island for two days and put cayenne pepper on her husbands severe head wound. Up to this point everything I had used, ointment, iodine, peroxide, etc, had not worked. So I went to the cupboard and got the cayenne pepper and poured a generous amount over my raw and bleeding cuticle. It absorbed into the wound and stopped the bleeding immediately. I let it set for a couple minutes then shook off the excess and lightly put a bandage over it. Over the next few hours I could feel a slight stinging in the wound but I could also tell my thumb did not hurt as bad.
The next morning my thumb did not hurt at all so I removed the bandage and discovered my thumb was a nice healthy color and not swollen at all. I could not believe it!
The cayenne pepper had form a very healthy looking closure to the wound. When I washed my hands the pepper remained so I decided to let it stay a couple days to keep the wound clean. Two days later my thumb was completely healed so I washed off the pepper and everything look nice and healthy.
From now on when I get a cut or scratch I am NOT reaching for commercial ointments or salves, I am reaching for the Cayenne Pepper.
Best Wishes for a Peaceful World,
Don
Cayenne
Posted by Bee (Mo, Usa) on 09/28/2009
★★★★★
Last nite I cut my foot on a nail sticking out of my carpet and came straight to this website. The cayenne had lots of Yeas so it caught my attention. I cleaned the wound which was bleeding profusely with some ACV, but it still bled. So I figured why not? Stuck some cayenne and it worked like styptic powder to stop the bleeding. It was impressive to watch and I was surprised that it did not hurt/burn like I expected. It stings a bit, but very tolerable. My only mistake was removing it too early. I would say make sure you keep it on even after the bleeding stops and bandage it.
Honey
Posted by Brandy (Troy, MI) on 05/22/2009
★★★★★
I have found the best remedy for open lesions - Manuka honey. I have had two small lesions open up in the last few days - probably from the heat and greater activity level from me. I started putting the honey on the cleanesed area two days ago and I am already seeing major improvement. One is almost all the way closed, with no more discharge. Another is almost all the way closed with very little discharge. I have never had one of these clear up so fast. This is miracle honey - I keep calling it magic honey. Expensive, but the jar will last me forever and the freedom from bandages and smell is totally worth it!!
Witch Hazel
Posted by Tanya (Hailey, ID) on 05/15/2009
★★★★★
Witch Hazel is in my "first-line-of-defense" first aid kit. ESPECIALLY for small cuts, bruises and scrapes.
Plantain
Posted by Mary Lou Rogers (Brighton, Michigan) on 05/09/2009
★★★★★
As a child, I fell riding my bicycle. The handlebar, on which my face hit, did not have a protective grip and the metal sliced my cheek completely. The wound was sutured and subsequently became infected. My mother applied plantain leaves to my swollen, red, painful wound. Within hours, yellow purulent drainage poured out of my cheek wound. The relieve and healing were rapid. It's been a long time, but I think I was better in two days, no antibiotics. My mother calles them pig leaves and learned of them from her Lithuanian mother. As a nurse, I so wish I could use them on the horrific wounds I see.
