Laceration Remedies

I'm not going to try black powder, but I have heard that cigarette tobacco has antisceptic qualities and can be used to treat lacerations and it's got me curious. Is anybody familiar with the remedy?

One of my grandpas swore by black pepper. Just pack it in the cut and leave it alone. I tried it recently on a cut from a fairly sizable wood sliver that I dug out of my hand and it worked well enough. The cut wasn't large enough to need stitches so would probably have healed just fine on it's own.

I'm wondering about cigarette tobacco. Is it supposed to work the same way?

I've heard of lots of different versions. Tobacco juice, chewed or manually ground into a paste, a mat of hairs from a fiddle-head fern, pepper, bacon fat, even a claim you could use large ants to hold the cut closed by tricking them to bite across the laceration, applications of swamp moss got mention, and mustard plasters were all the rage in the late 19th century...

I've never used any of those.

As I understand it the good money advice for lacerations is to clean them out with mild soap and water and/or jets of normal saline or clean water from a syringe, a baggie with a pinhole squeezed works pretty well, and to mechanically keep the wound closed if it won't stay closed on its own.

Sewing shut is a treatment that goes back thousands of years. Using some sort of tape or strapping, possibly with some sort of adhesive, is an alternative. Butterflies, Steri-strips, bands with tincture of benzoin for glue, superglue directly or with bands are all options.

[I, for the record, do Not recommend anyone attempt to close any wound or use any compounds or medications in any manner or way. Do your homework, get training, and educate yourself. It is always best to consult with and use the services of medical professionals.]

On my own hide I've used athletic tape (it is my favorite tape for first-aide kits), Steri-strips, butterflies made from duct tape (is there anything duct tape isn't good for), and stitched myself up with common thread boiled and soaked in Neosporin to make it slippery, and one time, on a rather small but deep cut on my leg that was annoyingly placed and refused to stay closed, with dental floss.

A little topical anesthetic is handy if you have to stitch yourself up but it isn't really that painful without it.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK AND ONLY AFTER CONSULTING WITH YOUR DOCTOR: Diphenhydramine capsules can be cut open and the powder used as a topical anesthetic. Lasted about an hour last time I used it. Also handy for toothaches and as a last desperate resort for painful or itching insults to the skin. Sprinkling by hand works but you get better coverage per capsule over wider areas if the powder is picked up in and blown through a straw or other tube. Apply it and let it set for a few minutes to allow to gain maximum numbing effect.

I highly advise that you wash your hands after messing with the powder and don't get it in your eyes. It can make vision in that eye wonky and blurred. Eye/s that won't focus might be problematic in a survival situation. Things returned to normal after a couple of hours. On the up side that eye didn't itch for several days and it was high pollen season.

STANDARD WARNING APPLIES: Tetrahydrozoline based eye drop liquid will often slow or stop bleeding if you squirt it into a wound. Don't use this too early, blood helps clean the wound, but stopping the majority of the blood after giving it a reasonable chance to clot and stop on its own does help when trying to stitch it up.

Used to be Betadine and Neosporin was standard, and I sometimes use them, but last I heard there was some doubt as to how much good they do. Ive informally experimented with using A&E ointment, petroleum jelly, and butt creme on cuts and stitches. They all seem to work pretty well on clean wounds. IMHO, based on entirely anecdotal evidence, A&E ointment seemed to speed healing a bit.

The only thing I've heard used in 3rd world settings is sugar or honey, something about the pH inhibiting bacterial growth. Not that those remedies don't work, but I personally wouldn't pack a small wound with anything. A large wound can be packed with sterile gauze, moistened with sterile saline/water.

I am fairly conservative in this area. I stick with my training - basically pressure dressings - no stitching. It has worked for me, although nowhere near as dramatic as sewing, which I leave to the MDs and the seamstresses.

Thanks guys. I like to always have a good first aid kit around, and do reach for that first. Growing up in a family of nurses makes me a strong advocate of soap, water, proper bandadges, good first aid training and seeking medical attention for the big stuff.

I'm also interested in learning about home remedies. It's always nice to have a back-up for your back-up.

The theory behind honey is that it is naturally antibacterial and is also highly hygroscopic and tends to suck all the water out of any microscopic critters that it comes into contact with. I've read that honey never goes bad and this is a testament to its antimicrobial properties. I don't know about 'never' going bad simply because never is a very long time. I can say that I've had honey stored for ten years that didn't get moldy or grow colonies. It crystallized but returned to its normal state when heated.

Word I heard was that honey was the mainstay of antimicrobial agents in the Viet Cong and NVA military organizations. It was seldom as immediately effective as using the right antibiotics but it seemed to work pretty well. Cheap and locally available in quantity, in addition to being functional, keeps it on the list of options.

There was also some reports a decade or two back of doctors resorting to a mix of honey and Betadine to treat skin infections that wouldn't respond to antibiotics. I can see myself trying honey or the honey/betadine mix if I lacked other materials. Even if I had antibiotics I might go to that mix as a first option for minor wounds. Use what you have a lot of, and can get more of easily, while keeping the hard to get antibiotics for serious cases and situations when the honey doesn't work.

Tobacco works on stings. Even from a stale cigarette. Just moisten it with water or spit and place on the sting. Works well for me anyway. Though I still carry "AfterBite".

Thanks Art and Matt! There's a world of un-"medical" remedies out there, aren't there? Good to know if you don't have more conservative remedies on-hand, or, as you say Art, those resources are in short supply or become hard to get.

Oddly enough, I have a lot more soap of one variety or another, and a fair number of sterile dressings, around the house. I do have some honey (a jug of a very nice dark variety that goes very well with Constant Comment and is great on my special pancakes), but I would reserve the honey for foodstuffs and use the dressings in the conventional manner in an emergency.

That is not even considering producing sterile dressings by prolonged boiling, which can be done with almost any cloth.

Great reminder about boiled dressings, Hikermor!

And now I'm hoping the troops whip up pancakes for mom's day tomorrow. I haven't tried them with honey before. Sounds yummy!

Instant Mashed Potatoes(Plain) worked for me,When I had a Worm-drive saw chase after my leg,created an Instant Clot,& Probably kept me from bleeding out,Regardless of what Experts say,Those Instant mashed potatoes are quite Sterile! My Mother applied honey to 2nd degree burns on my back& shoulders for the duration of a Whole summer,When the hospital I was taken to,failed to Act accordingly & put me through some serious sessions of Torture,causing infection,etc.The honey amazingly caused me to Scab up & Heal,as opposed to the hospital apllying dressings,peeling them off,cleaning the wounded area,more dressings,over&over&over-broken record,Anyway's Plain Instant Mashed Potatoes & Honey are Good Remedies,Regardless of how many moons have passed since!

I've never heard that tobacco had any antiseptic properties.

Rooster Cogburn seemed to think it was good for snakebite, but what did he know?

I would use plain soap and water before I used tobacco. It just sounds icky.

Sue

This may be a minority report.

Of course, the first and best remedy is to not need a remedy. In other words, avoid lacerations.

Second, hominids have been getting lacerated and healing for a very, very long time without any particular intervention. My father, a Harvard trained vascular surgeon who served stateside during Korea in various surgical posts, insisted the best thing for a small cut was to rub clean dirt into it. He always said this was part of his medical training; the dirt stopped excessive leakage, blocked outside contamination, and stimulated the immune system. [Take a moment and imagine my childhood.]

Third, if the laceration involved the cut getting contaminated with something you are worried about, then the rinsing / laving / washing with any clean, water-based solution seems in order.

Fourth, if the cleaned laceration gapes open, then it invites contamination and should be covered if small and both closed and covered if big. Coverings and closures should be as clean as circumstances allow.

Fifth, if a laceration becomes infected, then it should be easy to uncover and open to wash out the bad stuff. If you see a medical type, they almost always like to re-open a significant laceration as part of their treatment. Covering and sealing technology that makes it a pain to uncover or open the laceration would seem counter-indicated.

Sixth, unless you know what you are doing and are up on the latest knowledge, dosing a laceration with any substance, "natural" or commercial, is questionable. It is good if it invokes a placebo effect and does provide something for your first professional care-giver to enjoy washing out while watching your reaction to see if your pain receptors have been compromised.

The last studies I looked at found the antibiotic effect of honey to be minimal or non-existent, but you should check for yourself.

Why is it that "rubbing a small laceration wit dirt" never made it into first aid manuals?

Dirt is definitely not something I would have thought of!

Hey D,I didn't see Honey mentioned as an Antibiotic through out this thread,I mentioned it as a Remedy because it worked for me!Dirt is used for the Youngin's to play in,So they develop the proper Antibodies within their Immune system.Where are you getting your Clean dirt from?The way I see it,Either it's clean or it's dirty,there is No Inbetween!:)

I don't know for sure but the concept of rubbing in dirt may be throwback to pre-germ theory concepts. A term from the time was "laudable pus". Describing the normality of wounds getting infected and the idea that a bit of inflammation and infection was a good sign. As, I suppose, an alternative of sepsis, gangrene and fever that kills.

My dad kept up with medical journals throughout his practice and into retirement; he died a little over a year ago. Of course, come to think of it, I often connected my dad and the idea of things throwback.

Rereading my comment it is clear it might be taken as an insult to your father. I didn't mean it that way. Sorry.

I did not take it that way! Art, I have followed your posts for some time and remain impressed with the quality of your contributions. I would not lightly conclude you intended anything unkind - but thanks.

Lots of "remedies" have been shown in the medical books over time. A few of them remain in use after testing. Review "The Barefoot Doctor" for lots of useful ideas or the Wilderness Medical Society practice handbook for those that have shown clinical usefulness. One that is used regularly by the medical profession (especially dentists) is a tea bag for reducing bleeding. Open wounds like those from oral surgery can be helped by a tea bag. I carry one in all my first aid kits, for a warm drink and to stop bleeding (or for ME when waiting for transport -- with the honey I carry also). Well vetted by clinical practice, it is one I highly recommend.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Clean the wound thoroughly. Use clean water (boiled) or even urine (which is sterile). Do not close the wound unless you need to to stop the bleeding. If you are not closing it under sterile conditions, it is easier to keep clean and prevent infection if it is open. it should be covered with the most sterile or cleanest bandaging material available to prevent more contamination from getting in.

The ancient Egyptians used honey to cover wounds and it is effective. Bacteria does not grow in honey, some honey was found in a jar in an ancient tomb (more than 2000 years old) and it was still edible.

Depends on the honey:

"Antibiotic resistance among microbes urgently necessitates the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Since ancient times, honey has been used successfully for treatment of infected wounds, because of its antibacterial activity. However, large variations in the in vitro antibacterial activity of various honeys have been reported and hamper its acceptance in modern medicine." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18433338

(Dweste, this not in answer to your post, you were last to post)

Honey will not kill all bacteria, mainly spore forming organisms such belonging to the genus Clostridium (i.e. Clostridium botulinum) will remain viable in their static state indefinitely. Hence warnings not to not to feed raw (unpasteurized) honey to infants under one year of age. In the intestinal tract, the spores of C. botulinum will enter what is called the vegetative phase, this is the stage where the bacteria can reproduce and produce the toxins causing botulism. Generally, infants do not have enough good bacteria in their intestinal tracts to prevent the C. botulinum from reproducing and thus develop botulism. Individuals who are immune-suppressed (i.e. on chemotherapy or other genetic causes) and infants should not consume raw honey or have raw honey placed on any wound.


Pete

FWIW:

Here is a bit more information about the use of sugar as a readily availble antibiotic. This was mentioned earlier in the thread but its something I find interesting because sugar is readily available and easy to maintain in my emergency stores.

Although the article heavily recommends PI in addition to the sugar, there is a particularly relevant passage explaining the mechanism through which sugar works, and how it must be used carefully to avoid the reverse effect:

"Since the effect of granulated sugar upon bacteria is based upon osmotic shock and withdrawal of water that is necessary for bacterial growth and reproduction, this diluted syrup has little antibacterial capacity and may aid rather than inhibit bacterial growth.

So to continually inhibit bacterial growth, the wound is cleaned with water and repacked at least one to four times daily (or as soon as the granular sugar becomes diluted) with more solute (sugar) to "reconcentrate" the aqueous solution in the environment of the bacteria. "

Doesn't that sound like fun?

Cool info on sugar. Thanks Clark! PI is Potassium? Would want to get confused with potassium permangante. I understand that in the right quantities, that mix (with sugar) will create a bunch of heat.

povidone-iodine

Couldn't you do the same thing with black pepper or salt?

Black pepper seems to work really well on smaller cuts. Honestly I'm not adventurous enough to try it on something that needs stitches. I'd rather just go get proper stitches.

Please, don't use black pepper. I've had the "joy" of removing it once or twice. The patients didn't appreciate the amount of scrubbing it took either, to get it out of the wound.

Why didn't we numb them up? We did... but it's still alot of scrubbing!

OUCH!!!