Cuts Scrapes and Scratches

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Cuts, Scrapes and Scratches

If you’re like most people, your knees are covered with faded reminders of those early years of living dangerously.

Most of us eventually outgrow the habit of falling on our knees or elbows or faces. But with adulthood comes access to all manner of sharp objects, from razors to steak knives. So unless you’re highly coordinated and very careful, odds are good that you’ll have to contend with the occasional flesh wound. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with the approval of your doctor, may relieve pain and help your wound heal faster, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... The cut is very dirty and you have trouble getting it clean. Blood is spurting out of the wound. You may have cut an artery. The wound is on the face or anywhere else you want to avoid a permanent scar. The cut is large and open. You may need stitches. You see pus forming on or around the wound. The wound develops red streaks or a red area that extends more than a finger-width beyond the edge of the cut.

Aromatherapy

Lavender, a multipurpose first-aid oil, helps heal virtually any kind of superficial wound, says Los Angeles aromatherapist Michael Scholes, of Aromatherapy Seminars, an organization that trains professionals and others in the use of essential oils. He recommends applying a drop or two of lavender directly to the skin after the wound is cleaned.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Food Therapy

“For quicker relief of minor scrapes and scratches, put some cayenne pepper on them—but not on open wounds,” advises Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. According to Dr. Whitaker, cayenne contains capsaicin, the active ingredient that puts the hot in hot peppers and that helps speed healing and block pain messages to the brain. He recommends dabbing a little cayenne pepper on the scrape, then wiping it off when the pain is lessened. Cayenne pepper could cause pain on open wounds, he cautions.

For open wounds or skin ulcerations, Dr. Whitaker suggests sprinkling on granulated sugar to help kill bacteria and speed healing. He says to smear a ring of petroleum jelly around the edges of the wound to hold the sugar in place, then put a little sugar directly on the wound. Cover the area with a bandage, he says, and be sure to change the bandage once or twice a day.

Herbal Therapy

Keep an aloe vera plant on your windowsill—it’s a living first-aid kit, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. When you get a cut, scratch or scrape, suggests Dr. Tyler, just break off one of the plant’s fleshy leaves, squeeze out a little of the cool, colorless gel from the center of the leaf and apply it directly to the affected area. Reapply three or four times a day for maximum healing, he says. He adds that aloe vera seals off the injury, relieves pain and helps cuts and scrapes heal more quickly.

Homeopathy

Cleanse the wound with soap and water, then apply Calendula ointment, says Mitchell Fleisher, M.D., a family practice physician and homeopath in Colleen, Virginia. “If it’s a painful scrape or abrasion, what I find works excellently is to wash the wound well with a mixture of 20 drops of Calendula tincture and 20 drops of Hypericum tincture diluted in four ounces of water,” he says. Then apply a sterile dressing moistened with this mixture two or three times a day until the wound has healed, says Dr. Fleisher.

These homeopathic remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.