The Forgotten Art of Natural Home Remedies Part One – Poultices
Chances are if you talk to your mother or grand mother, depending on your age, she will be able to tell you about poulticing. Sadly, poultices have fallen out of use and very few doctors will send you home with a prescription for this powerful form of natural treatment. In ancient times however, poultices were very common, almost every traditional medicine system has a version of poultices in their repertoire; whether it be Ayurvedic hot oil bags, the warm leaf mash of an Australian Aboriginal Nganghayi or the use of cakes of pressed figs in the Bible.
Medicinally, the action of poultices is to draw toxins and other materials out of the body through our largest eliminative organ, the skin. A compress on the other hand is applied to an area to break up congestion and allow the body to expel the toxins through the bowel and kidneys. In practice, the term poultice is used to refer to both. While seemingly somewhat meaningless, this distinction is important, as using a poultice with acute infection will require frequent changes of the dressing to preserve effectiveness.
The process of applying a poultice to the body is quite simple:
- Make a cloth bag of old cotton sheeting, time permitting you may prefer to sew three of the sides up to hold the actual poultice and wash after each use;
- Prepare the herb or vegetable mix. This needs to be a moist mass so some methods include mashing, blending or grating but you will need to adapt to the plant used and the available materials. Some vegetables may require steaming first to make this possible;
- Pour or spoon the mixture into the bag and pat to an even thickness;
- Lay the poultice over the area of skin to be treated and cover with glad wrap to prevent leaks and stains. Where potentially irritating herbs or vegetables are used, such as cayenne pepper, it is beneficial to apply a smear of olive oil or vegetable first.
In normal situations leave the poultice on over night and remove the next morning, in acute situations, particularly infection, the poultice may need to be changed every two to three hours as it absorbs toxins and foreign material.
There are a number of materials that make great poultices due to their highly absorptive nature and general availability. Usually when making poultices there is not time to look around for hard to obtain herbs. Some of the more frequently used examples include:
Onion – raw or lightly steamed onion either mashed or grated is fantastic for any pus producing wounds, ear aches or chest complaints. While not technically a poultice, half an onion on the bedside table or bed head is fantastic for congestion or night time coughing.
Cabbage – a powerful poultice for bruising and swollen tissues. Cabbage is frequently used by new mothers in the early days of breastfeeding.
Potato – used raw is good for any swelling, inflammation or acidic conditions. Potato is regularly used for strains, bruises, infections, boils, abscesses, rheumatic and arthritic inflammation, minor burns, including sunburn.
While not as readily available as other poultice materials, charcoal is something that should form a part of every home first aid kit for its powerful adsorptive capabilities. To use in a poultice mix charcoal with with just enough water to make a thick paste and add some olive oil to prevent it drying out. Charcoal is useful in any situation where a drawing action is required and is a first choice whenever available.
Poulticing is an effective, powerful treatment that has been used for centuries with no adverse effects. When next faced with an infection, ear ache or fever rather than reaching for pharmaceutical medication try a poultice to witness these amazing results.
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