Handy hints, tips and remedies on cuts and grazes. Accidents can occur at any time and any place. If however you are confronted with a deep cut or severe abrasion which is obviously causing excessive blood loss or needs stitches you should take the victim to the nearest Out Patients Department at your nearest hospital.

Hopefully the worst kind of injuries that you will have to deal with is those which an elderly friend used to dispel with the exclamation

“GOODNESS GRACIOUS, THAT CERTAINLY NEEDS A SPRINKLING OF MAGIC DUST”.

REMEDIES FOR CUTS AND GRAZES.
• In emergency warm soapy water, a few drops of lemon juice or a tsp of salt will work well.

• Garlic ointment is one of the most healing ointments that you can use on open wounds. Garlic pounded in water and applied on gauze was an accepted field dressing during the First World War and garlic and honey pounded to a smooth poultice is still used to heal septic places, boils and ulcers.

• Honey slapped on to a cut or graze  and bandaged  firmly allows neither air nor moisture to penetrate and draws out dirt whilst it is healing

• Vitamin E oil used from a capsule straight on to a cut, graze or burn this works like magic.

• Going by many strange names of poultices were used to draw foreign bodies from a deep cut or wound, even gravel from graze. The very best of these is the centre of the loaf, the soft bread crumbs, mixed with egg yolk and warm milk and applied to any wound or to boils and whitlows where it appears to work wonders.

• Other unusual but effective poultices: these include washing a wound with the water from boiled parsnips and then also applying the hot pulp. Crushed raw apples make a rather astringent application containing plenty of acid and pectin and no doubt heal wounds very well.

• Arad made into a paste with water also works wonders on cuts and grazes, as arad is a natural antibiotic.

REMEDIES ON BURNS.
Burns account for most household accidents and therefore equally numerous household remedies have come about which range from ointments to fish oil.

Usually, and not surprisingly, most popular first aid was to be found close at hand in the pantry, butter, margarine, thick cream, sour milk, flour, starch, cabbage, potato, and carrot.

Now all of these remedies are based on quite sound commonsense because the most important priority is to neutralize the cause of the burn, to relieve the pain and to keep the air out, thus reducing the risk of infection, and lubricating the dried skin.

REMEDIES ON BURNS.

1. For burns caused by acid the old-fashioned remedy was a paste of bicarbonate of soda.

2. Yoghurt is excellent and can be used to heal and cool burns.

3. Olive oil, sunflower oil, pumpkin seed oil or wheat germ oil. All these will bring relieve to a painful burn or scald and will improve the chances of healing without a blister or a scar.

4. Garlic oil is also excellent for burns.

5. Coconut oil rubbed over the burnt part of the body 3 x a day will give relief in the burning sensation.

6. bhindi or bhinda is excellent to heal burns. Cut them up and make into a paste. The paste should be thick and slimy. Apply it over the burned part by hand. Cover with a thin cloth. After 3 or 4 hours the dressing should be changed. It will reduce the pain and the swelling. Repeat until new cells are formed.

7. Pour ice water first on the burnt part of the body. Dip a thin cloth in carrot juice and tie lightly over burnt area. Repeat for 2 or 3 days.

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Ammarah
Radio Islam
+27118547022
ammarah@radioislam.co.za
www.radioislam.co.za