Home Treatments for Cuts

There is only one immediate remedy for a bleed­ing cut and that is to apply pressure either by placing a clean handkerchief or tissue over the cut or, if it is long, by pushing the sides together between the thumbs of both hands. Cobwebs are reputed to stop bleeding but this is a diversion and anyhow they are difficult to find in sufficient quantities to be of any use. If, after half an hour, the bleeding persists, a tight bandage should be applied and medical attention should be sought urgently. Once the bleeding has stopped the question arises whether the cut is sufficiently wide to warrant stitching and if there is any doubt then again a visit to the casualty department is called for. For small cuts, however, various rem­edies can promote rapid healing.

Soap and water: The cut should be washed and any sand or grit removed. This reduces the risk of infection and prevents the discoloration or tattoo­ing effect when small foreign bodies are left be­hind.

Egg membrane: Mrs. Helen Cooper from Wareham describes this interesting alternative to the mod­ern steri-strip: 'When I was ten years old I cut my eye just below the brow on the outer side. My mother cracked open an egg, removed apiece of the white membrane from the inside of the shell, and after cleaning the wound, placed the membrane over the cut. As it dried, so it pulled the cut together and eventually the membrane became quite hard when it was removed revealing a healed wound underneath.'

Honey: Honey has potent healing properties. Mrs. M. S. Geering from Hertfordshire reports: 'Cuts, especially those caused when a knife slips, are easily and quickly cured by covering them with a coat of honey, pushing the edges together and covering it with an Eiastoplast. A small cut will in this way heal overnight'

Saliva: Saliva's curative potential is particularly appropriate for cuts and wounds. Mrs. Pamela Betts from Leicestershire believes the phrase 'kissing better' probably comes from the instinct to lick wounds. 'Ever since my daughter was a baby, I have licked any minor cuts and abrasions she has in­curred. As long as this was done within twenty minutes, the wound healed quickly without any infection.'

Dogs lick their cuts and wounds and it is pos­sible that the healing properties of canine saliva might be even more marked than that of humans. As Mrs. Gill McAnnee of Herefordshire discovered after she trod on an upturned tumbler which caused a deep cut to her foot. 'I am the sort of person who will never go to the doctor' she says, and so she hobbled around in pain for several weeks. Then one evening as she was watching television one of her dogs started licking the wound. By the following morning a scab had formed - and by the end of the week the cut had healed.