Comments on: How to Make and Use an Herbal Poultice

By: Jules

Jules — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 09:33:31 +0000

Just wanted to jump on here and say this recently worked for us. My girl got an infected earring hole- and by the time she told me it was sore it was bad and very swollen and I could see it had pus inside. It was a long weekend here so couldn’t go to the doctors, so we cleansed with salt water and made a poultice of epsom salt and baking soda with a few drops of tea tree oil. We band-aided it to her ear and next morning we changed the poultice. We tried to get the earring back in (we had taken it out) but couldn’t as was too sore. We made another poultice and took it off midday. We managed to get earring back in and lots of gunk came out. I then realised we could leave earring post in without the back on and put the poultice over the earring post so it touched the skin, and taped it in place. I didn’t want to put salt on the metal, so we switched to using bentonite clay and charcoal with tea tree oil. We also cleansed with saline every poultice change. When doctors finally opened the doc didn’t even give me a script and said it looked good! Took about two days. We are a couple days on from that and I’m now cleansing with saline and tea tree 2-3 times per day but all is still looking good. Last time this happened she ended up on oral antibiotics and it wasn’t as bad as this time. So grateful for avoiding oral antis this time around

By: Judith Borsos

Judith Borsos — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 19:26:36 +0000

Everything is so helpful thanks everyone

By: Val B

Val B — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 02:58:14 +0000

Hi, I used a plantain poultice on a grease burn. I just broke up a clean soft fresh picked leaf, spreading in on a larger broad leaf plantain leaf, covering the burn (beyond a blister) with the broken parts on my open blister. Then wrap with elastic bandage. I changed it every 6-8hrs (even over night) decreasing time on and off as days pasted, with air time between changes. I had no infection, no pain. I could feel it warm up when it was drawing. No scare. Duration about 8 days. Interesting point at poultice change, the bits of broken plantain would be like firm hard bits, never hurting the tender blister.

By: Barbara freeman

Barbara freeman — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 22:58:39 +0000

Does anyone remember the snuff poultice or mustard poultice for flu?

By: Susan Manderson

Susan Manderson — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 03:37:00 +0000

My father (Scots Irish) used hot milk and bread for a poultice. He made a not-too-runny mash out of it, made sure it was fairly hot, and placed it on the infection, then bandage with gauze. In this case it was a large acne pimple, almost a boil, on my mother’s forehead. Leave it on until it dries, possibly re-apply. It was so effective that she was annoyed over the hole it left when the infection was drawn out.
We also used slippery elm bark on a cat’s infected paw, and it worked much the same way, drew out the pus and left a hole where it was drawn out. Apply warm, bandage, let it dry.

Another effective poultice that I’ve seen used on horses is sugar. Make a paste out of ordinary white sugar or brown, pack it into the wound, and because sugar really “draws”, it will remove the infection, and kills bacteria. Saw a vet use it on her own horse’s leg. Also honey – knew a cowboy who raved about honey keeping a horse’s cut clean and disinfected. Not a poultice per se, but disinfectant.

By: Sidney

Sidney — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 17:25:31 +0000

In reply to Amanda. My naturopathic oncologist has me taking an anti-cancer tincture that contains pokeweed root, among other things (for breast cancer). I haven't tried a poultice of poke yet, but have found references to it in Dr Neil McKinney's Naturopathic Oncology book. He mentions a medical herbalist in Toronto, John Redden, who uses diluted Phytolacca (poke) as a compress on breast tumors to expel them. I may contact him or have my ND speak with him about this method. Most references to poultices for breast cancer that I have found use Sanguinaria (bloodroot). I can easily find pokeweed where I live, but I don't think I've seen bloodroot since I was a kid.

By: Tami

Tami — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 12:02:18 +0000

I have severe nerve pain in my gum from a dentist that damaged both back molars. One molar had to have an emergency root canal. Now I can’t get rid of this pain. What can I do to relieve the pain. The secondary molar is fine. Please Help! Thank you

By: Pam

Pam — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:42:52 +0000

In reply to Sharon Kelowna. I had skin cancer surgery on my shin and they just told me if it wasn’t healed in 3 MONTHS!!! To call them! It has been 5 weeks and it is a gaping hole in my leg!!!i remembered my grandmother using poultices for everything! Can you please tell me what to use and how to make the poultice?

By: Katie Wells

Katie Wells — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 13:23:58 +0000

In reply to Josephine Niolu. My husband had one as well and underwent the surgery...

By: Josephine Niolu

Josephine Niolu — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 06:49:00 +0000

I have a question. I have just been made aware that I may have an Umbilical Hernia. Is there something I can do other than having surgery.

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 01:45:14 +0000

Hi Katie,
Can you clarify more on how to make the poultice you used for Mastitis? As well as how long to apply for infection? Thanks! Also, I know you are not a doctor but if you have any specific herbs for a bacterial fallopian tube/ ovary infection other then what posted here Id really appreciate any input you may have for this.

By: Joan

Joan — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 12:24:22 +0000

In reply to Rose. U have several hernias any suggestions with poultices

By: Tien

Tien — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 14:02:20 +0000

Where do we get the right materials (“fresh or dried herbs, healing clays or activated charcoal”.

I have no idea what Bentonite clay or, healing clays are, or where to purchase activated charcoal.

Thank you.

By: Sharon Kelowna

Sharon Kelowna — Wed, 08 May 2019 04:53:51 +0000

Warm milk with a chunk of bread … removes slivers in 12 hours. Both my granddaughters have been very happy about this absolutely painless fix. An added bonus is it also removed any of the redness and infection at the same time.

By: MacKenzie

MacKenzie — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 04:41:52 +0000

would a poultice work for toe fungus?

thank you

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 04:29:10 +0000

In reply to Connie Mosser. Try sassafras. I add aloe and use filtered water. This post is amazing and I am so glad to find others that know about this! I just started reading into alternative medicine about 2 years ago so this is very helpful!

By: glo

glo — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 17:48:21 +0000

In reply to Mary. Hi, Mary, thanks for your kind advice; I wonder if you've ever read about peroxide, maybe, disrupting our natural oral microbiome by killing off, not only the bad bacteria, but, also, the good bacteria we need to fight off "bad stuff" . . . or something to that effect . . . ?

By: Laurel Ann

Laurel Ann — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 22:32:39 +0000

Isn’t their a poultice to help pull the infection out of a abscess

By: Tracy

Tracy — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 12:17:45 +0000

Thank you! It seems I’m always coming across references to poultices, but without instruction on how to do them. This was most helpful. Thank you!

A couple of items you mention, I have already incorporated into my medicine closet…. Bentonite Clay. I’m never without this. Not only good for splinters and boils, but also is amazing on spider (and other insect bites), drawing out toxins so quickly and relieving the pain and itching almost immediately. Also have used it on allergy related hives. I trimmed a bunch of evergreen bushes, not knowing that I was allergic to them. Quickly broke out into rather vicious hives. Applied a clay paste, and the next day they were nearly gone. I also keep activated charcoal pills. Helpful for the rare occasions that you have intestinal troubles. Oh, and one last item for the medicine chest. Not a natural product, but an heirloom one. Felsnaptha Soap. Yes, the same stuff grandma used for laundry is still available online and also in Walmart’s laundry soap section. Whenever we think we’ve gotten into poison ivy, we scrub up with this. It cuts oil and keeps it from spreading.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 23:45:24 +0000

Hello Katie, reaching out to you for some advice. My yellow Lab is 15 and in her last days. She is no longer able to walk, and we are making her as comfortable as possible. She still has a good appetite and thirst, is alert and occasionally we get a wag out of her tail. Since she has been unable to walk for months, she has developed a couple pressure sores, one we have nearly completely healed using Hydrogel, vaseline gauze packing, and covered with non stick Telfa pads. She still barks quite often, and has developed a sizable wound on the saggy part of her jowls. I would like to address this with some sort of poultice for wounds, then wrap her snout with an ace bandage that has been cut in half, length wise, to prevent her from barking. It is the barking and rubbing of her canine tooth on the jowls that has cause the wound. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.