Tag Archives: stop bleeding

When you just have to stop the bleeding

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The other day I was washing my herbal press. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it had very sharp edges. I found this out when all of a sudden there was blood flowing with the water in the sink. I had sliced my index and pinky finger. It was not bad enough for stitches, but neither was wrapping a cloth around it good enough. I actually became rather excited about the fact that I had two similar cuts at the same time. See, I love teachable moments and testing herbs. I had always wondered which herb was a better styptic (contracting tissue to seal injured blood vessels) ~ Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) or Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Both herbs have a long history of the being superstar first aid herbal remedies. Achilles kept Yarrow on hand during the Trojan Wars and the Ancient Germans always gathered Goldenrod before heading into battle.

Yarrow stopped the bleeding

Yarrow stopped the bleeding.

styptic goldenrod

Goldenrod stopped the bleeding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I went outside, collected and bruised some Goldenrod and Yarrow leaves, before wrapping the Goldenrod around my index finger and Yarrow around my pinky. I left them on for five minutes. Both herbs stopped the bleeding completely. The only difference I noticed was that there was some dried blood on the index finger (Goldenrod) and the pinky was clean (Yarrow). From my little experiment, I can easily surmise that both herbs are excellent styptics but Yarrow leaves a cleaner wound. So folks, if you ever need to stop bleeding quickly, pick whichever herb is closer.

What herbs do you use to stop bleeding? Please share and I will continue to share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

Yarrow tested first hand

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I do not have luck with manual can openers. They all seem to leave a little connection; never a clean cut around the entire can. I have even shopped around and bought supposedly, “new and improved” can openers, but after awhile they all leave a small frustrating connection.

The other day while making supper, I made a mistake. I was in a rush and had very little patience while opening a can. Instead of slowing down, focusing on the little connection and getting a good grip on the can opener or use a proper tool to release the little connection, I attacked the connection with a chopstick. As it popped up my thumb slid into the can with a very sharp edge. It was a bloody mess.

white yarrowI immediately ran cold water over my thumb for a minute or two then quickly grabbed a towel, wrapped my thumb, applied pressure, held my hand above my heart and ran to my garden where I picked and “bruised” several Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) leaves. I slowly opened the towel, wrapped my thumb in the Yarrow leaves with the towel around it, and held my hand above my heart.

Mathew finished making dinner, thank goodness all the cans had already been opened. After dinner was made and we were waiting for Mike to come home, I looked at my thumb. The bleeding had stopped thanks to Yarrow’s amazing hemostatic abilities. I was very impressed as there was a lot of blood when I first cut it. Since the bleeding had stopped, I took the opportunity to look at the damage. I suspect some people with a similar wound would have gone to the doctor for a couple of stitches, but I decided that it would heal okay on its own. I guess I’ll see. I found a couple more fresh Yarrow leaves, bruised them, wrapped them around my thumb and taped a gauze patch around my thumb. Along with having great hemostatic powers, Yarrow is a powerful antiseptic.

close up yarrow

After dinner, I removed the bandage, still no bleeding so I simply put a regular band-aid around my thumb. It was still rather tender but in good shape. The next morning, I was rather impressed at how well the healing process was going.

The day after

The day after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a week, it barely looked like a scratch.

A week after

A week after

I highly recommend that you learn how to identify Yarrow: once you do, you’ll find it is an excellent first aid herb. It can help you in a pinch (or cut, or a slice…). After all, I do have first hand knowledge of it (pun intended).

All information is shared for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.