Home Remedies for Abrasions

Wait a minute…an abrasion is just a scratch on the top layer of skin, let it go, right? Why do I need a remedy for a ‘scratch’?

You do need a remedy for any kind of tear in your skin. Why? The answer is called infection, which is something you don’t want, particularly in a SHTF scenario. Any kind of cut, tear or scratch in your skin is a way for infection to start setting up home in your body. Normally, if you did get an infection, you would go to your doctor and he would more than likely prescribe you some kind of antibiotic. In a SHTF scenario, going to a physician will probably be hard to do and so will getting an antibiotic. The solution to this problem is prevent infections as best you can right out of the gate.

Abrasions are relatively shallow cuts on the top layer of your skin. Think of an abrasion as a scrape rather than a laceration. A laceration is more of a ‘cut’ usually made with a sharp object, but an abrasion is when your top layers of skin have been rubbed or ground away because you came in contact with a rough surface while moving.

Usually an abrasion doesn’t even raise your concern. But, again, in a SHTF scenario, I would be trying to prevent every infection possible. The best thing is that an abrasion is very easy to treat. Treating an abrasion will not only prevent an infection, but it will help to speed up the healing process. There are several natural treatments which will help with the healing of your abrasion.

To start, after the abrasion is received, it needs to be cleansed with some cool water and antibacterial soap if you have some. After cleansing, pat the area dry.

Lavender oil is good for abrasions, and can be dabbed on or applied twice a day for a few days. Lavender oil works well as a disinfectant and helps to promote healing.

Aloe Vera is also another great helper in healing. Aloe Vera – For Your First Aid Kit ? Aloe Vera has great anti-inflammatory properties and anti-bacterial properties. Although you can purchase aloe Vera gels and sprays, your best bet is to keep an actual aloe Vera plant in your home. When it’s needed, cut a leaf and slit it down the middle. The gel will be released. Place the gel or the entire split leaf right onto the abrasion. You will feel relief almost immediately from any burning sensation you may have.

Vinegar is also another great natural treatment. Vinegar is natural astringent which makes it a nice wound cleanser. Mix one tablespoon of vinegar with 3 tablespoons of warm water and dab onto the abrasion several times a day. This will help to keep your abrasion clean and help to speed up your healing process.

These are just a few natural remedies that will help with an abrasion. Vinegar and aloe Vera are two items you should really have in your supplies.  They are easy for just about everyone to obtain and they are inexpensive. Lavender oil may be harder for some people to get, although just about anything can be ordered online today.

 

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5 Comments

  1. Honey. Everyone has honey in their preps (I hope), and it’s very good for wounds, anti-bacterial and seals out germs. Use it on scrapes just like you would any ointment, spreading on a thin layer after cleansing, several times per day. And honey lasts forever.
    Anti-biotics may be impossible to come by at some point, so it’s a good idea to have some in your preps. Your doctor probably won’t give you a prescription unless you are currently in need of them. I understand some people have been stocking ‘fish’ anti-biotics since these are exactly the same as what is manufactured for human use. I’d like to suggest that instead of going to the expense of ordering these online and paying shipping (I think a lot of companies make more profit on shipping than the actual item) check out your local feed store. They sell all sorts of meds for a lot less money. Of course you MUST research and figure out what to buy, that goes without saying, as this is NOT medical advice, simply another thing for people to investigate further. (I buy amoxicillin in a one pound bag of powder for my chickens, this would make a good emergency ant-biotic for people).

    1. @Tammy.

      Also be sure to get pure honey. Not the cheap stuff.

      Medicines for pets are identical, from a medicinal perspective, to those sold for humans. FDA requirement. Might taste different.

      Be well.

      1. Yes, I’ve been buying pure honey from a local fruit stand. It’s made from orange blossoms and has a great flavor.
        About 6 weeks ago a swarm of honeybees came to my place and set up shop in my bathroom wall. At first I was trying to get an apiarist to come and get them, but then realized that by end of summer I should have about 50 pounds of honey in that wall. Only difficulty will be getting the honey out without tearing down too much of my house. The bees are also really good for my garden, pollinating everything and increasing yields.

  2. I’d get some tea tree oil to dillute and use for wound care. It can placed into a carrier oil as it might sting too much if applied directly. It’s one of the most powerful medicinals we still have in the arsenal. Sadly, it’s a plant native to some parts of Australia, so not something we can replace once it’s gone post-collapse.

    Our skin routinely has Strep and Staph bacteria on it. When you get an abrasion, then that gets pushed into the abraded region along with debris from surface contact. It’s difficult to get all of the debris out, and the smallest amount left will then provoke white blood cells to the site.

    Many waves of white blood cells will come to attack the bacteria and debris, and this is what results in them doing their job and then dying. That causes the pus to form.

    You’ve probably seen that with something as simple as a splinter that couldn’t be removed in time or when it wasn’t detected until it got infected. With an abrasion, it might be many times that effect, and tiny bits of debris might have to be pulled out.

    Today under ideal conditions we can treat abrasions as they happen. Under collapse conditions, you might be able to treat that abrasion until you get to safety, set up camp, then in your weariness and by candlelight, try to examine and take care of it. You want to store that tea tree oil in your kit to ensure that you kill the germs.

    Hydrogen peroxide damages cellular tissue with its oxidation (if persistently placed upon the wound site) but cleans in an excellent and painless way if applied right away. Unfortunantly peroxide is unstable by nature (it’s H2O2 and so gives up its extra oxygen easiely), so much of the hydrogen peroxide in a post-collapse world might have lost it’s antiseptic ability.

    Some plastic surgeons use aloe vera because it it excellent in fighting scarring. While most guys are not worried about such things, facial scarring from an abrasion is a real problem from an aesthetics issue, so if that’s the case, you want to be able to help them with aloe vera. Some very potent aloe vera might be sourced post-collapse from health food stores because its sold in bottled form. You might have to use a lot of the actual plant to deal with a large region over time.

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