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What are BURNS AND SCALDS |Healing Oils for BURNS AND SCALDS | Herbal remedy for Burns and Scalds | Burns and Scalds | Treatment for Burns and Scalds

Burn and scalds can be divided roughly into two categories. Those that are minimal are know as first degree burns, meaning that although the flesh has come into contact with either dry heat or, in the case of a scald, moist heat, the damage is fairly superficial although painful, and adequate first aid can be rendered at home.

The second category is that of second and third degree burns in which a greater proportion of the body has been burned or a burn is deep enough to cause a wound.

The worst burns that most of us have to contend with are minor but nevertheless can become quite unpleasant unless correctly treated. Put the injured area into tepid water for a good few minutes to reduce the heat and relieve the pain. A few drops (up to 10) of tincture of Hypericum (At John’s wort) in a tumbler or warm water can be used to gently swab the burn. If the victim, particularly a child, is very upset camomile tea sweetened with a little honey will calm them and reduce the effects of shock and fright.

If the skin is broken the wound should be covered with a light, dry sterile dressing. Do not be tempted to prick blisters for to do so may cause infection. At a later stage, when it is quite clear that the skin is not broken, a gentle unguent may be smoothed on to relieve pain and irritation and to facilitate healing.

If the area of burn is more than 9 percent of the body surface or the damage is obviously sever call for professional help immediately. Meanwhile follow these straightforward first aid procedures.

Immerse the area in cool or tepid water for at least 10 minutes. If the burning agent is corrosive (an acid) hold the burn under gently running water. If the burn is extensive wring out sheets in cool water and use them to cover the injured parts.

If the burning agent is a corrosive liquid, boiling oil or jam or a boiling, viscous liquid, cut away as much of the clothing as is possible but do not touch by material adhering to the burned areas – leaves that to the experts.

Cover exposed areas with a light, dry sterile dressing. Do not under nay circumstances dab with oil powder.

Wrap the victim in a blanket. Keep them warm and try to get them to drink a little warm water to which a pinch of salt has been added as this will minimize the effects of shocks.

If the patient is in a state of shock refer to the section on shock for further first aid.

Keep calm and continue to reassure the patient until help arrives. Comfort and warmth are essential especially if the patient is a child.
                                                                       
Burns account for most household accidents and therefore equally numerous household remedies have come about which range from an ointment of sheep’s suet and elder bark (elder was a very powerful ‘fire’ herb) to fish oil, sliced mushrooms and a nauseating nautical remedy of tar and mutton tallow.

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

For burns caused by acid the old-fashioned remedy was a paste of bicarbonate of soda. For those kitchen minions who burned themselves cleaning the ovens or making soap with the highly corrosive caustic soda there was the neutralizer of diluted vinegar followed by a covering of egg white.

Scalds suffered in the kitchen were immediately covered with a dressing of boric acid powder and cotton wool. Burns caused by contact with lime were washed with vinegar and water then dressed with a poultice of chalk mixed to a paste with linseed oil, ingredients which would have been easily to hand in the workplace where a man might burn himself with lime.

Linseed and lime water was another old-fashioned treatment from the same source. Peat soot and powdered charcoal are other country remedies which presumably found their way from the place of work, whilst some gardeners seem to have favoured a peach leaf applied smooth side down to heal the wound.

Nasty burns seem to have been treated with a variety of vegetables, the most popular being poultices of raw grated carrot or potato or the leaves of cabbage cooked in milk. From the leaves of plantain in the South American jungles to garden cabbage in rural England the principles of folk medicine do not vary much.

Healing Poultices for BURNS AND SCALDS

• Slippery elm: Mix the powdered bark with water and apply as a paste after soaking the burn in tepid water.

• Yoghurt: This can be used to heal and cool.

• Elderberries: A poultice of crushed elderberries is a vey old-fashioned poultice. Even today the juice of elderberries is still used in parts of Europe to heal burns.

• Dock leaves, elder leaves or comfrey: Mashed in butter, any one of these soothing herbs was used as a salve to heal bites, burns and rashes. The following remedy is more foolproof.

Comfrey and honey poultice

½ cup wheatgerm oil

½ cup clear honey

Comfrey leaves

Whizz the honey and oil together in a blender until emulsified them add enough comfrey leaves to make a thick paste. Blend until smooth. Pot and store in the refrigerator.

• Honey: This great healer can be used alone or pounded with marigold flowers to give a buttery golden salve.

Healing Oils and Infusions for BURNS AND SCALDS

• Vitamin E oil: Available in either bottle or capsule from, this oil should be soothed on to burned areas. I have heard of several instances where people who have been most several instances where people who have been most severely burned have used vitamin E oil directly on the damaged skin and taken large dosed of vitamin E in conjunction with garlic perles to bring about such remarkable results that plastic surgery was no longer necessary, but I must stress that this was done under professional supervision. However, the results of using quite small quantities of vitamin E oil on burns and wounds are very heartening.

• Olive oil, sunflower oil, pumpkin seed oil or wheatgerm oil: All of these will bring relief to a painful burn or scald and will improve the chances of healing without blister or scar.

• Essential oils of lavender or peppermint: A few drops of either in a little vegetable oil will reduce the sting.

• Liquid paraffin or white petroleum jelly (vasline): These will also ease the sting of a burn, keep out infection and reduce the risk of the skin cracking.

• Marigold(calendula): This cheerful golden pot herb which was one of the most widely used in popular cottage medicine has the leas cooling look about it, yet the flowers pounded with olive or wheatgerm oil make an agreeably soothing and healing unguent for minor burns. A less sophisticated approach was to bind the injured part with the flower heads. Elderflowers were often used in the same way.

• Garlic oil: Use this oil or garlic mashed well in one of the oils mentioned above to soothe and heal.

• Comfrey ointment or oil: This is a sensible standby for emergencies.

• St John’s wort (hypercium): This ancient herb was believed to repel demons. An infusion applied externally heals scalds, blisters and burns whilst either the ointment or the oil, both of which can be easily bought, are very healing salves; St john’s balm (or red oil) features frequently in old herbals with instructions for dressing wounds.

Cram 25g(8 oz) of fresh flowers into w wide-necked jar and fill up with 500ml(18fl oz) of virgin olive oil. Cover with fine muslin tied down with string and leave on a sunny window sill to macerate for eight weeks, shaking frequently. Strain through fine muslin. The juice from the bruised or soaked flowers turns red upon exposure to the air and this ‘red oil’ was used to clean and dress wounds, but I believe that it would be preferable to use it purely to soothe.

• Houseleek: Jove’s beard or Jupiter’s view, was believed to give protection to the home against fore and lightning. Should you be remiss enough to ban it from your roof and wall (where it likes to grow) it extends secondary relief to injuries caused by your improvidence. Use it as an infusion or warm poultice to take the heat out of burns. The juice extracted from the fresh leaves and mixed in equal quantities with either white petroleum jelly (vaseline) or pure pork fat makes a soothing liniment for burns.

• Cold Indian tea: This will bring instant relief when dabbed on burns and sunburn.

• Infusion of elderflowers or camomile: Drink, they will tranquillize. Applied on a soothing swab they will ease the sting of burns and sunburn.