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Herbal Treatments And Herbal First Aid
If you are one of the thousands of people who are discovering the time-honored tradition of using nature's bounty to treat wounds and illnesses using herbal treatments, congratulations. Many modern medicines are based on chemical extractions taken from plants, which have been used for thousands of years.
This newsletter is meant to enlighten and inspire you to take a closer look into a more natural approach to first-aid. Before putting it into practice, it would be wise to take some classes or receive instruction from your local naturopathic doctor. Also, take some classes on first-aid and first-response through your local college or community center.
Then, with the use of books and guides, as well as an herbal first-aid kit you carry around with you, you can put the theory into practice and assist your community by offering first-aid and first-response. Your skills will become invaluable.
Learning the Basics
The act of performing first-aid to a patient after an accident or other serious injury is serious and should be approached as such. A person administering first-aid should know and improve on their capabilites continually. Herbal practitioners have been treating people successfully for many thousands of years. In many parts of the world, it is not just common practice, it is considered safer than many other forms of treatments.
Always ask for assistance from more knowledgable practitioners and strive to learn the intricacies of herbal first-aid, whenever possible. As with formal first-aid and first-response, always get the consent of the patient or family liaison before performing any type of rescue care. It's important to learn to minimize harm as much as possible while assisting the patient.
Since emergency situations have a habit of occurring when least expected and at inopportune moments, providing first-aid is thrust upon people when they least expect it. It's best to be prepared in advance and seek opportunities to practice the care whenever possible.
Be Practical and Safe
~ Always carry a regular and an herbal first-aid kit.(See herbal lists at the bottom of this newsletter.) Be prepared to provide care at any time.
~ Calmly assess the situation, the trauma and injuries. Decide if you need to send for help first or send someone. Is there someone who you can send for help and someone who is competent enough to help you?
~ Unless an immediate threat of injury such as falling debris can occur, never move the injured. This can cause more damage and possibly lead to a more severe situation. Spine, neck, and head injuries are especially prone to worsen and even cause death, if the person is moved.
~ Whenever working with an injured person, the first priority is to wear surgical gloves. Blood, pus, and bodily fluids can carry diseases and skin-to-skin contact can cross-contaminate. In other words, their bodily fluids can get on you and the germs on your skin can get on them, resulting in illness either way. ALWAYS WEAR SURGICAL GLOVES.
~ After trying a remedy and finding that it has the desired effect, then increase dosage. As with regular medications, herbal preparations do not always work the same for everyone. Before administering anything, find out if the person has any allergies or is taking any medications prior to care. This is especially true of tinctures or other remedies containing alcohol. Strong reactions to herbal remedies, especially pain relievers, is common, administer one drop at first and check for reactions.
~ Learn first aid wound dressing and wrapping techniques. Be sure to update this skill every year as techniques can change, as new methods are taught in first-aid classes.
~ When administering herbal preparations, be sure to keep in mind their specific uses and the categories they are listed under. Always use the mildest form possible, stronger remedies and herbs should only be used by professional herbalists.
Pain Remedy Tips
There are many different categories of pain remedies. In addition, there are many different approaches to these remedies. Further, from patient to patient, the tolerance level of these pain remedies differs. Each remedy for pain also focuses on a different area of pain or a different type of pain. Administering these pain remedies is tricky. That is why it is essential to learn and master the subtle differences with each remedy. Finding an instructor or guide in naturopathic medicine is essential to becoming effective.
Pain remedies come in several categories, that is where it is good to start. Pain remedy categories include anti-spasmodics, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, and those which relieve pain without altering consciousness or cognition. The more educated one is about the different applications and what influence and side effects they may have, the better one will be equipped to administer the proper treatment.
It is also important to note that people have many different reactions to the same treatment. For example, valerian root is a muscle relaxant to most people, while 1 in 20 may have the opposite effect as an excitant. The dosage also plays an important role. This is why it is important to administer a single drop and wait for a reaction before administering a second drop. Just a few drops of a single tincture may have strong effects to one individual and barely noticeable ones on someone else. A single dose can have the effect of minimizing or worsening the pain. Just like prescription medications.
We have included a list of common herbal preparations and an herbal list at the bottom of this newsletter.
Treating Wounds
Before treating anyone, sanitize your hands and put on latex, nylon, or nitrile gloves.
1 - Determine the seriousness and depth of the wound.
2 – Stop bleeding, using hemostatics and pressure above the wound.
3 – Clean thoroughly and check for any foreign objects or anything that could cause infection. Any objects or pieces of objects that actually enter into the individual must be left in place and be removed by a surgeon.
4 – Use pain relieving preparations and herbs.
5 – Clean with herbal astringents.
6 - Apply anti-infectives and herbal antibiotics.
7 - It may be necessary to administer anti-inflammatories to the wound or patient. Make sure these do not counteract with the pain remedies or herbal antibiotics.
8 – Dress the wound, then using clean gauze, wrap it loosely.
9 – Check and dress the wound regularly and redress as needed, at least 3 times per day.
10 – If wound becomes infected, clean thoroughly and check for any foreign objects. It may be wise to have it looked at by a medical doctor.
11 – Always treat wounds promptly to reduce risk of infection and scarring.
Other Notes
~ Tinctures which contain alcohol work great as antiseptics; however, they damage tissue and increase healing time.
~ Comfrey should not be applied directly to a wound, especially deep wounds or those which are likely to become infected. Comfrey may promote skin growth, but the skin growth can trap infections and objects below the surface.
~ Learn bandage techniques before hand. Taking a first aid course given by the local college or community center can be of great benefit.
~ Serious infections are spread by blood and body fluids. Always wear protective gloves.
~ Salves are great for the outside area of a wound, where the skin is red and swollen, but the puncture site itself needs antiseptics; salves can trap infection.
~ When using salves, tinctures, or any other remedy, be sure to use a clean applicator each time you get product from the container, to avoid contaminating it.
Master Herbal First Aid List
Common Name-Botanical Name List
Essential Oils
Non-Herbal Items Needed for herbal First Aid
Definition of Herbal Categories
Categories of Pain Remedies
Categories for Wound and Injury Remedies