Cleaning a Wound with Warm Salt Water
A procedure that was passed down to me at a very early age is the use of warm salt water to cleanse a wound. Keep in mind this is not a fresh wound but one that has been allowed to “scab over”. An ice cream pail, handful of salt, some warm water (body temperature) and a clean cloth were my tools. The wound was washed and gently scrubbed with the cloth. Any debris that is stuck to the wound and/or old scabs become soft and are washed away (exfoliated). Slight bleeding is ok, too. The wound is then allowed to dry a bit and depending on the extent of injury one can use a healing oil or an herbal wrap to encourage the healing process.
This procedure is most often done once a day in the beginning and varies with the severity of the injury of course.
I did not know the reasoning behind this treatment until I was in college. At this time I learned that the warm salt-water solution was so effective because it did not cause the epithelial (skin) cells on the surface to explode. The warm solution promoted osmosis and the new cells will continue to grow. Cold water causes the cells to explode and this increases the chances of proud flesh developing. |
|
This section of my website is dedicated to my late Grandfather, his abilities, and his unwavering kindness to man and beast. He is one of the reasons I do what I do. It was and still is my belief that when it came to injuries “my Grampa could fix anything”.
I witnessed his unselfishness many times, when it came to injured animals, especially the horse. Like the time we stopped the old pickup to cut the neighbour’s horse out of the barbwire fence. We could have driven down the road and called the neighbour to come get his own horse, but that was not my Grampa’s way. He was of the old school and used the remedies and healing procedures of that time. I am proud to have known and learned from “My Grampa”.
|
