The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition

found that also adding some mucilaginous herb powder, such as slippery

elm bark, to the mixture creates a consistency that will adhere more

effectively. With a non-oil-based poultice, a little oil applied over the area

to be treated will make the poultice feel more comfortable.

When using a poultice on a hole in the body, or on a deep wound, you

will ﬁrst need to clean the area with a solution of essential oil and

water— for example, one drop lavender essential oil and one drop tea tree

essential oil in a cup of water— before applying the poultice. Then you

will need to add some anti-infection herbs to the poultice, such as

turmeric rhizome, myrrh resin, or thyme leaf. There is another rule for

treating a wound: Once the poultice has dried, it may seem that some of it

has disappeared or been absorbed into the body. Don’t clean the

remaining poultice off— add a new poultice over the old one and keep

“

feeding” the area. Once a poultice has dried onto a wound, I consider it a

part of the body, just like a scab— it will come off when it’s time, or it will

grow into and become the ﬂesh itself. There are, however, some types of

poultice, especially drawing ones, that need to be changed frequently

because they will have absorbed toxins that need to be removed from the

body.

Poultices can be used to treat itching skin and other skin irritations

and to draw out the poisons of stings and bites. They can also be used to

heat an area (for example, a mustard plaster) and for glandular infections

or congestion. A poultice can also be applied between two layers of gauze

or light cotton if you don’t want the actual herb to touch the skin for

some reason. As a poultice dries, it becomes taut and draws out impurities.

You can add drawing herbs or even reﬁned clay, which increases this

“

pulling” power. This type of poultice is ideal for tumors and cancers;

herbs like pokeweed root may be used to assist in the treatment of breast

cancer, while the addition of powdered charcoal will help purify the

blood.

Vegetable poultices have also been used widely over the years, made

from potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, garlic, cucumbers, aloe vera, and a

wide variety of greens. Cayenne, ginger, mustard, and horseradish have all

been popular for heating and stimulating poultices. Healing and soothing

poultices made from comfrey leaf, slippery elm bark, marshmallow root,

aloe leaf or gel, calendula ﬂower, lobelia leaves and seed, and mullein

ﬂower have been used extensively. Seed and grain poultices have also been

used over the years with very soothing effects, along with fruit poultices

using bananas, ﬁgs, apples, papayas, and melons. Plantain leaf is a prime

drawing herb used in poultices and is also a blood cleanser. Every kitchen

contains an onion, and this can be heated in the oven and placed over the

affected area for pain relief.

Home Guide to Herbs - davies