7 Great Home Remedies for Bruises & Cuts
- Ice & Cold Water Pack. The cold pack is probably the most popular remedy for bruises. Cold pack causes the constriction of the blood vessels and when applied instantly, prevents the further forming of bruises and swelling. Cold pack also helps slow the release of histamine and reduces the chemical reaction brought on by it, but it won’t stop the histamine forever. That’s why the cold pack is good to be complemented with butter.
- Butter. When applied directly over the bruise, butter will soon cause the swelling to subside. Butter is high in phosphate so by applying the butter you sustain the phospholipids (which make up the blood vessel cell walls) and prevent bleeding into the tissue. Margarine is fortified by phosphate, so applying margarine works as well, although butter is better.
- Lavender Essential Oil. Lavender Essential Oil is well-known antiseptic and also gives good relief from pain. You can apply it undiluted on cuts and bruises.
- Arnica. Arnica, native to Europe, has been used for centuries in herbal medicine to treat bruises and sprains. Arnica has a property to shrink an inflammation and to increase circulation thus flushing away the dead blood that turns your skin blue. You can find the extract of arnica as a cream or oil. Arnica should not be applied to open wounds and cuts.
Yarrow. Yarrow is well known weed typically found in every garden. When applied to the wound, it stops bleeding instantly and generally results in rapid healing, no infection, little or no scarring. Pick a leaf or two and bruise them well with the back side of a knife, then attach them to the wound with a bandaid. Alternatively, you can infuse the yarrow flowers in witch hazel and use that for all surface wounds and skin conditions.
- Witch Hazel. Witch hazel astringent extract produced from hamamelis virginiana is another great and well-known remedy that speeds up significantly the healing of cuts and wounds and reduce the swelling in the area.
- Comfrey Leaves. Comfrey contains allantoin, a substance known to aid granulation and cell formation. Comfrey leaves can be ground to form a paste that can be applied at the bruised region of cuts or wounds. Let the leaves mush up in hot water and wrap few handfuls of the hot, softened foliage in a clean cloth. Apply the comfortably hot pad to the affected area and cover with towel to keep the heat in. Caution: before applying comfrey, you need to make sure there is no infection! Also, comfrey is toxic to the liver and should not be taken orally or used on open wounds.
Whichever remedy you choose, the sooner you get it on the bruise, the better!
Diet Which Support Wounds Healing
You won’t find one super food that makes wounds heal faster, however your diet obviously has a big role in the healing process. Eating a variety of wholesome foods full of vitamins and nutrients will definitely speed up the healing process.
Additionally you can introduce lot of leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli and lettuce because they are high in vitamin K which is known for its role in regulation of blood clotting. You can alternatively take Vitamin K or alfalfa in tablet forms.
Turmeric (curcuma) is also well known for its anti-inflammatory properties. To help speed up the healing, mix turmeric powder in a cup of warm milk and drink the mixture every morning best on an empty stomach. Alternatively take turmeric extract in pills.