Wounds

A wound is a break in the skin and, often, the soft tissues beneath the skin are also damaged.

There are four types of wounds: incisions, lacerations, abrasions and punctures. An incised wound is clean cut, caused by a sharp-edged instrument like a blade or a knife. A lacerated wound is such in which the skin is irregularly torn. An abrasion is an injury in which the upper layer of the skin is scrapped off, due to violent rubbing with an uneven surface. A punctured wound is caused by a pointed object like a nail or a pin.

Deep wounds, where tissues underlying the skin like muscles, tendons, blood-vessels or nerves are damaged may require skilled attention or surgical intervention. But 'not so serious' wounds can be treated at home. These not only require internal medicines but also external dressings. Calendula officinalis, prepared from the tall, wild marigold, 'the herb of the sun', is the chief homoeopathic medicine for wound-dressing. Calendula is not an antiseptic in a literal sense, but germs do not thrive in its presence. When a fresh wound is dressed using Calendula lotion, germs can be kept away. Even when wounds are already badly infected, we have seen offensive purulent discharges; becoming clean and sweet-smelling in a day or two. However, Calendula' is not the only external wound-remedy. Hypericum and Ledum are also useful in treating wounds, each having its own indications. Hypericum lotion is particularly effective in relieving pain of injured nerves. Ledum lotion is helpful for punctured wounds and sprains, especially if the injured part remains cold and numb. It should, however, be noted that Arnica lotion is an Irritant and should not be applied to broken skin.

A lotion of any homoeopathic remedy can be prepared by putting ten drops of the mother tincture (of the remedy) in one cup of pure (boiled and cooled) water.

We would like to emphasize over here that a dressing once applied should be left undisturbed for days. For a day or two, the dressing may be freshly moistened from the outside with the lotion in use, but on no account should it be moved or removed, even though it may look stained or give off an unpleasant odour. Not only do frequent dressings interfere with healing by causing damage to growing cells and new blood-vessels but they also cause pain and discomfort to the patient and, what is even more serious, predispose to fresh contamination of the wound by air-borne germs. If, after a couple of days of applying the dressing, there are signs of wound-contamination and consequent inflammation (viz. redness, heat, swelling and pain) in the vicinity of the wound, Hepar sulph 30 should be given internally, thrice a day till these signs subside.

The principles of treating any type of wound homoeopathically are the same:

1. Give a dose of Arnica 200, to counteract the shock of trauma,
2. Clean the wound gently yet thoroughly, either with mild soap and water or with the lotion of an appropriate homoeopathic remedy,
3. Dress the wound with a suitable homoeopathic lotion, leaving it undisturbed for a few days and
4. Give an appropriate homoeopathic remedy, to be taken orally, for a few days.

An abrasion should be cleaned with Calendula lotion. An incised or lacerated wound should be cleaned either with Calendula lotion or with Hypericum lotion, if nerves have been injured causing severe pain. A punctured wound should be cleaned with or soaked in Ledum lotion.

After a wound has been cleaned, it requires to be dressed and bandaged, to prevent its contamination with bacteria. A dressing is a sterile gauze-piece, soaked in an appropriate homoeopathic lotion and put directly over the wound. A bandage holds the dressing in place for a few days, till healing has progressed considerably. Most wounds can be dressed using either Calendula or Hypericum lotion. However, Ledum lotion should be used for punctured wounds. As mentioned earlier, the dressing should not be disturbed for a few days. If it feels excessively dry, it can be moistened from time to time by pouring over it, a few drops of the concerned lotion.

For abrasions, Calendula 30 is a good internal remedy. Give it thrice a day for a few days. For incisions or lacerations, again Calendula 30 or (if pain is severe) Hypericum 30 can be given three or four times a day. For very severe pain in an incisional wound, Hypericum can be substituted by Staphisagria 30. For punctured wounds, Ledum 30 is an ideal internal remedy. If the injured part is not numb and cold and if there is severe pain shooting upwards, Ledum can be replaced by Hypericum 30.

As usual, discontinue the medicine as soon as pain has been relieved considerably and healing has advanced satisfactorily.