5 May 2021

When it comes to external treatments you can't beat a poultice for speed and ease of production

A poultice, also known as a cataplasm, is a method for applying fresh or dried herbs directly to the skin in the form of a moist and warm paste or slurry. This consistency is usually achieved by adding water or oil to the mixture.

Method

Preparation of a poultice is a very straightforward process. The amount of herb you use will depend on the size of the poultice you’re looking to create – but in most cases two or three fistfuls will get the job done. If you’re dealing with a herb which is not resinous or fatty in nature such as mint or lemon verbena you will want to use water as your mixing agent. For resinous and fatty plants such as rosemary and turmeric you’ll want to use something oil-based like olive oil because this allows their medicinal components to dissolve.

Once you’ve established how much you want to make and what kind of liquid would best release the contents of the herb you’re ready to begin.

  1. Place your fresh or dried herbs in a grinder or mortar.
  2. For every handful of herbs add around 10 mL of warm water or oil if using fresh herbs, 20 mL if using dried herbs.
  3. Proceed to grind the herbs and fluid together until reduced to a rough paste.
  4. If needed this paste can be heated a bit before use.
  5. Apply the poultice to the affected area and wrap in an appropriate dressing to maintain skin contact.
  6. Alternatively you can place the poultice in something like a sock and use it as a compress.

Examples

Basically any herb which acts on local tissue can be used in a poultice – read up a bit on your favourite herbs and you’ll see that most of them have some or other use, in the meantime here are a few examples:

USNEA (WHOLE LICHEN) – Stops bleeding and fights infections.

BLEEDING HEART (ROOTS & LEAVES) – Helps reduce pain. Use for sprains and bruises.

OREGON GRAPE (LEAVES & ROOTS) – Staph infections.

YARROW (LEAVES & FLOWERS) – Haemostatic, helps stop bleeding, reduces muscle and joint inflammation.

COMFREY (STEMS, LEAVES & ROOTS) – Pain relief, anti-inflammatory, reduces swelling and bruising.

CHICKWEED (WHOLE PLANT) – Itching relief.

ALOE (LEAVES) – Anti-inflammatory, use on burns or stings.

TURMERIC (ROOTS) – Anti-inflammatory, use on cuts and burns.