Honey, potatoes, pepper and apples mixed with olive oil were used in the dressing and healing of wounds. Tea was used to check bleeding of wounds, as were nettles. Cloves and cinnamon were also recommended to help in the healing process of wounds. Lavender was used to clean wounds, and borage tea was used to speed the healing process. Witch hazel was a popular cure.
Vinegar was an old remedy for wounds. In the nursery rhyme 'Jack and Jill', Jack has his head dressed with vinegar and brown paper when he 'breaks his crown'.
Poultices made from cabbage and from carrots were also used as folk remedies for wounds. The leaves of balm were also used in poultices. An ointment or lotion made from elderflowers was used to sooth inflammation and speed the healing process, as were meadowsweet and flax. Eucalyptus was used in a compress to stop bleeding and accelerate healing.
Later, iodine was used on wounds, especially in wounds that had stopped bleeding.
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