Wound care

[chrisreltom]

Is there plants in the Texas hillcountry to treat wounds, either bleeding, infection or pain?

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[jeffro]

How about woods and succulents for burns,cuts and scratches. The old folks couldn't have been wrong all these years.

[BigJesse]

Great question.
Any astringent will work including anything with tannins. Inner bark of oaks. Inner bark, leaves and green shells of pecans. Flowers and leaves of Shepard's Purse (poor man's pepper grass). Blackberry (dewberry too) leaves and root.
Easiest way to process these things is to chew them up and make a mash of sorts then apply it to the cut. Dont swallow the juices.
With all that said it ain't easy taking a mouthful of any of these things, especially pecan.

Those are all chemical solutions but there are also topical ones like Jeffro was saying. Succulents, including prickly pear, have a thick jelly that can act like a salve. But also things like cattail, mullein, milkweed pods can be packed into the wound to control bleeding, although theres a chance of infection at that point.

[BigJesse]

As for pain Black Willow has salicylic acid, a precursor to aspirin and is rather effective for pain and fungal infection.
Anything to change the PH of the wound will help in with preventing infection.

[YoungBlacksmith]

Interesting about the blackberry/dew berry leaves and roots. I can always find those around here, even now in the dead of winter. Certainly something to look at this spring.

[Los Falcon]

Just a few additions from the ER to the Trails...
The inner pith of willow bark has an aspirin compound that is effective as a tea.

The inner membrane of many cacti and other succulents are excellent on burns and light skin wounds.

Honey has prolific antibiotic properties and I always have some with me in any of my historical or modern kit.

I always have a bandana or something similar to make a sling, pressure bandage, and other injury coverings. practice with your bandana in folding and making practical first aid equipment without having to pack the entire medicine cabinet.

Unless you have a complete or partial loss of a limb or a severe vessel bleed a tourniquet is not good for anything else.

Hunters, pack a couple of your wife's tampons in your kit for an entrance/exit wound, or any other severe puncture wound.

One word of modern effort: It was only 150 years ago that physicians learned about the importance of handwashing (can you imagine your doctor coming to perform your appendectomy with no gloves and just eaten a big lunch? The stuff under his fingernails would frighten even Satan!). Pack some soap (liquid, bar, etc.) that is environmental friendly and a small cloth for personal hygiene. You'll appreciate your time and health in/out of the bush!

Be well and Go well...