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What are the Different Types of Antiseptic Salve?

Deborah Walker
Deborah Walker

Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic practitioners have used antiseptic salve to treat broken bones, wounds, and ear abscesses for hundreds of years. Herbal salves may include turmeric, lavender, tea tree oil, calendula, aloe, and echinacea among their ingredients. These herbs are said to prevent infection, decrease swelling, inflammation and pain, and speed healing. Before using any antiseptic salve, do a patch test on the skin inside of the elbow to be sure an allergic reaction does not occur. Salve may be purchased at local health food stores, markets, online, or made at home.

Zhen Gu Shui antiseptic salve is used in TCM to speed the healing of fractured bones. Gauze soaked in the salve is placed on the area of the fracture twice a day for 30-120 minutes. The Zhen Gu Shui antiseptic salve contains sheng tian qi, wu ma xun cheng, ji gu xiang, bai zhi, qian jin ba, da li want, bo he nao, and zhange nao.

Turmeric can be used to make an antiseptic salve.
Turmeric can be used to make an antiseptic salve.

Turmeric is a well-known antiseptic in Ayurvedic medicine. To make this antiseptic salve at home, bake a spoonful of turmeric and then add mustard oil when the turmeric comes out of the oven. This paste may be applied to burns or other wounds and covered with a bandage. A liquid salve for ear abscesses uses turmeric and alum. The turmeric is combined with alum and water at 1:20 ratio and left standing overnight. The next day, the preparation may be bottled. After shaking the bottle well, two drops can be applied directly into the ear canal four times a day.

Mustard oil is the second ingredient in the antiseptic turmeric salve.
Mustard oil is the second ingredient in the antiseptic turmeric salve.

Lavender and tea tree oil have both been shown to possess antibacterial and antifungal effects which may help to prevent an infection or fungal overgrowth. The properties in calendula may speed healing of cuts and burns. Aloe contains more than 200 active compounds which have been shown to stimulate cellular regeneration and provide a cooling effect for burns. Echinacea may be added to antiseptic salve to provide an immune-system boost.

Gauze is soaked in zhen gu shui and applied to a fractured area in Traditional Chinese Medicine to improve healing time.
Gauze is soaked in zhen gu shui and applied to a fractured area in Traditional Chinese Medicine to improve healing time.

Before using any antiseptic salve, do a patch test to make sure there are no allergic reactions. The patch test may be done on the inside of the elbow with a small amount of the salve. If after 24 hours there is no skin redness or itchiness, the salve is probably safe to use. It is important for people to avoid the salves that contain ingredients to which they are known to be allergic.

Antiseptic salve may be purchased at local health food stores or online. For homemade salves, one can find a multitude of recipes on the Internet. The ingredients for homemade salve may be found locally in most major cities and may already be in one's spice cabinet.

Discussion Comments

SteamLouis

You know, I usually don't believe in such herbal remedies. I would rather trust modern medicine to fix my health issues. At least I used to think this way. But when I look at my own family- my grandparents and their generation. They didn't like visiting the doctor and would rather follow what they learned from their parents. My grandmother lived past 90 and her mother lived even longer. Whenever I visited her, I would see her collecting herbs from her garden, making teas, applying oils and natural antiseptic creams when she had joint pains or a cut. She was healthy and happy. Maybe the treatments we are looking for are really in nature after all.

burcinc

I knew that tea tree oil has antiseptic properties. A lot of cosmetic brands include it in their face washes and treatments for oily skin. But turmeric came as a surprise for me. Turmeric is pretty famous in Eastern Asia. It's believed to improve skin health and tone. Brides to be have turmeric applied to their face before they get married so that they look bright and healthy. I make a face mask by mixing the turmeric and some water. It burns my face a little bit and I look a little orange afterward but it does help clear out acne infections. Now I know why!

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    • Turmeric can be used to make an antiseptic salve.
      By: Photographee.eu
      Turmeric can be used to make an antiseptic salve.
    • Mustard oil is the second ingredient in the antiseptic turmeric salve.
      By: spline_x
      Mustard oil is the second ingredient in the antiseptic turmeric salve.
    • Gauze is soaked in zhen gu shui and applied to a fractured area in Traditional Chinese Medicine to improve healing time.
      By: picsfive
      Gauze is soaked in zhen gu shui and applied to a fractured area in Traditional Chinese Medicine to improve healing time.