Bleeding, tips to control in emergency!

Bleeding, tips to control in emergency!

Just recently I had the misfortune of accidentally cutting a deep wound in my hand. It was severe enough that I should have gone into the doctor and I still may. I know from experience that properly taken care of it would require several stitches. It is a clean wound so instead I let it bleed a little, then I worked with what I had on hand, peroxide, gauze and tape. It’s doing well so far and I will be keeping a close eye on it.

What if I had been out on one of my routine hikes in the mountains where I live? I generally do not carry peroxide or gauze (although now I may). This morning I ran across an old article about how to stop bleeding in an emergency posted on APN that I wanted to share. If you take the time to read this and have comments about the methods described and used or if you feel any of what is stated is a bad idea we would like to hear from you. Leave a comment….

From APN:

It’s a pretty straight forward concept, hey look I’m bleeding. Most people take precautions not to bleed in the first place, others have antibiotics and band-aids. Some even go as far as learning how to sew someone up themselves up. But what if you are alone, out in the middle of no where, and you get a cut that could eventually be a problem if not stopped and cleaned up.

Of course clean water is essential no matter what is going on and a great way to keep wounds clean. But let’s go a little further, something besides pressure and clean water.

Cobwebs. If you are somewhere that has a lot of cobwebs, grab as many as possible, wad then up and place on the wound. The works like the powdered bleed stop.

If plantain or yarrow is near, chew it up and place it directly on the wound

Agrimony is also a wonderful plant that helps stop hemorrhaging within a few minutes.

All these can be dried and placed into a first aid kit. And if this is your plan, make sure to pack the cayenne pepper. Not only does it stop bleeding, but it also is an antiseptic. It will burn for only a moment, but it also has a pain reliever in it called capsaicin. Ingesting the pepper will also help slow bleeding in places that you don’t want to get any of these items close to, like your eyes. Cayenne pepper does retard the scabbing process.

~these are temporary remedies and a Doctor should look at your wounds for long term care.