A friend recently asked me how we treated my son’s spider bite a few years ago, and I shared our method, which involved using poultices made from activated charcoal, baking soda, bentonite clay, and plantain in rotation. She responded with, “Sounds good, but what exactly is a poultice? Is the recipe on your blog?” I realized I hadn’t shared this information before, which surprised me because poultices are a traditional remedy that has largely fallen out of use today.
Poultices are one of my favorite ways to apply herbs and other remedies to the skin safely. They offer the benefits of herbal remedies, but are not as intense as essential oils or tinctures. Essentially, a poultice is a paste made from herbs, clays, activated charcoal, salts, or other useful substances. This paste is wrapped in a piece of cloth and applied to the skin. Often, a waterproof layer, like plastic or waterproof fabric, is added, and the poultice is left in place for several hours at a time, changing it several times a day.
You can make poultices with fresh or dried herbs and other beneficial materials. The advantage is that they keep the body in constant contact with all the useful elements of the herb or plant for an extended period. Poultices are often used for treating boils, burns, splinters, infections, and other skin issues. Some types can even be used externally to aid internal problems.
When I spoke with my Amish friend, she mentioned using a poultice for a burn, which led to a conversation about the different poultices she and her family use. She shared some of her favorites, and I wanted to pass them along to you, along with some of my own.
It’s important to remember that natural remedies like these should not replace medical advice or treatment. They are meant to complement medical care or be used in minor cases where professional help isn’t necessary.
As I explained, a poultice uses the entire herb, plant, clay, salt, or other remedy, whereas a compress involves a liquid extract of the herb or remedy. To make a poultice, the herb or remedy is mixed into a thick paste using hot or cold water. Hot water is typically used to try to draw out or eliminate an abscess, while cold water is preferred for reducing inflammation.
Traditionally, you would grind a fresh or dried herb with a mortar and pestle and mix it with water to form your paste. Nowadays, you can use a blender or mini food processor to crush the herb, or use ground dried herbs. I like to pour a small amount of very hot water over fresh or dried herbs to help release their beneficial properties, then let them cool to the right temperature before applying to the skin.
You can apply the thick paste directly on the skin or place it between two layers of clean cloth before applying, depending on the herb. Cheesecloth or thin, organic cotton are ideal choices, as it’s essential to use a cloth that won’t absorb too much liquid and allows the herbs to come into contact with the skin.
When I treated a burn on my wrist with a poultice, I sandwiched the herbs between two layers of cheesecloth and placed it right over the burn. I then wrapped it with plastic wrap to hold it in place. If I had known about reusable waterproof food wrap back then, I would have used that instead, and now I include these wraps in our first aid kit.
For my son’s spider bite, I covered the poultice with waterproof gauze and taped it to the skin since it was on his upper leg and hard to wrap completely. The specifics depend on the remedy used, but the basic method is consistent: create a thick paste, wrap it in cloth, and apply it to the affected area.
I’ve used various poultices over the years, from something as simple as chewing a plantain leaf and applying it to a bee sting to relieve the pain, to a complex eight-herb and clay mixture. These are some of the ways I’ve used poultices, plus a few that my friend shared:
Have you ever tried using a poultice? Would you consider it if the need arose?
