Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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After cutting myself on a piece of dried sweet potato last week and having a juvenile ground squirrel latch on to my leg yesterday, I'm finally willing to accept that I am extremely injury-prone. The time has come for we as a community to develop a non-toxic but highly effective antibiotic ointment.

So far, the only idea I have is some combination of honey and coconut oil, both of which are supposedly antimicrobial in nature.

Anyone have any other ideas for what ingredients would be effective? I can try the various iterations on the numerous cuts I will undoubtedly get from sharpened food and confused woodland creatures.

flag	asked Sep 17 2011 at 19:20 Travis Culp♦ 39.8k●1●32●134

If anyone else but you had asked this question, I would have deleted immediately.... – Patrik♦ Sep 17 2011 at 19:26

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Please don't let this thread turn into mumbo-jumbo-hand-waving-total-BS.... – Patrik♦ Sep 17 2011 at 19:35

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I suspect that there we can create something that is more effective than the copious amounts of Neosporin I am using. This isn't reenactment, this is progress. – Travis Culp♦ Sep 17 2011 at 19:38

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You should have seen me trying to keep the dog away from the squirrel and the squirrel away from my, uh, bits and pieces. – Travis Culp♦ Sep 17 2011 at 19:48

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@Dragonfly -- well aware of abuse of anti-biotics - thanks! – Patrik♦ Sep 17 2011 at 20:58

show 4 more comments

Nemesis · Answer 1 · 2011-09-17 19:33:11Z UTC

Aloe vera: Aloe reduces inflammation and feels soothing, plus it’s antibacterial. It contains allantoin, a substance that stimulates cellular proliferation; studies have shown it to hasten wound healing.

Plantains: This weed contains antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory substances and the tissue-knitting substance allantoin. Tear a leaf and you’ll see it’s also mucilaginous, or gooey. You can mash a few leaves into a poultice and apply to a wound.

On how to make homemade herbal ointments (I'd think you could sub out paraffin wax with coconut oil): http://www.savvyhomemade.com/homemade-ointments.html

And another site for ointments: http://www.suite101.com/content/making-herbal-ointments-at-home-a165676

none · Answer 2 · 2011-09-17 19:49:41Z UTC

I know you already said honey - but that can get spendy if you are accident prone. I have read all sorts of good things about using good ol' fashioned sucrose to pack wounds for scarless healing. Yup, white table sugar. Maybe this is another reason it keeps popping up as an ingredient in homemade facials too.

We heard from other nurses and even a vet who have not forgotten this old-fashioned treatment. One wrote: “As a nursing student in 1961, I worked at a small hospital that routinely used a mixture of milk of magnesia and sugar to cure bedsores. It seemed to be successful in many cases.” Another objected to our terminology: “Using sugar for bedsores is not a wives’ tale. I have been a registered nurse for 45 years. When I was a student, it was very common practice to use sugar packs.” The veterinarian said: “Many wounds have been shown to heal 3 times faster with the use of sugar granules on a saline wet-to-dry bandage. The sugar helps to pull the bacteria from the wound and the saline feeds the tissue to promote rapid healing of therapid healing of the skin beneath

The Quilt · Answer 3 · 2011-09-17 20:57:45Z UTC

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Saliva is a great paleosporin.

answered Sep 17 2011 at 20:57

The Quilt
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I use it.....Dogs and most animal do too. The more paleo you eat the more antibacterial, anti fungal and antiviral your saliva becomes. – The Quilt Sep 17 2011 at 21:06

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You know, I bet the best thing is not to kill all the bacteria, but to make sure that the ones like MRSA can't outcompete the rest of them. – Travis Culp♦ Sep 17 2011 at 21:17

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Be sure to use your own saliva. Other people's saliva is highly infectious, because their mouth flora is different from yours. For example, if someone gets in a fistfight and cuts their hand on someone else's teeth, they are likely to get a severe hand infection. – Ed♦ Sep 17 2011 at 21:36

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I love it. Spit FTW! – Dragonfly Sep 18 2011 at 0:25

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"The more paleo you eat the more antibacterial, anti fungal and antiviral your saliva becomes." - That's interesting, could you go into more detail? What causes this? – Dean Sep 18 2011 at 13:15

Sara · Answer 4 · 2011-09-18 04:50:19Z UTC

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I was told once that breast milk has antibiotic properties.

answered Sep 18 2011 at 4:50

Sara
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Breast milk is a common home remedy for conjunctivitis-- archive.blisstree.com/live/… – Ed♦ Sep 18 2011 at 14:37

Breastmilk has antibacterial properties, but I don't know if these are retained after refrigeration or freezing. Sorry to quote wiki, but it does support the anecdotal stories I have heard from nursing moms. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_milk Breast milk has been used as a home remedy for minor ailments, such as conjunctivitis, insect bites and stings, contact dermatitis, and infected wounds, burns, and abrasions. – Dragonfly Sep 18 2011 at 18:58

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Great, now if only we all had access to willing breasts full of milk. – DanielleO812 Apr 30 2012 at 13:03

Albert · Answer 5 · 2011-09-17 20:12:12Z UTC

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Tea tree oil may be of some benefit in certain cases.

Sorry to laugh, but that story was hilarious!

Be careful!

answered Sep 17 2011 at 20:12

Albert
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tea tree oil is good – Lisa Sep 18 2011 at 16:37

Ambimorph · Answer 6 · 2011-09-17 22:39:09Z UTC

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What about topical iodine? Unlike antibiotics, it doesn't promote resistance. I don't know anything about sourcing it, though.

answered Sep 17 2011 at 22:39

Ambimorph
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	I'm pretty sure you can purchase it at any larger pharmacy... – Moonablaze Sep 20 2011 at 5:16
	CVS carries it, so probably just about any drug store would have it. – Tikivana Sep 20 2011 at 5:22
	Oh, of course, I meant Paleo-sourcing it. Like if you were trying to make it on your own, I don't know where it comes from, or how difficult it is to refine. – Ambimorph Sep 20 2011 at 17:47

wheelhouse · Answer 7 · 2011-09-19 17:59:07Z UTC

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just rub some dirt on it and walk it off, you'll be fine, it builds character

answered Sep 19 2011 at 17:59

wheelhouse
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henny · Answer 8 · 2011-09-17 20:55:09Z UTC

My mother was famous for her poultices made of flax seed and god-knows-what. Once when I stepped on a nail she slapped one on my foot to draw the germy rust out of the puncture.

Whenever we got a chest cold she would mix dry mustard with flour and water and apply it to a piece of flannel cloth, which she folded up and strapped onto our chest. This concoction created heat alright, and likely loosened up the phlegm, but I am pretty sure we just got well again in self defense!

When my younger son got a case of whooping cough despite having had a shot, I made a garlic poultice for his feet (held on with a pair of wool socks). In the morning he had bad breath and no cough.

Erasmus · Answer 9 · 2011-09-17 21:06:05Z UTC

What is missing a bacteriostat. Natural options are silver or alum(the deodorant rock). With silver at $40 I would pick the alum. Note that it is an astringent. Too much would be a problem in an open wound. At first guess I would go with 95% coconut oil and 5%finely ground alum.

The Loon · Answer 10 · 2011-09-18 03:15:56Z UTC

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Holy basil. It works for so many things, so is nice to have around.

answered Sep 18 2011 at 3:15

The Loon
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I have taken it internally w/ great success for treating bursitis. Do you know if it is as equally effective used topically? – Scrubjay Sep 18 2011 at 3:20

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I haven't tried it topically, I just chew the fresh leaves. I'll try it next time I cut myself and let you know. – The Loon Sep 18 2011 at 14:57

No more. · Answer 11 · 2011-09-18 16:45:29Z UTC

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grapefruit seed extract will do the trick.

answered Sep 18 2011 at 16:45

No more.
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barefeet · Answer 12 · 2011-09-19 12:01:58Z UTC

I've seen urine recommended as a remedy. I read an article about life on an Alaskan fishing boat that described fishermen peeing on their scrapes and cuts to hasten healing. Google doesn't turn up anything definitive and wisegeek.com has a summary of the various views - http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-they-say-that-you-should-pee-on-wounds.htm . A survival guide somewhere on the Web also says to urinate on a wound if water is not available to clean it - http://www.aircav.com/survival/asch04/asch04p05.html

I hope a paleohacker out there is brave enough to try it and report back.

Tikivana · Answer 13 · 2011-09-20 05:26:18Z UTC

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How about raw honey? http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/565016

answered Sep 20 2011 at 5:26

Tikivana
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Kitzu · Answer 14 · 2012-04-30 05:09:00Z UTC

Hydrogen peroxide for minor injuries w slight infection.

Two produces I love instead or neosporin for minor wounds: Ed's herbal salve from Herb Pharm in Williams, OR. Baby Balm from Mountain Rose Herb in Eugene, OR.

Recently my mom was advised by her MD to NOT use neosporin on wounds, but an ointment like Aquarphor to keep it moist and speed healing. I believe either ointment above is better than petroleum based products, and the botanical agents prevent infection and promote healing.

I Think We Need to Develop “Paleosporin”

14 Answers