Razor nicks and other small cuts happen to all of us, and most people just stick a bit of tissue on the nick and in a few minutes the bleeding stops. Right?
Well, sometimes it doesn’t. That happened to my husband a few months ago. He nicked himself shaving and then spent dinner dabbing at his chin to keep the blood from dripping into his plate. Then he sat in front of the TV holding pressure on the nick. When it still hadn’t stopped after an hour or so, I went on line to find a remedy – and did!
I used the first one I found: Cayenne pepper. Just a teensey pinch of it, applied twice to the nick, and the bleeding stopped within about a minute and a half.
Not everyone has cayenne pepper on the shelf, but I found other remedies that are said to work equally well. Every household is bound to have at least one of these on hand:
Sugar
Nasal spray
eye drops
peroxide
According to what I’ve read, the reason these work is they all act to constrict the blood vessels – shutting off the flow. I find that interesting, because cayenne pepper taken internally is said to promote good circulation.
Not just for razor nicks…
I don’t get many razor nicks, but sure do get “claw nicks” from a cat who insists she needs to be on my lap while I’m at the computer, from playing with the dogs, and from generally being a klutz around sharp sticks, wire, etc.
I got to try a real test of the cayenne pepper when I was playing with one of the dogs and he accidentally tore a little triangular chunk of my skin loose – a little over 1/4 inch long on each side. (Not his fault – mine.)
Because it has so many healing and antibiotic herbs, I first sprayed Schneiders on it. (Sold in feed stores – it’s marketed for horses and other livestock, but great for people, too. Schneiders does contain cayenne.)
Then, because any time I poke a hole in my skin I generally bleed for quite a while, I got out the cayenne pepper and sprinkled it on my arm. The bleeding stopped instantly! Later that evening I did something to tear it loose so I sprinkled a little more… with the same result. Two days later it was healing so fast I felt like I could almost watch the progress.
A warning – it does sting for just a second, so be prepared.
M. G. Cliff is a freelance copywriter with a strong interest in natural health. She enjoys writing for a variety of companies who promote health and well-being through safe, natural products and practices.
Marte’s natural health site, http://www.pharmfreehealth.com, presents natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals, health warnings, news about health-giving foods, and more.Readers are invited to visit the blog at http://www.pharmfreehealth.com/wordpress add their comments, experiences, and natural health advice on the blog posts.
