Antiseptics
Antiseptics are an essential part of every household. You can find this in everyone home in his or her medicine cabinet. It can be very useful in treating insect bites, minor cuts or just cleaning wounds. Instead of opting for a bottle from the market we forget that an effective antiseptic can be easily made from the herbs, which have anti microbial properties and can help in treating minor wounds and cuts.
It has been found out that one of the most effective antiseptic is to dilute Echinacea-goldenseal liquid extract with an equal amount of water. This has anti microbial properties that help to kill the germs and heal the wounds and insect bites faster, without leaving a mark behind.
Another effective antiseptic that can be made at home uses an amalgamation of herbs that are known to have infection fighting herbs in them. These include Echinacea, goldenseal, thyme, lavender and calendula flowers. Put all these ingredients in a blender and then coarsely ground them. The ratio has to be half an ounce of dried thyme and dried Echinacea root along with ¼ ounce of dried calendula flowers and lavender flowers. Place all this in a glass jar and then add around ¼ ounce of goldseal powder.
Then take some vodka and add it over the jar, remember that the vodka should dip the ingredients completely and be around two inches above the ingredients. Then tightly cover the mouth of the jar. Keep it for two weeks in a cool and dry place. Now filter the liquid with the help of a muslin or cheesecloth and take out all the liquid. Then keep it in a dark glass bottle. This is a very effective antiseptic for your everyday use.
You can use some calendula oil or just the juice of the flower to heal the wound. This ingredient is known to have anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties. The oil will help in stopping the bleeding and also promote the growth of the new skin that will replace the wound. You can also use lavender oil as this is also known to have properties that help in healing the abrasions.
Aloe has been known for its skin benefits for quiet some time now. The pure gel of Aloe has been known to be extremely beneficial for the various skin problems. You would be surprised to know that the topical application of the gel has antibacterial properties in it, which helps in healing all kinds of wounds and abrasions.
The wound or the abrasion can also be disinfected by thyme tea or a cup of water that contains around three to four drops of thyme essential oil.
The most important part before using the antiseptic is to clean the wound. This allows the wound to be kept infection free. One of the easiest ways is to clean the abrasion or the wound with a mild soap first to get rid of the dirt and impurities and then clean it with the antiseptic that you have made at home. Cleaning the wound will not only help in removing any chances of infection but also help in recovery as well. Then the wound needs to be dressed with the help of a sterile gauze, cotton and if required a antibiotic cream or a powder.
You have to remember that when you dress a wound. One has to keep in mind that the dressing has to be changed once a day to avoid further infection and have a speedy recovery.
In case of an insect bite or a sting the affected area has to be cleared by some soap and water first before applying antiseptic. It is always advisable to dilute it a little with water before application, as this will not give any reaction to the skin.
