Being outdoors is a great way to get in touch with nature and experience all the beauty of the natural world.
However, it is essential to remember that there are potential risks associated with outdoor activities, including the possibility of injuries.
Whether it is a minor scrape or cut or a more severe wound, it is essential to be prepared to treat any damages that may occur.
For preppers and outdoors enthusiasts, having the right supplies and knowledge to treat wounds is integral to being prepared for any situation.
Treating Injuries
In a post-SHTF world, having the skills and supplies to care for yourself and your loved ones’ medical needs becomes an absolute necessity.
Without access to medical resources, the ability to treat wounds quickly and effectively will mean the difference between life and death.
Basic first-aid knowledge is essential; knowing how to properly clean, dress, and treat injuries can save lives.
A well-stocked first-aid kit should be part of every prepper’s survival strategy. To prepare for worst-case scenarios, you should consider stockpiling a variety of medical supplies that can handle everything from minor cuts to serious injuries.
Learn more here about the 10 medical supplies you need to stockpile before it’s too late. With the right supplies and knowledge, preppers can ensure that their wounds are treated quickly and effectively and that they can stay healthy and safe in a post-SHTF world.
Sugar As A Wound Dressing
Sugar is known to have wound-healing properties, with scientific papers from as early as the 1800s confirming this fact.
Sugar has a chemical structure that draws out moisture, which helps reduce bacterial populations and inhibit bacterial growth.
As a result, sugar has an anti-microbial effect, which reduces the ability of bacteria to reproduce, thus preventing the spread of infection, making it an ideal choice for preventing disease and promoting wound healing in a post-SHTF world.
Sugar is an excellent wound-healing substance for preppers and outdoors enthusiasts. It is readily available, lightweight, and easy to transport.
In addition, it has a long shelf life and will remain effective as long as it is kept dry.
What Form Of Sugar To Use
Sugar can be used in dry granulated form or mixed with water and other substances to make pastes and salves.
Related: How To Make A Black Drawing Salve For When SHTF
Granulated sugar is the most commonly used for wound care, as it is easy to find and apply. Castor sugar is a little finer than granulated sugar and may be helpful for wounds on sensitive areas.
Icing sugar can also be used, but because it is much finer, it may not be as effective for more extensive or deeper wounds. Whichever type of sugar you use, gently apply it to the damage and cover it with a clean bandage or dressing.
To use it for wound healing, mix one teaspoon of sugar with a small amount of water to create a paste. This paste can be applied directly to a wound and left on for at least 15 minutes.
The sugar draws the fluid from the injury, promotes healing, and reduces the risk of infection. Sugar can also help to stop bleeding and reduce swelling.
Burns
Burns can be dangerous and painful, so treating them quickly and effectively is essential. One natural remedy that can be used to treat burns is sugar.
When sugar is applied to a burn wound, it helps to draw out the heat, reduce inflammation, reduce the pain and prevent infection.
Additionally, sugar can create a paste that can be applied directly to the wound to help speed up the healing process.
Abrasions
Sugar is an effective first-aid treatment for abrasions. When applied directly to the wound, sugar helps to draw out moisture from the injury and reduce swelling.
Additionally, sugar helps to create an environment that is hostile to bacteria, reducing the risk of infection. To use sugar to treat abrasions:
- Clean the wound and cover it with a thin layer of sugar.
- Leave the sugar until a scab forms, and then rinse the wound with clean water.
- Reapply the sugar as needed until the wound has healed completely.
Cuts & Scrapes
Sugar is an often overlooked but valuable tool for treating minor cuts and scrapes. Pack the wound with sugar for best results, and then bandage it.
This method is an effective and low-cost way to treat injuries, making it an ideal choice for preppers and outdoors enthusiasts.
Bacterial Infections
Sugar has long been used as a natural remedy for bacterial infections such as cellulitis, impetigo, and burns. When applied to a wound, sugar draws out moisture and reduces the chance of infection.
Related: My Grandmother’s Favorite Poultice To Treat Infections
It also helps to create an environment that is hostile to bacterial growth and can even kill bacteria. To use sugar to treat bacterial infections, apply a generous amount of sugar to the affected area and cover it with a bandage.
Change the dressing daily and reapply the sugar until the infection has cleared.
Basic Wound Care And Sugar Use Principles
When dealing with a wound, it is crucial to follow the basic principles of cleaning, dressing, and caring for the injury.
First and foremost, the wound should be cleaned with clean water or a mild antiseptic solution. After cleaning, dry the wound and then apply a sterile dressing.
Drawing Out Infection
In some cases, sugar can help draw out infection and promote healing. Cover the wound in sugar to draw out the infection, and apply a moist dressing. Change the dressing every 24 hours and regularly inspect the site for signs of infection.
The wound should not be closed entirely and should be exposed to fresh air, allowing the wound to heal faster and further reducing the risk of infection.
If the wound does not appear healing or signs of infection are present, it is essential to seek medical attention.
When To Seek Out Expert Medical Advice
Below are some signs signifying trouble and that you should make it a priority to look for medical experts.
- If the wound is oozing yellow, green, or foul-smelling fluid, it could indicate the presence of an infection that is not affected by the sugar.
- If the wound is hot to the touch, it may also be infected.
- If the wound is not healing correctly.
- If the wound looks worse and you suspect that the sugar may be the cause, stop using it.
- If the person has a fever or is feeling weak or unwell.
- If these signs are present, it is best to seek medical attention.
The above mentioned measures should be viewed as emergency guidelines or temporary solutions, and I would strongly recommend seeking expert medical advice if such advice is available.
If in doubt, maybe stop using sugar for a while to see if sugar is causing or worsening the problem.
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Humm, Did not see this one coming, “sugar”, I can see it. I use it on my bacon that I cure and It does draw out the liquid. But for wound care, that is pretty cool.
Just wondering about processed sugar, it does go thru some kind of process to make it white in color, yes.?
I use a none processed cane sugar, Brown in color, a bit. Use the same as processed white sugar as far as amount goes. Stopped using white sugar long time ago.
Will keep this one on hand next time a wound comes about.
Thank you…
stay sharp
Makes me wonder about the ‘raw’ turbinado sugar or using brown sugar, or even maybe molasses. Maple syrup or even corn syrup? I know honey works for wound control but hadn’t really considered other sweeteners.
My dog had a wound on her leg that wasn’t healing. The vet packed it with white sugar, covered it and put an E collar on her. It healed within a week
it might shock you but the white sugar is extracted in huge turbines from the brown cane sugar and then they simply use bleach to make it white, now that is shocking enough for some but then you got to know if you then go to a shop and buy the brown sugars its the white sugar where they simply add some of the brown leftover pulp from the cane sugar back into to color it brown again! This is well documented fact I got years ago from a visual clip on YT btw.
This makes me wonder its maybe best to cut and open the sugar canes and make patches out to naturally cover up wounds and regularly replacing them?!
Use organic raw sugar.
Where do you get non processed cane sugar?
Health food stores usually have it, or grocery stores that carry organic foods.
For burns, the best treatment is ice water.
For example a burn on a finger:
Soak the finger in ice water until when you remove
your finger the burn no longer hurts… that
could take 2 hours, but it prevents injury to
tissue surrounding the burn which happens
if not immersed in ice water.
When I don’t have the 2 hours, I soak for
as much time I have then I put a cold
wet bandage on and that stops the burn as well.
A tomato works much more quickly and effectively. Learned that from my favorite chef. 👍
any medic here on the continent of Europe will always tell you not to use cold or hot water but just body temperatuur Luke warm water, hence I can believe a nice tomato being a great thing to use.
You can use honey in the same way for wound care and it also has anti fungal properties
You answered my thought, honey.
Research “sugardine”. White sugar mixed with Iodine into a paste/peanut butter like consistency for wounds.
Ingredients for sugardine:
* Table Sugar
* 10% povidone iodine (or the more expensive betadine)
Procedure:
– Mix one part 10% povidone iodine to two parts white sugar.
– Adding more or less sugar makes it the consistency of thick honey or peanut butter.
– Put the sugardine in a container with a tight fitting lid. The mixture will need stirring now and then but it will never go bad.
– It is my understanding that with a large open wound you pack it with sugardine and then bandage it.
Honey works better in my experience. There are several types of dressings based on honey used in wound care clinics.
Home cured bacon will draw infection every time. Factory bacon won’t work. Fact from an old butcher, sausage maker, me.
Why not just step out to the yard and pick some plantain, yarrow, or wild garlic to treat your wound? Many other weeds have medicinal uses.
My plaintain is buried under 3 feet of snow right now…
Plain Greek yogurt on burns is amazing.
Takes away burning and stops blistering. Just apply a generous amount for a day or two. My daughter burned her finger and hand badly, put it on and by the next day it was almost gone, no pain, no blisters. (She picked up a hot cast iron pan with a handle).
Interesting post, and something I hadn’t thought of using for wounds.
Kudos to the mention of sugardine. It looks promising too.
all positive comments for a change,, that’s nice to see,, good ideas ,, just remember,, this was stated as when SHTF,, and there is winter so many plants aren’t available ,, my point is ,, sugar is the easiest to keep,
You bet. When I was a kid on the farm, our vet used to mix up something her called “sugardine” to use on the cattle and horses. He would mix white sugar and betadine into a paste the consistency of peanut butter and spread it on the wound.
Worked like a charm, and I have used it on myself with the same results.
Great information about the sugar! Thank you for sharing. As for burns – good old yellow mustard works the best. It stops the pain and keeps the burn from blistering.
Great information given in an intelligent manner.Thank you!
Terrific comments! Learning something new is very good thing.
Back in 1966 when I worked at a nursing home we used hydrogen peroxide and sugar to treat bed sores. Worked well then and should do so now days.
I worked in a nursing home also back in the mid 70’s. The head nurse heard about using whipped egg whites on bed sores.
It was amazing to watch these holes(yes holes!) in their lower backs slowly closed up.
Sugar healed the end of my g’pa’s finger & nail when he nicked it really good with a saw. Healed it so well that you couldn’t hardly tell there was ever any damage to it & it dang near took the tip off! And he never lost sensation in it, either. My mom used the sugar to treat it, & he was always just completely amazed at how perfectly it healed.
Manuka honey is now (FINALLY…my family has been using for 15 years!) gaining in reputation as fantastic for healing/preventing/treating wounds and infections. They haven’t found a bacteria that can survive it yet, including MRSA and any other flesh eating crud. It heals bedsores quickly. It really is incredible. There are commercial tunes in pharmacies now, or you can order through Amazon. The higher the # the more active (& expensive) & effective it is.
Y’all take care & God bless!
On burns, retired firefighter paramedic…do not use ice water on burns as you can have reverse problem of cold injury instead of burn injury…room temp or cool water…flow over burn til,pain subsides…personal experience too many times including 3rd degree burn, used cool water on Nascar mechanic who had hot transmission fluid run down his arm into hand, we were inside track n could not transport as race was on, after 11/2hrs he had no pain, report from hospital severe 1st degree burns, interesting article about sugar…yes natural raw sugar probably best, honey yes..Manuka honey will look into this…gonna try slice tomato if need to…thank you for this discussion n not editing comments as they are often as informative as article…
Years ago as a young nurse, the doctors use to order sugar mixed with betadine and maalox to pack deep bed sores. It helped granulation of tissue and healing of the bed sore.
This is really good info. I seen this used for the first time many years ago on Vet Ranch youtubes channel. You can go to youtube and see many vets using this method to treat serious wounds on dogs, when stitching them up is not possible due to how bad the wound is.
Here’s a short three minute video of one vet using it and explaining things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYVuZbcp2Vs
Keep up the great work.
Sugar healed my Aunts diabetic wound that doctors could not heal!
This saved her from amputation!
I was taught to mix olive oil and confectionery sugar and use on non healing or infected wounds. Used it on myself to resolve an infected suture area that oral antibiotics had been unable to clear up. After 2 applications, over 2 days, all signs of infection and drainage were gone.