Blood Poisoning

[nubins]

I seem to remember when I had a stubborn ingrowing toenail (that eventually had to be removed) the GP recommended magnesium sulphate paste to try and draw out the infection (his words). Is that still considered reasonable and would something like that be possible for older civilisations to cook up? It's a white, thick, almost sandy paste.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I don't know about magnesium sulphate, Nubins, but I do know that herbal poultices, made with such things as goldenrod and echinacea, are still used with very minor wound infections-such as removed ingrown nails or infected puncture wounds that are tiny in area-and can often be effective. I wouldn't recommend trying to use a poultice for anything large in area, however.

 

[Gumboot]

Actually there is plenty of evidence.http://www.webmd.boots.com/vitamins-and-minerals/manuka-honey

While In vitro studies of honey have indicated antibacterial properties which suggest a potential medicinal application, thus far there's been little evidence of success in practical application on people.

A 2008 Cochrane Review of evidence for the medicinal properties of honey found that while it was possible that honey might slightly improve healing of superficial burns, there were insufficient evidence (due to the small number of studies) to be conclusive. Further, they found that there was no evidence of honey improving healing in any type of chronic wounds as all data came from a single research centre and, to quote:

"Data from trials of higher quality found honey had no significant effect on healing rates or had significantly slower rates of healing."

That honey has antibacterial properties is undeniable. But this doesn't mean those properties have a useful application for people, and thus far the evidence indicates they don't.

 

[Gumboot]

Hi,

We seem to be talking about a number of different illnesses here. Sepsis is basically an infected wound, and can be associated with a number of different bacteria.

...

Blood poisoning is correctly known as septicemia, and again can be due to a number of different bacteria.

I think you're a little confused here. Sepsis, known colloquially as "blood poisoning", is a syndrome (SIRS) caused by an infection in any part of the body. It becomes Sepsis once it has reached a whole-body inflammatory state.

Septicemia refers to the presence of pathogenic organisms in the bloodstream. Septicemia is one type of infection that can (and often does) lead to sepsis (blood poisoning).

 

[Gumboot]

If it's something like tetanus, then I wouldn't know nearly as much. I would figure gangrene would be a symptom, and eventually fever and possible death, but I don't think it would have the red streaking that MRSA would have.

Tetanus doesn't lead to sepsis. It's caused by a neurotoxin and leads to severe muscle spasms (typically beginning in the jaw) which, untreated, typically lead to death.

 

[Montero]

In terms of plants and their uses -

1. Read Ellis Peter's Cadfael books (they are worth reading anyway) and as he is a herbalist there are little bits of info in there - and it gives good ways of putting it over in the story.

2. Look at the database section on Plants for a Future - http://www.pfaf.org/user/default.aspx
The uses of plants are given together with the level of rigour of the citation of the use.