There are a number of herbs which have an affinity for healing the skin and addressing common first aid conditions including aloe, calendula, comfrey, chickweed, St. John’s wort, and yarrow.

One can include several herbal preparations into the herbal first aid kit such as an oil, salve, or  poultice.  Oils and salves are convenient to use, and are beneficial for treating dry or inflamed skin conditions.  Although it is rare, some oil based preparations may aggravate sensitive skin in certain individuals.  As a precautionary measure, one may want to test a small amount of the oil or salve on the inner part of the elbow to make sure the preparation does not irritate the skin; then wait for 24-48 hours before applying to a larger surface area.  When applying salves or oils, be sure not to “double dip” ones finger, Q-tip, or cotton ball, as it may introduce unwanted microbes.  This is especially important when treating skin microbes such as staph, athlete’s foot, or skin tinea.  One can also include some dry herbs into the first aid kit, for water based preparations such as tea or poultices.  Water based preparations are less likely to aggravate sensitive skin than salves or oils.  A poultice is a hot pack which is applied to the skin over a wound, bruise, or sore muscles. One can make a poultice by mixing hot water with chopped or ground herbs in a muslin bag or cloth. When creating a first aid kit, one may want to include some aloe vera gel, powdered clay, an herbal salve or oil, dried herbs, as well as the usual first aid dressings (band aids, sterile cloths, etc.)

Aloe (Aloe vera, Aloe barbadensis)
Aloe vera gel is highly soothing to the skin; it has emollient, anti-inflammatory, and moisturizing actions.  It is extremely effective for healing sun burns and thermal burns, especially when applied immediately.  It quickly relieves pain and inflammation caused by a burn.  The fresh plant application helps to prevent blister formation; simply break off an aloe leaf, slice off the outer skin of the leaf on one side and place the over the affected area.  Aloe promotes wound healing in soft tissues and penetrates injured tissue reducing inflammation.  It dilates the capillaries and speeds wound healing due to an increase in the blood supply.  When treating cuts with aloe, it is best to use the fresh plant only, because the staph bacteria are more likely to grow in juice or commercial preparations.  Aloe can be grown as a house plant in a sunny location or one can purchase aloe vera gel. Generally, aloe gel should be avoided when treating deep or infected wounds, or severe burns.

Calendula (European Marigold) (Calendula officinalis)
Calendula is renowned for its ability to heal the skin.  One can apply calendula oil or salve, as well as a poultice or fomentation topically, for a first aid treatment.  This herb stimulates regeneration of the skin and prevents scarring.  Additionally, it has antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral actions, which inhibit the growth of microorganisms. It is helpful to treat cuts, burns, abrasions, bruises, sprains, abscesses, athlete’s foot, skin tinea, eczema, and varicose veins.  Calendula acts as a soothing emollient for skin conditions characterized by dryness or flakiness, including the following: eczema, dandruff, psoriasis, and the final stages of poison oak rash.

Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Chickweed works most effectively as a fresh plant preparation.  The tea, poultice, or salve soothes the skin and decreases inflammation.  A fresh plant poultice is effective as a drawing agent for boils and pus-filled wounds.  One can also apply the fresh plant poultice to mosquito bites, bee stings, and inflamed hemorrhoids.  A tea, bath, or poultice can aid with dry, itchy, inflamed skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, poison oak rash, or poison ivy rash.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Comfrey, also known as “knit bone,”  can be used to mend tissues.  It is thought to speed the healing of the skin, tendons, and bones; and also prevents scarring.  Comfrey can be applied in the form of oil, salve, poultice, fomentation, or a topical tea.  Poultices of the root or the leaves placed directly over the affected area may dramatically speed the healing process.  The root contains allantoin which stimulates cell proliferation.  The root is also highly mucilaginous and is beneficial for the topical treatment of dry skin conditions such as the final stages of poison oak, poison ivy, or dry eczema.

St. John’s wort (St. Johnswort)(Hypericum perforatum)
St. John’s wort is one of the few herbs which stimulate nerve regeneration and may repair nerve damage.  It is useful as a topical preparation, in the form of a tincture or oil, for a variety of conditions including nerve pain, nerve inflammation, herpes, and shingles.  St. John’s wort is an anti-inflammatory, and can reduce pain and swelling in cases of arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel, sore muscles and joints.  The oil of St. John’s wort can be applied to fistulas, cuts, abrasions, bruises, burns, and mild sunburns.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow is an important addition to any first aid kit.  This herb can be prepared as a fresh plant tincture, poultice, fomentation, oil, salve, or liniment.  It has astringent, anti-inflammatory, and hemostatic properties (it helps to decrease or staunch bleeding).  In fact, yarrow seems to help the arteries to re-assimilate blood that has flowed out into tissues as a result of a torn vessel.  It is beneficial for the treatment of bruises, sprains, strained muscles, varicose veins, and spider veins.  Additionally, it inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi; as well as encouraging tissue regeneration.  It is also useful for the treatment of cuts, abrasions, bites, stings, and burns.

**Contraindications: avoid internal use during pregnancy.**

Powdered Clay
Powdered clay is an essential component of a first aid kit.  One can fill a two or four ounce container of dry clay, and then moisten with small amounts of water until a paste like consistency is achieved.  The paste can be applied to bites, stings, boils, or zits.  The clay paste acts as a drawing agent which pulls toxins to the surface of the skin.  It is one of the first things one can apply to spider bites, mosquito bites, or bee stings; as it will reduce the pain and swelling caused by the bite.  There are several kinds of powdered clay, including red, green, or white clay; and any of them can be used for first aid purposes.