A Make-Ahead Charcoal Poultice

When I was a young girl I seem to remember my grandmother talking about "a poultice". To my ear it sounded like something to do with the "milk toast" that was part of Grandma's comfort food outlay when children were sick.

I have no idea where the association came from between 'poultice' (A soft, moist mass of material, typically of plant material or flour, applied to the body to relieve soreness and inflammation)and 'milk toast' (a soft, milky mass of white toast and warm milk, butter, and sugar applied to sick children to relieve them of hunger and boredom). But just recently I began to be interested in the idea of poultices again.

That is not to say that before this current interest I haven't read a little about poultices, seen some simple ones demonstrated, and even tried my hand a messy one or two myself. I have. The operative word has always been "messy".

My husband and I use activated charcoal for a number of situations: wonky gut after over-eating or eating something that seems to have 'poisoned' us, at the outset of a cold, and for things like skin infections and rashes. Activated charcoal is 'adsorptive' when taken with water-- the toxins leave the body by attaching to the carbon molecules.

ACTIVATED CHARCOAL AND GROUND FLAX SEED OR PSYLLIUM POULTICETTES (little poultices)

1. Tear off two 12" - 18" sheets from a box of plastic wrap. Lay out the one to receive the charcoal gel. Put the other one aside.

2. Combine 1/2 C. Activated Charcoal and 1/6 C. Ground Flax OR Psyllium fibre, and water to cover. Very carefully combine the two powders to keep the charcoal dust from clouding the air. Massage the gel with a spoon until it is a pleasant, homogeneous texture.

3. Place the Charcoal-Psyllium gel on top of the one sheet of plastic wrap and place the other sheet over top. Roll it out like pie crust, until about 1/8 - 1/4" thick throughout. Place it in the fridge.

4. Cut (with scissors) a piece of the poulticette to match the size of the area concerned. Peel off the top layer of plastic. Lay the poultice on a common adhesive bandage pad so the square of charcoal will cover the affected area. Simple as that! You can use it directly over a wound or bite/sting and tape a piece of gauze over it if desired.

Wash hands well before and after dressing the sting/bite/wound. Change every few hours. See a medical professional if affected area looks worse or has not changed after a day.