A poultice uses the whole herb, plant, clay, salt or other remedy. A compress, alternately, uses a liquid extract of an herb or remedy.

 

The herb (or remedy) is made into a thick paste with hot or cold water. Hot water is usually used for poultices that are trying to draw out or remove an abscess while cold water is used in poultices for inflammation.

 

Traditionally, a fresh or dried herb is ground with a mortar and pestle and mixed with water to form a paste. These days, a blender or mini food processor can also be used to smash the herb. Ground dried herbs can also be used.

 

I prefer to pour a tiny amount of really hot water over any fresh or dried herbs to help extract the beneficial properties and then let them cool to the desired temperature before applying to the skin.

 

The thick paste can be applied directly to the skin or wrapped between two layers of clean cloth before applying (depending on the herb). Cheesecloth or thin, organic cotton are great choices for this, but it is just important to have a cloth that won’t absorb too much liquid or that is too thick to let the herbs come in indirect contact with the skin.

 

Last time I used a poultice for a burn on my wrist, I wrapped the herbs between two layers of cheesecloth and placed directly over the burn. I then wrapped it with plastic wrap to keep it on the skin. If I’d know about it, I would have used this reusable waterproof food wrap instead of the plastic wrap and I’ve since added some of these to our first aid kit for this purpose.

 

With our son’s spider bite, I covered the poultice with some waterproof gauze and taped it into the skin since it was on his upper leg and there was no easy way to wrap it completely around his leg. The specifics will change based on the remedy being used, but the basic method is the same: thick paste, inside cloth, on wound.