Rusty Nail Wound Folk Remedy

For those of you who aren’t my Facebook fans, and didn’t hear about this, I stepped on a nail a couple of weeks ago while working on putting up a fence. It wasn’t a big deal, just a pain. Literally. I’ve heard of people stepping on nails and they only puncture the sole of their sock, while others make it impossible to walk for a few days.

I didn’t realize I’d stepped on it, until I tried to move and my shoe wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t until I jerked my foot up and felt a twinge of pain when I realized that the nail had punctured my foot. After pulling my shoe off, I quickly saw the blood soaking my sock.

Great. Obviously, the best course of action would have been to not step on the nail. I did some research after the fact, and found out the best ways to avoid getting hurt.

Whenever possible, wear steel-toed boots or at least those with a thick, durable sole.

Working on the homestead is definitely not the time to try out your new ballet flats or flip-flops! But of course, you probably already know that.

Keeping the homestead neat and tidy is a good way to eliminate the clutter and reduce your likelihood of stepping on a foreign object, as is keeping all brush trimmed away from common walking areas.

I really didn’t want to have to go get a Tetanus Shot. And I was highly annoyed that my careless mishap could end up costing us a pretty penny. Like we have money to be throwing away on a doctor’s visit!

If you don’t have insurance, a visit to the emergency visit can wreak havoc on your budget. Stitches can cost up to $3,000 if you end up needing them, with a walk-in visit alone costing close to $100 – that’s even if you don’t end up needing any treatment!

I got on Facebook and many of you offered some very good advice. This is what I ended up doing: First off I cleaned the wound with Peroxide, rubbed on some Neosporin, and slapped on a band-aid.

But after reading some suggestions, I started soaking my foot in hot water with Epsom salt 2-3 times a day for at least 30 min. each time.

Then I’d dry it off and, using a Q-tip, rubbed the sore with Lavender Oil (Tea Tree Oil would have been good too). I tried to let it stay unbandaged as much as possible, so that it could get lots of air.

When you apply an essential oil, you want to first make sure the area is clean and sanitized, and then apply just a few drops of oil (always test it on an uninfected area of your skin first, to make sure you aren’t allergic!).

If the oil runs right off your foot, you can instead mix the oil with a carrier, like coconut oil, to help thicken it into a paste that will stay better on your foot.

Lavender is good for a deep cut because it has anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties that will make it more difficult to your wound to pick up an infection. It can also reduce the pain from your cut and although it won’t totally eliminate them, it can help reduce the appearance of scars. Tea tree oil behaves in a similar way.

Another unique oil you can use is myrrh (yes, like in the Biblical Christmas stories!). Myrrh helps promote healing and seals the wound. It’s a good choice if there are lots of smaller cuts on your foot or rashes.

If you’re having trouble staunching the flow of blood, you might consider using rose geranium essential oil. This can stop blood flow and allows your skin to speed up the healing process.

While my home remedy was pretty basic, I did some research on other natural treatments for puncture wounds while I was healing. Some are pretty, well, out there, while a few more seemed like they might work well in a pinch.

Milk, for example, works well, as it calms the skin and provides it with a boost of healing nutrients. Some old-timers recommend using sour milk, but I’m not sure the reasoning behind that remedy.

My mother used to make me put hot, salty water on the wound – which hurts!- but is a great way to sanitize the wound. Soaking in salt water – particularly that including Epsom salts – also helps to draw toxins and any remaining residue out of the wound.

Some of my family members mentioned using activated charcoal mixed with flax seed and olive oil. This will help create a thick paste that can be applied to an infection. This helps draw out an infection and speed your healing.

Manuka honey is another good choice, but you can use any honey if you don’t have this variety. It’s a natural antibiotic and although it can be a bit sticky and not exactly fun to work with, it’s a decent option to help cleanse the skin and prevent more dirt or bacteria from entering.

Hydrogen peroxide is another great choice for disinfecting a wound. It will introduce oxygen, allowing air to flow, and will also act as a debriding agent. Remember that puncture wounds are different than scratches or other wounds because they allow toxins to directly enter into the injured area.

While essential oils and other treatments may help fight infection on the surface, you still need to keep an eye on the wound because they don’t necessarily have “pulling power” to extract foreign objects or dirt from the body.

A BIG thanks to my friends Rachel and Pat in particular, for doctoring me via the internet!

After a few days, it did begin healing nicely. I was nervous about an infection setting in, as it was a bit red and tender for those first few days.

But my friends assured me that a little soreness was normal. As long as it was not very red, hot to touch, or oozing, it was doing okay. Those are some of the classic signs of infection. Here are some others.

You might notice soreness that increases and peaks after a few days, as well as warmth and redness surrounding the area.

You might have some serious swelling, fever, or even a nasty discharge from the wound. Infection can appear as early as a day or as late as fourteen days after the injury, and can lead to greater complications, such as joint or bone infections.

I am glad I didn’t run straight to the doctor’s office. I’m not saying that you should do what I do. I’m just telling you that this worked for me. An emergency room visit is not always necessary when you step on a nail, but this is a reason to definitely consider going.

If the nail was super dirty, and you don’t know for sure that you have had a tetanus shot within the last five years, you should definitely head to the emergency room.

They will give you a tetanus booster or a full shot, if you haven’t ever had one. If you know it’s been at least ten years since your last booster shot, definitely head over to get a booster. You will need to do this within forty-eight hours of an injury.

Even if you don’t think the nail you stepped on was particularly dirty, if you aren’t up to date on your tetanus shot, it’s important that you become vaccinated immediately. Tetanus can cause serious symptoms, like muscle spasms and stiffness, difficultly wallowing, and life-threatening reactions.

If you can’t get the bleeding under control, or if there is a piece of nail or another foreign object in your foot, head to the doctor’s. In many cases, you can get the nail out of your foot without any problem, but continuing to mess with it can cause greater bleeding, complications, or even bone damage. Let the professionals take care of you, even if it’s a bit expensive!

But the whole point of me sharing this story wasn’t really to tell you how I treated a nail wound, but rather to share with you an old folk remedy that I find very interesting.

When my husband got a look at the hole in my foot the first thing he told me was that whenever he stepped on a nail as a kid, his grandfather would always put Kerosene on it. As a matter of fact, he’d put Kerosene on any broken skin.

Honestly, I thought that sounded crazy. But after asking around, other people I’ve spoken to have also recalled using Kerosene when they were growing up.

When I went to visit my friend Adelia this past Monday, I told her about how I’d stepped on a nail and what I’d done to treat it. She smiled and asked, “You didn’t use Kerosene?” I was surprised that even she would say that! She showed me the little medicine bottle with a dropper in it that she uses just for Kerosene.

I guess Kerosene works well because it is a powerful antimicrobial, but it can irritate your skin and has also been linked to increased risks of cancer. However, other petroleum products (like Vaseline), work just as well without the irritation and risks.

Hmmm. Interesting!

So, next time I think I’ll try this Kerosene remedy or something similar for a nail wound, along with the Epsom soaks.

These are great ways to treat your injury without having to fork out thousands of dollars at the doctor’s office. If you’re not the type to panic about an injury, and especially if you’re in already good health, a small puncture wound is nothing to worry about.

Your body is pretty good at fighting infection, so if you know you are up to date on a tetanus shot, you will probably be okay with trying to heal the wound on your own.

If the person who stepped on the nail is very old or very young, has a compromised immune system, or is pregnant, always get them emergency medical care right away – you don’t want to risk an infection in a situation like this.

However, if you’re unlucky enough to step on a nail and don’t want to take the essential oil route, here are some other, more traditional healing steps you can take.

First and foremost, wash your hands. Bacteria can quickly enter your body in a puncture wound. You don’t necessarily have to disinfect your hands with hand sanitizer – soap and warm water work just fine – but make sure you wash for at least twenty seconds.

If your wound is bleeding, apply gentle pressure with a clean rag. Don’t press down too hard, as this can hurt your foot even more, but just enough to create some clots. Next, you need to clean your wound. Try to get the blood to stop flowing first, as this can make it more difficult to clean your wound.

However, it’s really important that you don’t skip this step, as a dirty wound can cause serious bacterial infections, like tetanus. Unfortunately, tetanus is pretty easy to find around the homestead, as it is found in dirt, animal feces, and even dust. Yikes!

To clean your wound, rinse your foot with clean water for five or ten minutes to help loosen any dirt. You might need to use a pair of tweezers to pull out any larger pieces of debris – which might include pieces of your sock or shoe!

Just make sure the tweezers are disinfected before beginning. Then disinfect your foot with soap and water. You might also consider covering your wound with a thin layer of an antibiotic cream, like Neosporin.

Next you need to cover your wound. It can take several days – or weeks – for it to heal. Wrap it in a large, thick bandage to keep it clean. Keep in mind that the thicker the bandage, the more cushioning you’ll have to help your foot heal as you continue to walk on it. That being said, if you leave it unwrapped, like I did, this will let air circulate to better heal the wound.

If you can avoid walking on it, that’s better, as it will prevent your foot from becoming repeatedly ripped open. However, we will be realistic here, as we know your homestead life is probably just as busy as mine, and avoiding walking for a few days probably isn’t practically.

If avoiding exercise isn’t an option, just make sure you keep your bandages clean. Change them once a day, ideally after showering, when they’ll be easier to remove. You might see a little bit of fresh blood on the bandages each time you change them, but as long as your foot isn’t bleeding profusely, this is nothing to worry about.

You can take some minor pan medications if you feel the need, as these will help with the inflammation and pain. Ibuprofen or naproxen sodium are both good choices. Just keep yourself comfortable while the injury heals, which usually takes a couple of weeks.

That being said, if you notice any of the signs of infection that I mentioned before, you might want to hustle to a doctor. Yes, doctor’s visits are expensive, but a serious infection – which in extreme cases can be life-threatening – is not worth messing with.

updated by Rebekah White on 08/04/2018

57 thoughts on “Rusty Nail Wound Folk Remedy”

  1. Began my day with a rusty screw through the sole of my shoe and puncturing my foot near the base of the middle toe. Not much blood, didn’t feel too deep. (Been there, done that, threw away the Kupie-doll 20 years ago) Had I come across this article and comment section a few hours ago I’d have been sorely tempted to try turpentine or kerosene. And then I look at my can of “turpentine” and it’s labeled “turpatine” (whatever the he** that might be, I have no idea) Gonna get a tetanus booster tomorrow, only 30 cases a year in the US, but that would be one hellish thing to go through. The muscle spasms have been known to snap one’s spine. Not a fan of Big Pharma or vaccines but I’m not willing to chance it either. Haven’t had a “booster” for probably 30 years. Good luck with the homestead. Plant some sunflowers if you haven’t, they’re wonderful annuals – lovely, the birds and bees love’em and they’ll till and nourish your soil for you if you cut them off at the base and leave the root system underground. Φ

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  2. So the best way to treat a puncture wound is cleaning it very well, after letting it bleed for a bit. Getting a tetanus shot after the wound is pretty pointless, seeing as how any bacteria is already in the body and circulating. Keeping it clean is important, as is not closing it off all the time. Soaking in Epsom a few times a day is excellent, as is everything else you mentioned.

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  3. Much simpler treatment…
    http://alliumcepa2u.blogspot.com/2010/05/nail-pricked.html
    Nail Pricked, tetanus & homeopathy
    This incident happened last Tuesday and I’ve been meaning to write this post earlier.
    It was already noon time when Aldo returned home from his basketball game. He was limping and I asked him what had happened. I was thinking that he must have injured himself during the match. Apparently, he told me that he accidentally stepped on a rusty nail while walking the dogs earlier that morning before he even went for his basketball game! The nail went through the bottom of his slippers and pricked into his skin. There was so much blood but he pressed the wound to let the blood out (thank God!). When I looked at his foot, it was swollen and red. Why didn’t you tell me that you had injured yourself, I asked him. He said that it was not pain that morning and he thought that it would be alright after a couple of hours or so. However it was not so. The pain gradually progressed that for a few days he limped whenever he walked. The possibility of tetanus infection was on my mind as the incident happened few hours earlier. The bacteria must have invaded his bloodstream! I gave him homeopathy medicine Ledum 200c as I know this is the best remedy against tetanus. If you can’t get any homeopathy medicine off hand, please get a tetanus vaccination right away. Tetanus (commonly called lockjaw) is a disease that can be fatal. The bacteria (Clostridium tetani) enter into the body through puncture wound contaminated with soil, street dust, animal feces, etc. The early symptoms of tetanus infection are jaw or neck stiffness, difficulty swallowing, headache, irritability and localized itching or pain at the site of the injury. Later, there may be spasm of the neck, back, and abdominal muscles.
    What can you do if you or your loved ones had a punctured wound such as nail pricked and help seem to be far from sight?? The best way to protect an injured person from the tetanus disease is to thoroughly clean the wound with copious amounts of water and to encourage the injury to bleed profusely. Press the wound firmly to let the blood and any traces of dirt out from the wound. Cover it with clean bandage and take the person to the nearest hospital if the wound is deep (about half inch or more).

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  4. I’m an ICU nurse and work 12hr shifts and started having plantar fasciitis and orthofeet shoes have solved my problem. I wish they were a little more stylish, but at this point I choose style over function. I see that they have a new color and I will most definitely purchase these again when they need to be replaced. These fit the bill! and the return on size went very smooth. So I am so happy! and so are my feet!

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  5. I stepped on a nail helping tear down an old barn. I was in flip flops so I kept working. Every hour it hurt worse it had almost come up thru my pinkie toe and next one. Been doctoring it, soaking and hobeling, well tonight I had to get up hurting worse then ever. Puss, blood oozed out and I kind of saw something. Began to dig and clean, up pops 2 big moon shaped pieces of my lavender flip flop. Few, now maybe it will heal. Yes I’ve had 2 shots in past 2 yrs so I feel I’m ok, or will be now.

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  6. Turpentine is the proper old folk remedy. Not so much a folk remedy either; we’ve got some 60 year old 1/2 oz. bottles of turpentine for medicinal purpose. You can still buy it; it’s like tea tree oil. Kerosene is distilled from petroleum and should not be applied to the body. I suspect that ignorant people got turpentine and kerosene confused over the years; and since the body has an amazing capability to heal itself, they healed. And shared their ‘knowledge’. They likely had dermatitis if the ‘treatments’ were overdone, or done once on children who’s skin has not yet developed a horny layer. If used regularly they might have even developed cancer… and blamed it on the nuclear plant in the next county!

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    • As s child in the 1940s when ever we cut ourselves or stepped on a nail Mother would wash and wrap the wound in clean cloth and pour turpentine and kerosene on it until the cloth was soked and actually dripping. Worked well every time.
      Another use of turpentine was to mix a little with melted lard and rub even a baby down with it for a really bad cold. The lard was to keep the oil from burning the skin.

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    • Kerosene works. I’ve seen it too many times. Petroleum may cause cancer with overexposure but with the rare occurrence of a nail through the foot, it works. My son is an extremely good 10th grade high school tennis player. He got a large nail through his foot two days ago (on Tuesday) at about 4:15 p.m. I bought kerosene on my way home from work and soaked his foot for about 30 min. That night and the next morning I soaked his foot in warm water with Epsom Salt. The next day (less than 24 hours later) my son played (and won) a super competitive match against a 12th grade player who already has tennis scholarships. He did not limp and played excellent. Oh, by the way, call it ignorant if you want but I have two bachelor’s degrees, a masters degree and a Ph.D. I promise the Kerosene works!

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    • Coal oil was used too a lot. Petroleum products have a lot of healing properties in them for the skin just like vaseline which is a petroleum product.

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  7. I don’t know when and how a nail punctured into my palm. But Now it turns to a wound as if a bunch of nails remain in the wound and normally grow as a bush. For which i have to trim it by a razor blade, but no recovery, it swells as like an outgrowth as usual….

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  8. I stepped on a rusty screw about 6 months ago. It didn’t bleed and I just kept working. It healed over but it is sore and has a small knot and hurts to walk on. The skin grows more on the sore and I trim it every week. What can I do to make it heal?

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    • Your wound is infected. It needs to be treated by a doctor. This will probably involve getting it cut open and the infection drained out. This is very serious. Please do not ignore this.

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  9. I am almost 72 but when I was about 7 I stepped on the tail of a copperhead and he bit me on my heel. My Mother used a razor blade and made an X across the bite and soaked my foot in kerosene. I could see currents of something other than kerosene coming from my heel. My Mother said it was the poison being drawn out by the kerosene. The next day the slight swelling I had was gone. My foot was still a little sore but that went away quickly.

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  10. So mid afternoon today I dropped a really old piece of barn wood on the top of my foot. I (of course) had flip flops on and a rusty nail (or two) poked two holes in the top of my foot. I have fairly skinny feet that are very “veiny”. (As in my veins stick out) Anyway, as the day and evening have gone on, I can barely walk and am in excrutiating pain! I came in right away and washed it with peroxide and put neosporin and a bandaid on it. A couple hours ago I did try icing it down. Seemed to just make me be in more pain! Could have the nails hit a nerve in my foot?! I feel like it is ridiculous that I am in this much pain!!!! I don’t want to have to go to the doctor! It is now red and a little swollen (about the size of a 50 cent piece) right around the punctures. (The punctures look very small!) Help!!!!!!!

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  11. When growing up (like 65-75 years ago) the common treatment at our house for stepping on a rusty nail was to cover the bottom of a bucket with salt and fill it with about two inches of kerosene. Then soak the foot for about 30 minutes.

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  12. I am born, raised, and live in the country. I find most useful knowledge comes from the old folk in the community. And yes, I have always heard kerosene for wounds would take out soreness.

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  13. As a child I stepped on several nails and my Grandmother would soak my foot in kerosene. I did not go to a doctor for anything until I was almost 15 years old. My Grandmother treated us. She did a real good job, as I am fixing to turn 79 in July and in good health. I remember one time my brother got his hands stuck in barbed wire and Grandmother soaked his hands in kerosene.

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  14. Clean the surface of the nail injury thoroughly with hot water… And then apply palm oil on it leave 4 a while b4 applying ointment…. This has worked 4 me tremendously..

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  15. The first thing I ever do with any wound that isn’t producing bleeding is to force bleed it, and punctures from nails and thumb tacks are notable for not bleeding.

    Had a nail go most of the way to the top of my big toe that I’d stepped on and after getting as much as I could to come out, continued working while doing my best to prevent any dirt getting in or actually using the toe walking.

    Been soaking it for the last couple of days in the Epsom salts and the only swelling that has occurred has quickly abated upon soaking.

    I’m going to do my best to remember the sugar and turpentine solutions as well – thanks for those tips and all the stories.

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  16. Back in the 50s when I was a young child, I would often go with my father to work when not in school. He was a self-employed carpentry contractor. Needlessly to say, there were always a lot of nails, both clean and rusty, scattered all over the job sites. I can safely say I stepped on at least a dozen nails back then. When we got home, my foot went immediately into a hot (as hot as I could tolerate) epsom salt bath for about 30 minutes. Then my mother would then head for the turpentine can (we didn’t have kerosene around). She would soak a small piece of cloth with the turpentine, put a small piece of raw bacon on it, cover the wound and then wrap it. I asked why the bacon? She said the bacon kept the wound open and moist and the turpentine would “draw out the infection”. I have to say, all those wounds never got infected and healed quickly. And she never took me to see a doctor to get a tetanus shot any of those times.

    She said when she was young and living on a farm in “the country” and had any kind of wound, she headed for the kerosene lantern. Being far from a doctor and not much money (depression era), they resorted to folk remedies.

    They worked for us.

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  17. Please don’t use kerosene. Will it help? Most likely. Will it harm? Possibly. Is it the best choice? not by far.

    I know it’s the “in” thing to poo poo doctors and praise yesteryear’s better ways, but the truth is science has been beneficial in so many ways. One of those has been in actually using the scientific method to determine what methods of treatments are the most effective while being the most safe. It is an ongoing process and they are always learning and despite very very strict regulations occasionally greed has had its in influence, but trust me when I say that the medical community has the absolute best available for wound care. A lot of it has been developed and perfected in times of war where survival rates of soldiers has skyrocketed because of it.

    AS far as “staying out of the doctor’s office” I can understand that but studies show that people who are quick to go to the doctor and people who go to the doctors office more often live longer and healthier lives.

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    • Between infections like MRSA and mistakes made by overworked, overtired doctors and staff, I avoid hospitals unless I have a fever over 103, or a pierced artery, a compound fracture, or an amputation of an extremity. Physician’s trained under Rockefeller’s medical schools tend to be pill-pushers for the pharmaceutical manufacturers and vaccine advocates to the point of ridiculousness. No thanks. As Hippocrates is quoted saying: Let your food be your medicine. Your best bet is growing your own these days, most of what is on grocery-store shelves isn’t exactly what anyone in their right-mind would describe as “food.” But to each his or her own.
      Pushing 60 and I take no medications, am not overweight, can still ride a bicycle for hours, and don’t need Viagra. Avoiding doctors works just fine for me.

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      • My mom just stepped on a carpet nail so I throughly cleaned a tub put hot water baking soda in it, put her foot in the water came back in got the grandmothers vinegar poured it into the baking soda water and it fizzles and it pulls out the dirt or I believe an mininul infection, hot water helps pull out the bad stuff you can also use cold water baking soda and vinegar together will draw out anything small or infection if this dosent help go see a doctor but also wrap the foot with clean gauze and antibotic cream.

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  18. My parents and grandparents always used turpentine. It will also take all the soreness out of a hang nail. My grand father used to put drops of it on sugar and feed it to us for a cough. It didn’t work, is toxic if ingested, and is major nasty tasting.

    The reason behind using coal dust is because most coal contains sulphur, which has an antibiotic effect. Cobwebs will stop bleeding, the silk of the spider webs gives the platelets in the blood something to “catch” on, and form a clot.

    My vet told me that unless a nail came from an old barn, or had been around horses, not to worry. Horses carry tetnus, and in those cases, yes, you need a shot.

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  19. With regards to pat-sss please don,t burn any wool rags especially in an enclosed space, burning wool produces cyanide gas the same gas used in the gas chambers

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  20. Second Teresa’s comment about the health department. Also, Cate’s comment on sugar – if your mouth is bleeding, eat a spoonful of sugar. The sugar helps it clot faster.

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  21. Plain white sugar……an older woman I knew years ago swore by this; grate a small amount of Ivory bar soap into a bowl, add white sugar, and enough water to make a thick paste (doesn’t take much). The soap is mostly to just help make a paste that sticks together – can use just sugar. I was skeptical for a while, but I used it on a neighbor who had stepped on a nail, refused to go to doctor, but had red streaks going up his leg. Packed a bunch of this sticky mess over the wound, covered it with gauze and tape to keep it on. Next morning – took off the covering, nearly gagged at the black smelly stuff on the bandage – the hole was closing over and the red streaks were gone! I’ve sworn by it since….. I actually had a doctor tell me that sugar was used in WWII in the field for wounds, it pulls the infection out if nothing else was available.

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  22. I saw someone mention pine oil, and wanted to put in my two cents. My dad buys Astyptodyne from the company of the same name in Wilmington, NC. It’s pure pine oil, and it is fabulous for burns and cuts. He’s sworn by it for at least 20 years.

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  23. Tetanus shots are available at your local health department (by appointment) for a very low price. It is nothing like accepting a government hand-out because you do pay for it, but you only see a nurse so there is no huge doctor fee. That’s where my husband and I get ours done. 🙂

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    • You now have to have a prescription from your dr. Or the health dept. Can’t give it to you and they now bill your insurance. No cheapie anymore. I know cause I just went. Been sick ever since.

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  24. Yep. Growing up my daddy would put “coal oil” on virtually any injury, but especially punctures. It did keep out infection and prevent soreness. I’ve never used it as an adult because I believe all petroleum products are carcinogenic, but it may be less toxic than the tetanus vaccine. Certainly less painful!

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  25. We found a garden remedy that works like a charm, though messy. Grated fresh raw red-beet! Tie it on the puncture, bruise, or anything else similar with a cloth, cover with plastic and another cloth. This will begin to ache as it draws the hurt out! Even works to heal broken bones faster after they’ve been set!
    Glad you found something that worked!
    Love your blog!

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  26. How ironic I came across your site tonight. My foot is propped up next to me on a chair as I type! Ripping down the old barn today, a 3.5in nail went up thru my work boot and clean thru my foot. Worse thing was I was stuck down to the concrete as the nail was coming up thru it. To the doc we went–$200 for the tetnus shot!!!! (Yes 200$$) We are very remote and only have a small clinic/hospital 45 miles north. Three foot xrays later–they told me I cleaned it out well myself, so they didn’t….gave me an antibiotic and sent me home. UGH-$87 for the doc and who knows what for the xrays. I have kerosene in the basement. If there is ever a next time—I hope not, hurts horrid–I will just head downstairs. Thanks for the info!

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  27. I’ve never stepped on a nail but I stepped on a pin once and my mom rushed me in for a tetanus shop….so silly. Happy Healing.

    I have used Apple Cider Vinegar to heal a fungus toenail-does that count?

    Jana

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  28. After researching a bit more, I found some info that kerosene is a known carcinogin that can cause myelofibrosis. Also, tetanus just seems too scary to me to risk not getting the shot.

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  29. Ok so this isn’t for nail punctures but for burns, place prepared mustard on it! It pulls the burn right out and helps it heal.

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  30. When we first moved out here last Summer I got into something in the backyard that gave me a big rash on my legs. My neighbor who is 74 & very tough (my son compares him to Chuck Norris) Told me to put turpentine on it. I thought that can’t be good for you but, now you have me wondering if I should have given it a try. :o)

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    • turpentine is very good for rashes, my parents, grandparents and great grandparents used it whenever we had rashs, ring worm, chiggers or anything of the sort. they said it suffocates the sickness or critter in the skin.

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  31. An older friend of mine told me about using Kerosene for a major wound on her hip. She said she has some nasty scars but never had any infection or problem with the hip. We are too quick to discount “yesterday’s medicine” because others tell us that today’s is better.

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  32. my grandmother used to put kerosene on any scrapes I would get when I was little. it didnt burn, but it did feel funny, like your skin was “breathing”.

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  33. My husband mentioned using Kerosene to me at one point. It’s been so long I’d almost forgotten. His grandmother taught him, I believe. I’ve never tried it personally.

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