Black Tea – emergency herbal first aid for wounds

My accident

I am happy to say I was able to overcome the stress and horror of cutting off the tip of my finger. No matter how many times I take first aid, I rarely have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and often fear I will forget what to do. I think part of that fear comes from the fact that we are so overloaded with bad stress that we forget how wonderful and healthy good stress can be. A rush of adrenaline actually improves mental functioning by increasing blood flow to the brain.

Completely on self-preservation mode, I was able to act immediately from the moment the injury occurred. The first thing I did was put pressure on the wound. I washed the wound with water and I kept my hand elevated above my heart. After 20 minutes I realised it would take a long time to clot because a significant chunk of skin was missing. At that stage, if I released any pressure blood would come gushing out.

I realised it would be incredibly helpful to apply an astringent herb to my wound to stop the bleeding, but I didn’t have any of my medicine chest with me. I decided to act quickly and made a strong cup of black tea (Camellia sinensis). I put 1 teabag in less than ¼ cup of boiled water. After a few minutes I put the tea in the freezer to cool. Once it was cool I washed my wound in the tannins from the tea. I could see the tannins forming a layer on the broken skin. I continued to wash the wound every few minutes until there was no tea left. Twenty minutes passed until I dared to release the pressure, and to my joy not a drop of blood came out. I can only imagine how much blood I might have lost if I had not followed proper first aid technique and found an astringent herb to help seal my wound.

The wound is quite deep and continues to be extremely sensitive. I cannot touch anything with it or get it wet without the risk of bleeding again. I am using a sterile breathable band aid to keep it clean and protected. It is important that it gets some oxygen and remains dry so a strong clot can form that will allow it to heal quickly.

Astringents

All this got me thinking that topical astringents are vital to help stop bleeding yet are nowadays less commonly found in first aid kits. Astringency is due to the presence of plant chemicals called tannins. Tannins work by binding proteins together, which causes them to precipitate. This helps to stop bleeding and is also anti-infective because it binds bacterial cells together. However, if taken internally at very large doses astringency is toxic. Tannins are highly water-soluble so are best extracted through a herbal infusion or decoction (boiled tea/ tisane). Astringency is very easy to recognise because astringent plants and plant extracts cause your mouth to feel dry and sticky. For example, imagine drinking a cup of black tea or red wine.

Tannins provide effective emergency medicine to stop bleeding combined with proper first aid technique. Tannins can also be used to help relieve acute diarrhoea because the binding action in the intestines creates a barrier over the intestinal wall that acts to protect and relieve irritation in the gut lining. Tannins also help by solidifying proteinaceous waste material in the intestines. Conversely tannins alone should not be used to treat chronic diarrhoea, as they will not help to relieve the root cause of the problem, which may in the long run create more damage. Further, tannins can exacerbate constipation and can decrease the absorption of alkaloids, vitamins, minerals and dietary protein.

Astringent plants

Black tea is an excellent source of tannins, green tea is also astringent, but to a lesser extent. Cinnamon and cloves are common astringent spices, which also have volatile oils that are antimicrobial and soothing to the digestive system. Clove has the added benefit of being a topical pain reliever. It is best to boil the spices covered with a lid for 15 minutes and allow to cool. For topical first aid use, I would suggest 2 teaspoons of herbs per ¼ cup of water. In an emergency perhaps 5 minutes would do, cooled with an ice cube.

Witch hazel extract can be bought from any pharmacy and is used precisely for its highly astringent properties. Many wild plants are also astringent, yarrow (Achillea millefolium) being a famous and notable example of a herb used to stop bleeding. If you cut yourself while on a walk in the woods you can crush a yarrow leaf and apply it directly to the wound. Just be careful not to introduce any dirt into the wound, always wash the leaf and your wound with clean water if available.