Banana hearts, betel leaves, water lily leaves, arrowroot leaves, and pineapple hearts… are familiar, easily accessible medicinal herbs that effectively treat soft tissue injuries and trauma.
Similar to modern medicine, traditional medicine’s approach to treating soft tissue injuries involves stopping the bleeding, cleaning the wound, removing necrotic tissue, promoting granulation tissue growth, and closing the wound. A characteristic of traditional treatment is the simultaneous use of oral remedies that have systemic effects to promote wound healing, eliminate necrotic tissue, stimulate granulation tissue growth, and support skin regeneration. The treatment outcomes are generally good and relatively quick.
Treatment for Soft Tissue Injuries
Control bleeding if there is blood loss: Use banana hearts (take a young plant about 60 cm tall, cut it close to the base, remove the outer sheath, and cut into 3-4 cm segments), wash them clean, pound them into a paste, apply to the bleeding wound, and bandage it.
Clean the wound: After controlling the bleeding, wash the wound with a herbal solution: Use 40 g of fresh betel leaves, boil with 2 liters of water for 15 minutes, allow to cool, then add 6 g of burnt alum, dissolve, filter, and wash the wound.
Cleanse the wound: Clean the wound, eliminate infection and pus at the site, remove necrotic tissue and odor: Use fresh crow’s foot leaves, wash them clean, pound them into a paste, and apply to the wound. Change the dressing once a day until the wound is clean and has a bright red color.
Promote granulation tissue growth, skin regeneration, and quick healing: Use equal amounts of crow’s foot leaves, wild mustard leaves, and medicinal cassia leaves, remove stems, wash clean, and pound into a paste to apply to the wound, changing the dressing every two days.
Oral Remedies with Systemic Effects:
Relieve thirst due to blood loss: Clean wild arrowroot leaves, pound them, and add them to a bowl of boiled water to cool, then add a little sugar and a few grains of salt, drink once a day.
Cool the blood, detoxify, and prevent inflammation: Use 40 g of yellowed devil’s claw leaves, 12 g of wild pineapple hearts, 8 g of water lily leaves, and 4 g of charred ginger. Decoction for one day.
Treat infections around the wound: Use 40 g of chrysanthemum leaves and 20 g of water lily leaves. Wash clean, pound into a paste, and apply to the ulcerated area around the wound.
Treatment for Contusions, Bruises, and Swelling
Massage with alcohol to promote blood circulation, reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, and relax muscles: Use 40 g of Aconitum flower, 40 g of bloodwort, and 30 g of old turmeric; 20 g each of Tian Nian Jian and Di Lien; 15 g of camphor; and 12 g each of star anise and cinnamon. Grind the herbs into powder, soak in one liter of alcohol for a week. Strain out the residue, add alcohol to make one liter. Gently massage onto the swollen painful area.
Topical ointments to promote blood circulation, reduce inflammation, and alleviate pain: Use 800 g of chrysanthemum powder, 160 g of cinnamon powder, 80 g of rhubarb powder, 200 g of beeswax, and 2 liters of castor oil. Grind these ingredients into fine powder, boil the castor oil, add beeswax and stir until melted, then turn off the heat and mix in the powdered herbs to form a paste. Apply as needed.
Or: Use equal parts of Achyranthes, safflower, Aconitum, Pinellia, white peony, Di Lien, Thang Truật, and cardamom, 15 g each, with 20 g of beeswax and 200 ml of castor oil. Fry all the herbs, grind into powder, and combine with castor oil and beeswax to form a paste. Use for both massage and application.
Oral medications to promote blood circulation and reduce inflammation: Use 12 g each of nail leaves, wormwood, and bloodwort; 10 g of sandalwood; and 8 g of turmeric. Decoction for one day.
Treatment for Dislocations and Sprains
After realigning the joints using modern medical methods, apply local herbal remedies to promote blood circulation, reduce inflammation, and alleviate pain:
– Use young leaves and branches of the grass called Lao, wash them clean, heat them, and apply to the injury, then bandage tightly.
– Use 30 g of elephant trunk leaves and flowers, one bulb of garlic, and 10 g of salt. Wash clean, pound into a paste, and apply to the swollen area, bandaging tightly.
– Use 10 g each of green papaya and soursop leaves, and 5 g each of salt and lime. Pound them and place in gauze to apply to the wound, bandaging it.
– Use 20 g of old turmeric, and 12 g each of chrysanthemum leaves, betel leaves, and water lily leaves. Pound into a paste, mix with a little vinegar, wrap in gauze, and apply to the swollen area, changing the dressing every 2-3 days.
– Clean the leaves of the Náng plant, pound them, and heat them with vinegar for compressing to treat sprains.
– Use equal parts of navelwort, measles grass, and sawtooth herb, wash clean, pound into a paste, and apply for dislocations.
– Use clean leaves of deadly nightshade and pain vine, pound them, heat with vinegar, and apply to relieve pain.
– Use fresh Cốt Toái Bổ, remove all fine hairs and dry leaves, wash clean, pound, moisten, wrap in softened banana leaves, and apply to painful areas, binding them. Change the dressing multiple times a day, and apply for 3-7 days to treat sprains and hematomas.
