The Medicinal Herb Info site was created to help educate visitors about the often forgotten wisdom of the old ways of treating illnesses. Many of today's drugs and medicines were originally derived from natural ingredients, combinations of plants and other items found in nature.

We are not suggesting that you ignore the help of trained medical professionals, simply that you have additional options available for treating illnesses. Often the most effective treatment involves a responsible blend of both modern and traditional treatments.

We wish you peace and health!

Gangrene

Definition

There are two types of gangrene, wet and dry. Dry gangrene has no bacterial infection involved. It is caused by the stopped or reduced flow of blood, which results in oxygen-deprived tissue. doesn’t spread to other areas, but the flesh dies. It may be painful at first, but as the skin dies, it becomes numb and slowly darkens. All dry gangrene is caused by cutting off blood supply to tissue. Most often occurs in feet and hands, especially toes and fingers. Surgery may be performed to improve circulation (see a doctor). If the area has been injured the area becomes red, swollen, and painful. May develop an odor. Dull, aching pain and coldness are early signs. Wet gangrene is a result of a wound or injury that becomes infected. The infection prevents adequate venous drainage, depriving the area of needed blood supply. Careful hygiene usually can prevent this condition. Antibiotics and/or removal of dead tissue are usually necessary.
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Causes

Burns, injuries caused by acid, or frostbite. Poor circulation, diabetes. May also be caused by hardening of the arteries, poor circulation, diabetes, or arterial embolism (a blockage in the bloodstream).
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Treatment

See a doctor immediately! If no professional medical help is available, there are poultices that may be used. (Take 1/4 lb. powdered charcoal and 1 oz. of water pepper or smartweed; put these in a pan and pour 1 pt. boiling water over them; let them steep for 20 minutes. Then mix two tbsp. of whole wheat flour and enough dry charcoal to make a poultice. Spread this on a piece of gauze that is somewhat larger than the involved area. Apply this to the affected area, then lay another piece of gauze over it and bandage it on. If painful, add a tbsp. of lobelia when steeping the herbs. A little flaxseed meal or cornmeal may be needed to make the poultice stick together. When there is pus and ulceration, use hydrogen peroxide to bathe the affected area thoroughly, repeatedly applying and wiping it off with a piece of cotton, until the area is absolutely clean. Do this before applying the poultice). (Another poultice may be made as follows: 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal, 1 tsp. golden seal, and 1/2 tsp. of myrrh. Add enough hot water to make a paste. The paste must not be too stiff, it must be soft enough to penetrate. Apply the same as any other poultice. Renew this every 6 hrs., cleaning each time with hydrogen peroxide if pus forms). To take internally, mix equal parts of skullcap, valerian, yellow dock, and buckthorn bark. Use a heaping tsp. to a cup of boiling water. Let steep for 30 minutes only. Take a cupful one hour before each meal and a cupful hot upon retiring. If constipation occurs, take an herbal laxative. The bowels must be kept open.
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Nutrients

Chlorophyll liquid or tablets, 1 tbsp liquid 4 times per day or 2 tablets 4 times per day, is a blood cleanser.

Coenzyme Q10, 100 mg. twice daily, improves circulation.

Germanium, 200 mg. daily, increases oxygen utilization.

Potassium , 99 mg. daily, helps reduce tissue swelling.

Proteolytic enzymes, 2 between meals and with meals, aids in clean up and repair of damaged tissue.

Vitamin A and E emulsion, 50,000 IU

vitamin A and 400 up to 1,600 IU Vitamin A is essential for tissue repair.

vitamin E daily (do not take this much vitamin E in pill form). Emulsion enters the system more quickly. Vitamin E improves circulation, both enhance immune function.

Vitamin C plus biofavonoids, 4,000-10,000 mg. daily, helps tissue repair and improves circulation.

Kelp, 6 tablets daily, is a rich source of chlorophyll and minerals, good for circulation and is a blood cleanser.
Calcium, 2,000 mg. daily, repairs connective tissue.

Magnesium, 1,000 mg daily, repairs connective tissue.

Multivitamin and Mineral complex, as directed on the label, repairs connective tissue.

Zinc, 50-80 mg., speeds healing and is necessary for tissue repair and immune function.
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Herbs
  • Alder
  • Bayberry
  • Butcher’s broom
  • Castor bean
  • Cayenne
  • Comfrey
  • Chamomile
  • Echinacea
  • Elm, slippery
  • Ginkgo bilboa
  • Golden rod
  • Goldenseal
  • Horsetail
  • Indigo, wild
  • Marshmallow root
  • Myrrh, willow
  • Pleurisy root
  • Poplar
  • Red seal
  • Smartweed
  • Tamarack
  • Willow, black, American

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Cautions

Heat should never be applied to affected area if the gangrene is caused by lack of adequate circulation, present or impending.
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Bibliography

Buy It! Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements, by James F. Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., Avery Publishing Group, Inc., Garden City Park, NY

Buy It! Back to Eden, by Jethro Kloss; Back to Eden Publishing Co., Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994

Buy It! Indian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, Shambala Publications, Inc., Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973

Buy It! Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke., Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000

Buy It!The Magic of Herbs, by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. (Out of print)

Buy It! The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine, by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.

Buy It! Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. WI 53181., Copyright 1988, published 1992

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