kung fu first aid kit

[AbuSana']

I heard honey works well for cuts and scraps also.
This one lady at the herb shop told me that when she uses it, it cuts healing time in half.

[jkinnear]

Mike your basic first aid kit is a really good start. All those patents are essential.

[kungfujoe]

I'd add also that Yunnan Paiyao, while not an antibiotic (as far as I know), seems to effectively "pull" infections (and other foreign material) from wounds. I've had an infected toe for the last few days that was just getting worse, and I put some Yunnan Paiyao paste (the egg white mix mentioned above) on it last night, and it was feeling ten times better this morning. Last time I used it for any length of time, it was on a post-surgical wound on my knuckle that kept getting infected and would not heal. It not only closed the wound, but while I was using it, all of the internal stitches made their way to the surface of the skin and popped out.

It sounds pretty weird to anyone who hasn't used it, but I've noticed really drastic improvements in healing of open wounds with this stuff. For me, personally, I've found that it cuts healing time to much less than half of what I'd expect without it.

[kungfujoe]

Colloidal Silver- this is suspension of silver particles in water. it's primary use is as an alternative antibiotic and i have used it many times for that purpose. silver is effective against over 1200 virus and bacteria. it seems to work faster and better that antibiotics in most cases, in my opinion, and in my experience. it is not a harsh substance, and in fact is still used in many states to drop in the eyes of newborns to kill any potential bacteria picked up during birth.

When you say "still used in many states," are you referring to nation states or states within the United States? I hadn't heard of this use of silver, so I did a (very) little bit of research on it, and I found more warnings against it than information advocating it.. And the warnings seemed to come from more reputable sources than the testimonials. For example, the NIH (National Institute of Health) has an advisory about colloidal silver. Quackwatch.org has an article titled "Risk Without Benefit" about colloidal silver. The FDA also has issued a bunch of warnings about colloidal silver, not just in terms of use in humans, but with respect to animals, too. Most of the sites touting the benefits of colloidal silver seem less objective, and have something to gain out of proving its usefulness. No one is saying that the stuff is dangerous with limited exposure, but the bottom line seems to be that while its effectiveness is largely unproven, the risks are known (though the amount of exposure necessary to cause those risk factors to kick in is not so well understood). I think for first aid, you're safer (from a liability standpoint if no other) to stick with bacitracin or Neosporin.

[AbuSana']

I've also heard about the negative effects of colloidal silver, but also thought that it was dangerous in large amounts.

Might anyone know where you can get this items, especially the Yunnan Paiyao?

[kungfujoe]

Might anyone know where you can get this items, especially the Yunnan Paiyao?

I'm sure mail-order sources are a Google search away, but the stuff is cheap enough that shipping will add significantly to the cost. Your best bet is to stock up whenever you're someplace with a Chinatown, or look in a local Asian market. I've had good luck finding Zheng Gu Shui (basically a camphor-based analgesic) in Asian grocery stores, but for things like Yunnan Paiyao or Dit Da Wan, I've only seen them in Chinatown.

Last time I got Yunnan Paiyao, I accidentally bought a box (of vials) instead of a vial, so I've probably got enough to last me a few decades. If you're ever in VA, I'll gladly sell you one. They're just a few bucks each, and even though they're very small, you don't need to use much at a time, so they last awhile.