Jethro Kloss in his book, Back to Eden, p. 375, states that the slippery elm poultice has no superior. It may be used alone, or it may be combined with other materials, as follows:
Combine charcoal and slippery elm in equal quantities. Both should be in a dry powder form so they can be mixed with warm water to form a paste. Use this for gangrenous-type sores or inflamed areas of the body, especially glands. It is also very effective when used internally.
Case Histories
Case No. 1.
On rising early one morning a professional woman found that she had great pain in her lower abdomen. It was a pain that affected the whole body through the nervous system. Later, blood was noticed in the urine indicating that the kidneys and bladder were involved. Some lobelia (an herb) was steeped in two cups of boiling water about 20 minutes. After straining the herb out, we placed the solution over the fire and mixed in 2 ozs. of slippery elm and enough wheat-meal flour to make a spreadable mixture. This was then spread over a thin cloth and applied to the abdomen. The poultice was applied warm and kept warm with a hot water bottle for two hours. It was not long till the pain eased, the nerves became calm, and a good rest was acquired. A new poultice was put on when the two hours were up. After four hours of treatment the woman was feeling a little weak, but there was no more blood and no more pain. She had also taken a cup of hot tea made from Golden Seal followed by a glass or two of pure water. She was able to continue her work quite normally the next day.
Case No. 2.
There was a gentleman whose whole body seemed to be sick. He did not know what was bothering him, but he did know that he was suffering a lot of pain and that his food was not helping him. He was given a cleansing treatment including steam baths and massage, etc. His diet for one week was as follows. In the morning upon rising he took 1 cup of warm slippery elm gruel. This was made by mixing together one teaspoon of powdered slippery elm with half an ounce of honey. When this is well mixed so that no powder is left, add very hot water. (Not boiling, but very hot.) This makes a very palatable drink which has the effect of coating the inflamed membrane of the digestive tract. For breakfast he ate apple mush (whole apples cooked and put through a sieve), bread that had been dried out in the oven until very crisp, and another cup of slippery elm gruel. The same menu was eaten at every meal. By the end of the week his health had recovered to the point where he was able to eat normally and live a reasonably comfortable life again.
Internally or externally, separately or in combination with other ingredients, the slippery elm poultice brings wonderful healing to inflammations found in all parts of the body.
Slippery elm combined with baker’s yeast forms a poultice which will draw boils and abscesses to a head and prevent the onset of infection. Just make a paste with the yeast and powder by adding a little water.
The role of charcoal in poultices is worthy of mention. Charcoal for medicinal purposes is more effective when made from particular types of trees. In Australia, the eucalyptus trees are the best, while in the United States, boxwood, willow, pine, and other soft woods are excellent. Charcoal is an absorbent material. It will absorb many times its own weight in gases and impurities. Commercial acetylene bottles are filled with charcoal to enable the storage within the container of much greater amounts of the gas. It is also used for the purification of water and is the filter substance used in gas masks.
This makes it very useful as an antiseptic, due to its absorbent and oxidizing qualities. It is excellent taken internally for acid dyspepsia, gas, fermentation, indigestion and heartburn. For these internal applications, either as a cure or as a preventative, place the charcoal in a cup; mix with warm water into a paste; then, dilute with hot water or milk and drink immediately. This may be repeated as often as necessary. No injury can result provided that reasonable care has been taken to keep the charcoal from other contamination.
Thoroughly pulverize the dry charcoal. Make a cloth bag large enough to cover the stomach. Pour a goodly quantity of charcoal powder into the bag, lay it flat on the table, and sprinkle water over it to moisten it. This is a simple and clean way to prepare a charcoal poultice when only using water. If only a small area is to be poulticed, mix the charcoal with water to form a paste, spread on a cloth, fold over, and lay over the affected area. The use of charcoal in healing is a very old remedy as the following experience will show.
Case No. 3.
A gentleman “was taken sick with inflammation of the bowels and bloody dysentery. The man was not a careful health reformer, but indulged his appetite. Fears were entertained that mortification had set in. Then the thought came to me like a communication from the Lord to take pulverized charcoal, put water upon it, and give this water to the sick man to drink, putting bandages of the charcoal over the bowels and stomach. We were about one mile from the city of Denison, but the sick man’s son went to a blacksmith’s shop, secured the charcoal, and pulverized it, and then used it according to the directions given. The result was that in half an hour there was a change for the better. We had to go on our journey and leave the family behind, but what was our surprise the following day to see their wagon over-take us. The sick man was lying in a bed in the wagon. The blessing of God had worked with the simple means used.” Selected Messages, Volume 2:299, Ellen G. White, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958. The original letter from which this report was taken was written in 1899.
The use of charcoal includes applications for inflamed eyes, bruises, infections, old ulcers, sores and poisonous bites from insects or spiders. Charcoal may be combined with water, olive oil, flaxseed (linseed) porridge, corn mush, or wheat mush. The first two of these may be used cold permitting the body heat to warm the poultice.
Linseed (flaxseed) and charcoal poultices can also be of great advantage in the treatment of chest colds. Make a porridge out of linseed and stir in the charcoal. Spread this on a cloth, apply to the chest, protect with plastic and wrap flannel around to keep warm. If linseed (flaxseed) is not available, use cornmeal or just thickened wheatmeal with charcoal added.
Case No. 4.
Here is another example of the effectiveness of this form of poultice. “On Thursday Sara McEnterfer was called to see if she could do anything for B’s little son, who is eighteen months old. For several days he has had a painful swelling on the knee supposed to be from the bite of some poisonous insect. Pulverized charcoal, mixed with flaxseed, was placed upon the swelling, and this poultice gave relief at once. The child had screamed with pain all night, but when this was applied, he slept. Today she has been to see the little one twice. She opened the swelling in two places, and a large amount of yellow matter and blood was discharged freely. The child was relieved of its great suffering. We thank the Lord that we may become intelligent in using the simple things within our reach to alleviate pain, and successfully remove its cause.”
Case No. 5.
A child of four was suffering from bronchitis but was allowed to play in the rain and become wet. This did not help the condition of his chest and by nightfall, he found it difficult to breathe. He also began to run an elevated temperature. A flaxseed and charcoal poultice was fixed for his chest and he was carefully watched over until, almost two hours later, he had vomited up the contents of his stomach along with a lot of phlegm. The warmth of the flaxseed and charcoal poultice gave him ease in breathing and loosened the mucous in the lung area so that his body was able to throw it off. Although there was no problem in this case, it is necessary to watch over young patients carefully while giving them this treatment because they may have a difficult time getting rid of the mucous that will be thrown off.
Case No. 6.
In our district one year there was a man afflicted by a virus of a certain strain that was affecting many people in the area. Its symptoms seemed similar to those of meningitis, i.e., a stiffening of the neck and back muscles. A flaxseed and charcoal poultice made by pouring a mixture about the thickness of porridge into a bag was placed under the neck like a cushion and left overnight. In the morning, the man was able to go out to work in his pineapple patch. It is not always that such a quick response will be realized, but any relief obtained will show that you are working in the right direction.
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