Comfrey  (Symphtyum officinale)  Pioneers used comfrey on cuts, burns, skin ulcers, sprains, and fractures. If the wound was not cleaned thoroughly, the skin could quickly grow over an infection or dirt.  Today, all the parts of comfrey are known to contain allantoin, a substance used in some pharmaceutical preparations to increase cell growth. 

Calendula  (Calendula officinalis)  During the Civil War, calendula petals were used for “persisting wounds”.  It also developed a reputation for treating fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, ringworm, and candida.  Mothers used powdered calendula petals on diaper rash.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)  Cherokee Indians first discovered and used this plant in powdered form onto cuts or wounds to disinfect and promote healing.  As early as 1650, a Jesuit priest recorded that the bruised leaf was known to close and disinfect cuts and wounds. It contains berberine and hydrastine, which is an astringent and has mild antibiotic properties.  Goldenseal was harvested so extensively throughout the 1800’s that it has reached near extinction in the wild.  Caution:  Goldenseal is to be avoided internally if you are pregnant.

Plantain (Plantain major)  Native American tribes used poultices of plantain leaves to ease pain of wounds and to soothe rheumatic pain.  American pioneers found help for their Insect bites, bee stings, and hemorrhoIds by using plantain.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)  Yarrow earned its knickname of “soldier’s woundwort” because of its reputation to stop bleeding.  Later, in 1950, an alkaloid from the plant was found to have some ability to make blood clot faster.  Backwoods doctors  sometimes used this plant to reduce mild pain.  Caution:  Yarrow is to be avoided internally if you are pregnant.