Ulcers, Honey And Castor Oil

Ulcers, Honey And Castor Oil by Jane Thurnell-Read

A previous article on honey and ulcers generated comments from three of our regular readers. Here they are:

Kim Hynes told me that she also works in a National Health Service hospital, in a Tissue Viability Department, which deals with leg ulcers, diabetic ulcers etc: "The Tissue Viability Specialist Nurses there regularly use honey based dressings. It is not ordinary honey that is used but Manuka honey, and these dressings are available in the UK through the NHS with a doctor's prescription. The nurses in this unit do not feel that ordinary honey should be used "as it may contain pathogenic bacteria".

Gerda Lord emailed me this interesting story: "whilst a student nurse at Central Middlesex Hospital in London I nursed an elderly woman who had such a bad ulcer on her lumber spine area; one could see her spine through all the debris of the wound. Our Sister instructed us to put honey onto the wound and we would expose her back to the sun from the ward window - umbrella in situ - although, once, I did forget the umbrella and got and immediate response from a Sister from the ward opposite!! The patient took a long time to heal but we watched it heal over a period of some months. I think we may have added something to the honey, and toward the end of her stay the pharmacy also sent some wonderful cream over, I don't know what it was - but that elderly lady left the Hospital with just a tiny scar on her back."

Practitioner Dee Platt told me about Edgar Casey's leg ulcer treatment. When this was recommended to her, she was concerned about her mother who was in her 70's and being threatened by below the knee leg amputation because her leg was peppered with leg ulcers.

The recommended treatment involved:

• Drenching the ulcerated area in castor oil and then wrapping it with flannel for three days, and then repeating once more.
• Massaging the bowel area in the direction of bowel flow with castor oil and leaving overnight. It was suggested that a pair of old knickers or underpants are worn overnight to stop the oil spoiling the sheets.
• Taking a teaspoon of castor oil before bedtime, sitting up in bed if it makes you feel nauseous.

She was told that the ulcer should be gone within 6 days. Dee told me: "My mother was under the hospital so we couldn't do the first part of the treatment as her leg was regularly bandaged. The other two were undertaken. My mother never did have the leg amputated and the hospital was amazed that they had healed so well. She did continue to suffer from leg ulcers, but normally only one at a time. I also found that using aloe vera gel used topically and drinking aloe vera was beneficial at keeping them at bay."