​

June 25, 2025

Happy Wednesday, Reader!

It was a late Saturday afternoon about 12 years ago, and I was shopping in Las Vegas with a friend of mine. I had made a purchase and reached into my bag for my pocket knife to cut off the tag....

Only it slipped and cut my left fore-finger nearly to the bone across the main knuckle. And WOO! Did it BLEED. It was a gusher!

I tightly wrapped a little towel I found in my truck around the wound and held it tightly while thinking about what to do. Back then, we lived off-grid about an hour out of town, and at this point, I couldn't drive like this, with blood gushing as it was.

So, I went to a pharmacy and asked the pharmacist if he thought I needed stitches. Of course, he told me, "Yes."

Oh, no.....

I groaned inwardly for a couple of reasons.

One, the massive cost. Even with insurance, I knew it was going to end up costing a pretty penny in an emergency clinic.

Two, the TIME. I knew the visit would probably take upward of 4 to 6 hours in our busy city, and I had an hour drive home...and it was already pretty late.

Luckily, I'm an herbalist.

I decided to do my own thing, knowing what I know about first aid, cuts and wounds, and medicinal herbs I could find in the grocery store. I walked into a large grocery store, holding tightly onto my makeshift bandage, and bought some cayenne powder from the spice section. Then I bought some good, large bandages.

WAIT! Don't leave yet. I'm really not crazy! I'll explain.....

Let me tell you why cayenne pepper is an excellent idea for bleeding cuts and wounds. It contains compounds that make it both styptic (clotting agent) AND it's antinociceptive and analgesic when used topically. Yes!

You see, it does burn for a FAST second—it's a hot pepper, after all—but then the plant's numbing action kicks in, relieving the pain.

Isn't that great?

Not only does it stop bleeding, it also helps with some pain relief.

After the store visit, I unwrapped the towel I had found, sprayed my homemade hand sanitizer on the cut, liberally (and YES, that hurt like the dickens!). Then I sprinkled quite a lot of cayenne powder into the cut and quickly wrapped it back up tightly with one of the bandages.

I drove home fast as I legally could as the blood slowly seeped through the bandage for the next 15 minutes. But I noticed something....

About 20 minutes into my long drive home, the bleeding seemed to have slowed down significantly. There was no more seepage. And this was a DEEP cut!

Once I got home, I unwrapped the bandage, and I washed it really well with soap and warm water, rinsing well. Of course, this started the bleeding again, but that's ok.

I poured more cayenne powder into the cut, wrapped another bandage around it tightly, then added a popsicle stick as a splint, and wrapped that up too. Since the cut was right across the knuckle, I knew I needed to immobilize it.

And then, I put my hand in a plastic bag to keep everything dry, took a relaxing shower, and went to bed.

Incredibly, the cut healed within about a week and a half. Due to a large scar, I didn't have full movement for about six months. But guess what? That scar disappeared completely in around nine months. I regained 100% full movement of my finger, and there was no scar.

I'm not sure I'd have gotten full range of movement back if I'd had those stitches, and I bet I'd still have a scar, too.

Herbs work incredibly well, IF you know what to do.

I'll share why the cayenne worked so well in just a moment, but first, let's take a look at what an ER or clinic visit might look like:

1) Significant loss of my time. That's pretty valuable at my advanced age. Priceless. A friend of mine told me she spent over 8 hours in the ER for a simple thing recently.

2) Potentially being exposed to a LOT of germs in the waiting area. YUCK.

3) Having the wound cleaned (which I handled myself)

4) Stitches....I'm guessing at least three. And as you can see, these weren't necessary for my cut using my methods.

5) A prescription for antibiotics "just in case"

6) A bandage with a splint of some sort...again, which I handled myself.

7) Instructions to keep it clean and dry (of course!)

8) A command to return in a week for a follow-up for an additional $200.

This kind of hospital visit could easily cost between $400 and $1,000 for a person without insurance. Even with insurance, you're going to get price-gouged and have to pay the high co-pays. In fact, I've heard of people paying more in co-pays than what a cash price might cost in some places.

I saved hundreds if not nearly a thousand dollars by handling my emergency using the benefits and powers of medicinal herbs.

I felt (and feel) so very blessed to have this knowledge....and to be sharing it.

If you want to find out why cayenne works so well as a styptic or hemostat (stops bleeding and encourages clotting), you can enjoy this article on:

​How to Make Your Own Quikclot​

(and yes, it works!)

NOTE: The comments are pretty interesting and filled with tips, too!

Once more, I want to say I'm not "anti-doctor." Not at all. There's a time and place for medical intervention, and with knowledge of herbal medicine, you simply have more choices.

(Also, this is NOT a substitute for medical advice. Please have a look at my disclaimers everywhere. I am not a doctor.)

Contrary to what the "prepper" and homestead channels will tell you, you do not need a bunker full of stale over-the-counter drugs to be health-prepared.

You need knowledge of the herbs you can find all around you, even in the grocery store or garden! You need knowledge of how to make your own plant medicine.....

I shared this story because I'm sure you have possibly had or can imagine having your own $800 medical emergency.

🌿 Times when you knew you should have been able to handle something at home, but lack of confidence sent you to urgent care, the ER, or the pharmacy for a very expensive "solution" that may not have solved anything.

🌿 Maybe it's something like a middle-of-the-night fever that had you Googling emergency rooms....

🌿 Or perhaps it's a recurring issue that doctors keep prescribing the same ineffective treatment for.

🌿 Maybe you experience, like I have in the long ago past, watching your medicine cabinet fill up and expenses climb while your family's health just worsens!

You don't have to live that way.

The solution is to begin your herbalism journey!

I want to invite you to my FREE workshop I hold a couple times a year:

​Five BEST Herbs for Your Home Apothecary.

You'll learn:

• The medicinal actions of these easy-to-find herbs
• Many ways to use them at home
• Several remedies, recipes, and formulas for their use.
• And more, like how to work with different fevers with different herbs...because we choose herbs for the person and situation
• PLUS remedies you can use right away!

You'll also get a FREE 29 page guide, too.

Just click the image below now to save your seat. They're limited, and you don't want to miss this!

********************************

​

A note on Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) essential oil.....

One of the comments from a lady in the article linked above (on Quikclot) mentions using geranium essential oil as a hemostat, too.

I did some quick research, and YES! It does have astringing effects and hemostatic properties.

I'm sure they're not as powerful as the cayenne and other ingredients in the article, but you could certainly add it to the powders to help even more. Plus, it's antimicrobial. And...it smells lovely!

*******************************

GREAT news! I found a wonderful free guide on How to Grow Your Own Fire Cider I wrote about two years ago. If you'd like it, just click the link and use the same email address you're using here to get your copy!

That's all for this week! Enjoy the summer days, and I'll see you next week!

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

In gratitude and....

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Don't forget to pick up your FREE Guide to Growing Your Own Fire Cider!

Also, please forward this note to a friend who might enjoy it, too! **Be sure to use the email you're using to receive this note so you don't get doubles from me. 🥰

​