As soon as you hurt yourself and the area starts to swell and turn bluish, apply a cold compress to the area. You can wrap some ice cubes in a wash cloth and apply it gently to the bruised area. Keep doing this every once in two hours for the first 24 hours. In the period following you can try any of the following remedies:
- Apply a tincture of witch hazel as a cold compress
- Take a Vitamin c supplement
- Peel a potato and blend it in a processor. Wrap this up in come cheesecloth and apply to the bruised area
- Once the bruises have healed a little, apply alternate hot and cold compresses to the area. A hot compress may simply be a wet warm washcloth
- Apply some onion slices or heated tomato slices to the area, but not if the skin is broken.
- Mullein oil is also a good remedy to reduce the swelling and pain
Here is a recipe for an effective poultice for both bruising and swelling:
Sage and Vinegar Poultice
Bruise a few sage leaves and put them in a pan. Use enough vinegar to barely cover the leaves and put the pan on a slow flame. Let the vinegar simmer and not boil. The poultice is done once the leaves are soft. Place the leaves on a soft cloth while still hot and fold up the cloth. Apply to the bruised area as hot as the patient can tolerate. Cover in some towels and leave it for an hour.
answered by S E