Cataplasm / Poultice: What Is It? How To Do It? How To Use It?

Cataplasm or Poultice is a paste of medicinal herbs that is applied to the skin to soothe burns, inflammation, irritated skin, or improve blood circulation. It is a natural remedy for external use, and as far back as ancient times the Romans and Greeks used it to treat various ailments.

We are at the peak of spring, a time when there is an abundance of plants, and it is just the right time to bring you another tip for more natural self-care. In this post we will show you how to make a cataplasm/poultice with fresh and dried plants, how to choose the plants and how to apply it to the skin. At the end of the post, also watch our educational video where we show everything, step by step.

What is a Cataplasm/Poultice?

A cataplasm or poultice is a paste made from medicinal herbs macerated and mixed with water and clay. The herbs used can be fresh or dried, and the use of clay, although optional, is well advised because clay, in addition to its skin healing properties, also helps form a consistent paste that becomes easier to apply.

How to Choose the Plants?

You can use a single plant or a mixture of several plants. The plants should be selected according to the problem to be treated. Here are some brief examples of plants that can be used individually or in a combination: 

For relieving muscle pain - Mint, Passion flower, Rosemary, Sage, and Nasturtium

For skin care - Calendula, Lavender, Chamomile, Parsley, and Rose

For menstrual pain relief - Anise and Sage

To bring down fever - Lime, Lemon grass and Laurel

These are just a few suggestions and we remind you that the plants and their active ingredients may have different effects on each person. If you have adverse reactions to any plant, its use should be discontinued. We also remind you that, unfortunately, natural remedies are not a substitute for conventional medicine when it is really needed.

Learn more about medicinal plants and how to prepare and use them in our book: "The 5C's of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants - Cultivate, Care, Collect, Conserve and Consume 30 Plants and Their Properties".

 

How To Do It?

Let's see how to make this medicinal paste with fresh herbs and with dried herbs:

With Fresh Herbs

1. Choose the plants according to the problem to be treated. There are no right amount. An amount proportional to the size of the area to be treated should be chosen.
2. In a bowl, macerate the plants. Now, when we say macerate, we mean to start by crushing the plant with a pestle so that it will then more easily release its active ingredients pnto the skin.
3. Add just a little hot water to help soften the plants and continue macerating.
4. Optionally, add a little clay* to help form a paste-like consistency. When it forms a homogeneous paste, the cataplasm/poultice is ready to apply.

* To make the cataplasm/poultice in this post and video, we used green clay. If you have very sensitive skin you can use white clay as an alternative.

If there is a good amount of plant left over, you can make bundles and dry them for later use, or you can use them to make smudge sticks.

With Dried Herbs

With dried herbs the process is similar. Only the amounts of water and clay may vary, since the plants are dry.

1. Choose the plants according to the problem to be treated.
2. In a bowl, macerate the plants.
3. Add a little hot water to help soften the plants and continue macerating.
4. Optionally, add a little clay to help form a paste consistency. When it forms a homogeneous paste, it is ready to apply.

The plant left overs can be placed in the compost pile.

How To Use It?

The cataplasm/poultice can be applied cold or hot, depending on the therapeutic purpose. If it is to relieve muscle pain, we advise applying hot. If it is to soothe skin burns, apply cold.

Apply the paste to the affected area and cover with a gauze, bandage, or cotton cloth to ensure contact with the skin. Some people just apply the paste to the skin without bandaging. However, we recommend using bandages, as they help keep the paste in place, especially if applied to an area where it is liable to run off. 

Leave it on for 10 minutes to 1 hour to enjoy all its emollient, anti-inflammatory, and soothing effects.

What About After Use?

After use, the paste should be placed in the compost pile, as it is all-natural. If the gauze or bandage is 100% natural, it can be placed in the compost pile as well. If a cotton cloth is used, it can be washed and reused.

We hope you enjoyed today's tips, and don't forget to check out our YouTube video to see, in a practical way, how to make these medicinal pastes. If you haven't subscribed to our channel yet, take the opportunity to do so if you don't want to miss a thing!

VIDEO - Cataplasm / Poultice: What Is It? How To Do It? How To Use It?