WHAT is a Poultice?
A poultice is a soft, wet paste mixture of ingredients with healing properties that is applied topically to the body, covered with a bandage, and left in place for anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours. Depending upon the condition being treated, poultices can be warming or cooling. Another name for poultice is cataplasm.
In this age of high tech, specialized medicine and commercially, mass produced products, not too many individuals have experienced the healing benefits offered by the old-fashioned, homemade poultice.
For centuries, poultices were commonly used to treat a variety of conditions in people and animals. Indigenous peoples around the world are still using clay for medicinal purposes.
Common poultices for people were made to treat abscesses, infections, and insect bites.
For horses, warming, drawing poultices were made and are still made to treat abscesses and infections in the hoof. Cooling poultices are made to treat inflamed or stressed tendons, ligaments, and joints.
The Art of The Poultice
Today, “Poultice Knowledge” resides with classic horsemen and a small number of western and oriental health care practitioners.
Making a poultice is like cooking. Anyone can throw ingredients together and call it a meal. However, creating a delicious meal requires a knowledgeable, experienced cook.
Producing a highly effective poultice is an art that requires the skill, patience, and specialized knowledge of:
- Selecting the proper ingredients and preparing the poultice mixture.
- Applying the poultice properly with the correct bandaging.
- Allowing the poultice to remain in place for the proper amount of time.
- Properly removing the poultice and cleaning the treatment area.
Don Doran is a “Poultice Guru”. He garnered his poultice making skills as a youth working on the backstretch of Belmont Racetrack. Poultices have been and still are an integral part of daily life in professional horse training.
Over the years, as Don developed his knowledge of herbal medicine, he was able to super charge his already wonderful poultices.
From Don’s viewpoint, poultices are underutilized in the soft tissue injury recovery processes for humans.
Don has developed Die Da Gao Cooling Herbal Clay Poultice for Basic Wellness. This poultice is used in Stage 1 of Die Da Yao Injury Recovery.
Don used this very poultice to help Lopez Lomong qualify for the 2008 Track & Field Olympic Games. Click here to read about Don & Lopez’s amazing adventure at the Eugene, Oregon Track & Field Olympic Trials.
Die Da Gao Cooling Herbal Clay Poultice helped Lopez Lomong get to the Olympics, it can help you too!
Click here to see Don’s slide show about Healing Clay.