Saturday 27 March 2010

Ledum to the rescue for puncture wounds

Lovely spring day here, front garden looking very pretty in the sunshine with lemon primroses and pale daffs finally out, and a few purple anemones scattered along the bed. The daphne is now in full bloom - quite late this year, it's been putting out the odd flower since late February but the full "pompom effect" -and delicious scent - of the collective flowers has only flourished in the last ten days. The laurel berries have been slowly ripening from green to yellow since the snow went and are now bright scarlet. I expect they're poisonous; the birds don't eat them from this bush and you would think they would welcome fresh pickings at this time of year.
I should be on the allotment, but in the midst of clearing the strawberry bed I knelt on a rusty nail earlier this week. It went in about an inch, didn't bleed very much but I had to do a quick clean-up with some antiseptic wipes and a loose dressing, and come home.
Ledum and Hypericum are the indicated homeopathic remedies for this kind of deep puncture wound. I took 3 doses of Ledum 30 daily for 2 days. I also dabbed a bit of Calendula cream on the wound on the first day; this is a traditional antiseptic and it doesn't allow the wound to close up too quickly. This is important where there is the risk of tetanus (we use stable manure on the allotment and horse pee is the most likely source of Clostridium tetanii in the UK). The bug thrives in a sealed, oxygen free environment, hence the need for care when a wound is deep.
From the second day, when the wound felt a little warm and inflamed, I took three doses of Hypericum 30 daily, stopping after the sixth dose as the inflammation seemed to have gone.
My knee is still painful, but a mix of Arnica, Rhus Tox and Ruta 30 ( especially the latter) eases this considerably.
I spent most of the first two days in bed; grateful for the Garden magazine and Gardeners World which both popped through the letterbox for entertainment while I was laid up, but I also slept a lot - a shock reaction perhaps? I feel very fortunate that P is at home and was able to bring frequent cups of tea and food, in between groundwork for decorating the living room which we started on the day before my accident, planning to complete before the Easter break. Now I just have to be patient with myself, moving carefully between positions so I don't twist or strain the knee, while the process of healing takes its course.
The good news is that the first lettuce was coming through, planted under a cloche 2 weeks ago; and the first carrots, only put in one week before! Time to get some seedlings under way at home I think for later in the season...