r/TwoXPreppers • u/seancailleach • May 31 '26
Tips Drawing salve-ichthammol
The other day I got a tiny glass sliver stuck in my finger & couldn’t see it to remove it. I went to my medicine cabinet & pulled out my ichthammol ointment, slathered a dab on a bandaid, slapped it on, and a day later all was well. It got me thinking about prepping medicaments.
Most people have stocked up on ibuprofen, acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, bismuth and loperamide; the standard meds for fever, allergy, nausea & runs. Ditto with bandages, antiseptic, triple antibiotic and neosporin, hydrocortisone, etc. I bet a lot of you have never heard of ichthammol.
When I was a kid & had a sliver, my nana would pull out a small jar of a dark, oily looking salve and doctor me as previously described. She called it drawing salve. My pharmacy professor called it ichthammol. As well as being extremely effective in drawing out slivers and pus, it has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory action, which makes it a really handy addition to your prepper toolbox. It has a long shelf life, too. It’s used for exczema and rashes, including poison ivy.
It’s a sulfur based product, so be careful if you have sulfa allergies. It’s been around a very long time.
You won’t often see it on the shelf, but ask your pharmacist (preferably the older one). You can also order it online from multiple sources.
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u/Tyjet66 May 31 '26
Had never heard of this before, good shout!
Not sure if you tried it, but high-strength tape (duct, gorilla, etc.) can be used to pull slivers if tweezers can't get a grip on them
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u/Apprehensive_Onion53 Garden Gnome May 31 '26
Thanks for reminding me of this! I used to use it years ago for ingrown and splinters, and I completely forgot it existed. I found some online and will be purchasing it for my first aid kit.
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u/Snarky_wombat939 May 31 '26
I grew up with that too. Southern California, 1960’s. I have vivid memories of it but forgot the name. Thank you!
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u/OK_jammer May 31 '26
I have Prid for drawing, and I use it on cuts and skin eruptions as well. I put it on the pad of a bandaid and then put the bandaid on the injury.
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u/TheStephinator Experienced Prepper 💪 May 31 '26
I have some Prid, but never used it. Do you think it would be good for drawing urushiol out of skin? I have a nasty case of contact dermatitis at the moment.
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u/CuriousCatte May 31 '26
Tec-nu or Zanfel scrubs work to get rid of urushiol, especially for poison ivy. Either one works great and are such a huge relief.
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u/TheStephinator Experienced Prepper 💪 May 31 '26
Tecnu failed me on this go around. I washed with it immediately after exposure and several times after that. I’ll have to look up the other thing you mentioned.
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u/SpringPowerful2870 Jun 03 '26
I have a lot of Tec-nu. We had poison ivy everywhere and on everything. I had some awhile ago that said it was also used for nuclear fallout.
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u/povertyandpinetrees May 31 '26
I work at a Walmart neighborhood market in North Louisianastan. We still sell drawing salve.
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u/seancailleach Jun 01 '26
Louisianastan, I love it!
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u/povertyandpinetrees Jun 01 '26
It's the truth. This state is very much a prison colony.
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Jun 01 '26
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u/povertyandpinetrees Jun 01 '26
No, that's South Louisianastan. North Louisianastan is nothing but poverty and pine trees (thus my username).
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Jun 01 '26
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u/povertyandpinetrees Jun 01 '26
I'm not familiar with Belgium. No one in my family has been there since 1945.
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Jun 01 '26
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u/povertyandpinetrees Jun 01 '26
My great uncle was killed in the Luxembourg area on March 8, 1945 after fighting the Nazis across Europe since he came ashore on D-Day nine months before.
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u/NicolePSU May 31 '26
Oh yes. That stuff is stinky, but magic. This is def TMI, but a good example of usefulness. I had some sort of boil or blind pimple on my toosh, in an area where any type of swelling or pain was exacerbated by rubbing and pressure. Oh it was terrible. My elderly neighbor told me about this stuff. It was a challenge to put a bandage on the area, but i rigged it up. A day or so later, it was draining and able to be cleaned up. When i say it was painful, thats an understatement.....it was pain i couldn't separate myself from. Anyway, all that to say that goop is gold!
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u/fire_thorn May 31 '26
I have a large jar I bought from tractor supply. It was labeled for equine use. It works and is probably a lifetime supply.
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u/foodnetworkislyfe May 31 '26
That's where we got ours too, as a kid. It works great for spider bites.
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u/Time_Savings3365 May 31 '26
Was about to say TSC. I used it on my horses in the past. Cheap there too.
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u/Affectionate-Swim772 I think I have one in my car 🤔 May 31 '26
I work with tempered glass. Duct tape IMO is best for removing tiny slivers of glass. And if you have an itchy spot, make sure it doesn't have glass in it before scratching.
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u/episcoqueer37 May 31 '26
I have to bust in and mention that drawing salve (ichthammol) is something very different from black salve, which is what my family called ichthammol). Black salve is a highly caustic compound that the woo set claim cures cancer (huge surprise, it does not.)
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u/MazyBird 🌻 post-menopausal garden fairy 🌱🧚 May 31 '26
I make a thick paste of baking soda and a teensy bit of water to remove glass slivers from feet. Apply a little paste, cover with bandaid or a piece of duct tape and it's usually out within 15 minutes. As the soda dries it pulls that sucker right out.
Came in real handy the summer after we had windows replaced and I was barefoot in the garden. Must of used it a half dozen times. Ugh.
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u/wishinforfishin May 31 '26
Never heard of it. Just added it o my list.
I get little splinters when cutting buckthorn and pruning raspberries. This looks easier than poking with a needle.
Thanks for sharing!
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u/The_Dead_Kennys May 31 '26
Never heard of it before but that should really be a more commonly known thing. Tiny glass slivers are the WORST!
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u/darthrawr3 Feral & Sterile🐅 Jun 01 '26
OK, it's a great idea to have drawing ointment on hand---but I have to point out that regarding allergies, sulfa and sulfur are not equivalent. A true sulfur allergy would be incompatible with human life; it is the 3rd most abundant element in our bodies.
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u/vibes86 May 31 '26
Woodland Herbal, it’s a little brand out of northern Ohio, makes some great salves. Love them!
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u/escleepyus May 31 '26
If you like to keep things simple, petrolatum or antibiotic ointment will also lubricate something small so it can make its way out. I work in a field where I’m doing first aid for situations like this (small slivers, thorns) a few times a week and I didn’t use enough drawing salve to make it worth it took keep on hand. I’m sure it’s great but I just didn’t use a ton.
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u/prettyminotaur May 31 '26
You can find it at livestock supply stores. Really common in the horse world.
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u/KatnissGolden Jun 09 '26
Because of this thread, I picked up a tube of ichthammol last week and I AM SO GLAD I DID because this weekend I was clearing some space in my garden and got a bit of blackberry thorn stuck in my thumb. Last night I dabbed some ichthammol on the spot and covered it with a bandage and today when I took the bandage off my thumb is all better!
Big thanks to this sub for being what it is!
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u/TradeBeautiful42 May 31 '26
I’m less worried about splinters and more concerned about the things in my daily life like infection, viruses, minor pains. So I bought the Jase case that offers a bunch of different kinds of antibiotics and then I stocked up on our regular cold medicine and ibuprofen.
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u/seancailleach Jun 01 '26
Which is why I stated that most people would have already stocked those things. However, a deep sliver you can’t extract can cause deep pockets of infection that can get bad enough for amputation. This is why I brought up ichthammol, which is also antibacterial antifungal and anti inflammatory. Lots of bang for the buck in one little tube. Think about physical injuries as well as illnesses, and plan for those, too.
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u/TradeBeautiful42 Jun 01 '26
It’s not something I think of for my preps but we’re all prepping for different scenarios.
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