Although the treatment for breaks and fractures would appear to be a strictly external one, the addition to the patient's diet of herbs such as comfrey in the form of tea or added directly to stews and soups can aid the healing. Arnica salve and comfrey poultices applied to any bruised areas can also help regeneration of the tissues.

Comfrey
This is the best of the vulnerary herbs used for treating damage to the flesh. Recognizable in summer for its bell-shaped flowers (in color anywhere from creamy-yellow to a mauve-pink), the long oval leaves and tuber-like root are the medicinally valuable parts of the plant. In the form of a salve made by infusing the leaves, comfrey will aid healing of most flesh wounds, scores and the like; poultices can be made using the powdered root to soothe inflamed skin. Comfrey leaves can be added to stews and soups (though should only be cooked lightly) to help patients recover more swiftly from broken bones, fractures, sprains, burns and other wounds. A comfrey and cayenne salve can be rubbed onto painful joints to give relief.

2. Bruises

After washing the bruise with cold water to reduce the swelling, distilled hamamelis can be swabbed onto the affected area for the same effect. The best preparation for bruises is a salve made from arnica flowers although a poultice of hyssop flowers and leaves can also be effective, especially on black eyes.

Arnica
The tall, orange-yellow daisy-like flowers of this mountain plant are the only parts used; their only medicinal use is in speeding the healing of bruises, however no other herb is as effective at this as arnica. The flowers are made into a salve which is applied to bruises; it must not be used on broken skin, nor should arnica be taken internally in any form.

3. Burns and Scalds

Used to sooth all burns. Common ones are: aloe, dragon's tongue, comfrey, cucumber, and witch hazel.

Cucumber
A large oblong greenish vegetable with a slight curve to it. Inside, near transparent seeds are protected in a ring of tasty white meat with a thin, but tough green skin protecting the vegetable from the elements. There is a medicinal value in this vegetable. Primarily, salves can be made of the cucumber. This is done by crushing the cucumber itself, making a fine, smooth puree, which can then be utilized with other medicinals to make an all-encompassing salve for burns. Another way to remove the burn-soothing properties is juice extraction, preferably by infusion or decoction. See the section on juice extraction for more information. Lacking the time for proper preparation, most healers will have a long lasting salve for burns. Even without this, a cucumber, straight from the garden can be sliced and the raw meat of the vegetable held against the burn. This treatment is perfect for sunburns and other minor burns; for burns with a high degree of damage, use other, stronger remedies.

Hamemelis [witch-hazel]
A small greenish shrub with thin branches and broad green leaves. During the flowering season, witch hazel shrubs flower pristine little yellow flowers. Grows commonly in the northwest. Extracts of the greyish-brown bark and twigs of this small tree are much valued as an astringent, and will also reduce inflammation. Its most common form of use is as a distillation; this contains the soluble extracts of hamamelis twigs in alcohol (about 15%) and water. It is commonly used on bites, bruises and minor burns; it should not be taken internally, but a tea made of hamamelis leaves will help relieve digestive problems associated with diarrhoea, and also ease mouth ulcers.

Dragon's Tongue [aloe vera]
This succulent, sun-loving plant is easily recognised by its rosette of long, lance-shaped, fleshy, prickly-edged leaves, and the central cluster of orange or yellow flowers. These leaves when cut exude a sticky juice which is an excellent astringent and a common remedy for burns, rashes and other skin disorders. Although it is best to use fresh juice if possible by breaking a leaf and rubbing the juice onto the affected area, the juice can also be conserved by drying, and then reconstituted with water.

4. Cuts and Grazes

The first action necessary is to stop any bleeding by applying pressure on the wound using a clean cloth. For a small wound, hamamelis [witch hazel] can be used to stop minor bleeding and to reduce inflammation. Clean the wound with redwort solution, and bandage with clean cloth. Once a scab has formed on the wound, comfrey ointment can be used to speed the healing.

5. Threadscore

Threadscores should be immediately treated with cold water to kill the Thread, if going between is not an option. Once this has been done, numbweed should be applied to relieve the pain; redwort can then be used to cleanse the area around the score. Aftercare of a score involves the use of salves made of numbweed and comfrey in varying proportions as the score heals; cayenne can be added to the salve to improve its efficacy. Mosstea can be packed against the score to prevent infection if this is a possibility.