Poultice
Encyclopedia
A poultice, also called cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed
, or pain
ful part of the body. It can be used on wounds such as cuts. It can also be a porous solid filled with solvent used to remove stains from porous stone such as marble or granite.
The word "poultice" comes from the Latin puls, pultes, meaning "porridge."
s to relieve inflammation. It is usually used on the lower legs, under a stable bandage
, to focus treatment on the easily-injured tendons in the area. Poultices are sometimes applied as a precautionary measure after the horse has worked hard, such as after a cross-country run, to prevent heat and filling. They are also used to treat abscess
wounds, where a build-up of pus needs to be drawn out.
Poultices may also be heated and placed on an area where extra circulation is desired.
and marble
are frequently used in residential construction of bathrooms and kitchens and are susceptible to a variety of stains.
From a chemical standpoint, a porous stone becomes stained when a solution containing a solute
penetrates its surface and then evaporates leaving the solid solute behind within the stone. Alternatively, grease may penetrate the porous surface and remain within the stone without evaporating. In either case, the stone will become visibly "stained."
Poultices for removing stains are made from a malleable mass of a porous material (paper, whiting, diatomaceous earth
, flour, limestone) filled with a solvent
which can be applied to the surface of the stone. The solvent used (ammonia, acetone, alcohol, peroxide, etc.) depends on what substance caused the stain. As the solvent penetrates the surface of the porous stone containing the stain, it forms a single continuous solution between the stone and the poultice on the surface. The poultice is kept moist and covered to allow time for the solvent to sufficiently penetrate the stone and dissolve the staining material, be it grease or solute. The solute will then equilibrate by passive diffusion between the stone and the poultice. After an adequate time for this process to occur, the poultice is removed and with it the solution containing a portion of the dissolved solute or "stain." Multiple repetitions of the process will eventually decrease the concentration of the solute or "stain" within the stone until it is invisible or minimally visible.
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
, or pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
ful part of the body. It can be used on wounds such as cuts. It can also be a porous solid filled with solvent used to remove stains from porous stone such as marble or granite.
The word "poultice" comes from the Latin puls, pultes, meaning "porridge."
Types of poultice
- Some Native AmericansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
used mashed pumpkinMashed pumpkinMashed pumpkin is a vegetable dish made by cooking or macerating the skinless flesh of pumpkins and then mashing, straining, grinding, or puréeing until the desired consistency is achieved. It is traditionally served as a side dish, although it has many uses in cooking and baking.-History:The...
as a poultice. - In addition to bread and cereals, branBranBran is the hard outer layer of grain and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. When bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their...
may also be used as a poultice because of its absorbent quality. It is packed into the wound and then covered with a piece of sacking or similar material before being bandaged onto the site of the wound. - There are also many commercial poultices that are ready-made. Some of these may be labeled as "drawing salves".
- Ash poultices can cause a chemical burnChemical burnA chemical burn occurs when living tissue is exposed to a corrosive substance such as a strong acid or base. Chemical burns follow standard burn classification and may cause extensive tissue damage. The main types of irritant and/or corrosive products are: acids, bases, oxidizers, solvents,...
.
Inflammation treatment
A poultice is a common treatment used on horseHorse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s to relieve inflammation. It is usually used on the lower legs, under a stable bandage
Stable bandage
A stable bandage, or standing bandage/wrap, is a type of wrap used on the lower legs of a horse. A stable bandage runs from just below the knee or hock, to the bottom of the fetlock joint, and protects the cannon bone, tendons of the lower leg, and fetlock joint.-Uses of the stable...
, to focus treatment on the easily-injured tendons in the area. Poultices are sometimes applied as a precautionary measure after the horse has worked hard, such as after a cross-country run, to prevent heat and filling. They are also used to treat abscess
Abscess
An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue in which the pus resides due to an infectious process or other foreign materials...
wounds, where a build-up of pus needs to be drawn out.
Poultices may also be heated and placed on an area where extra circulation is desired.
Stain removal
Stone is a porous material which is susceptible to staining. GraniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
are frequently used in residential construction of bathrooms and kitchens and are susceptible to a variety of stains.
From a chemical standpoint, a porous stone becomes stained when a solution containing a solute
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
penetrates its surface and then evaporates leaving the solid solute behind within the stone. Alternatively, grease may penetrate the porous surface and remain within the stone without evaporating. In either case, the stone will become visibly "stained."
Poultices for removing stains are made from a malleable mass of a porous material (paper, whiting, diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth also known as diatomite or kieselgur/kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from less than 1 micrometre to more than 1 millimetre, but typically 10 to...
, flour, limestone) filled with a solvent
Solvent
A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...
which can be applied to the surface of the stone. The solvent used (ammonia, acetone, alcohol, peroxide, etc.) depends on what substance caused the stain. As the solvent penetrates the surface of the porous stone containing the stain, it forms a single continuous solution between the stone and the poultice on the surface. The poultice is kept moist and covered to allow time for the solvent to sufficiently penetrate the stone and dissolve the staining material, be it grease or solute. The solute will then equilibrate by passive diffusion between the stone and the poultice. After an adequate time for this process to occur, the poultice is removed and with it the solution containing a portion of the dissolved solute or "stain." Multiple repetitions of the process will eventually decrease the concentration of the solute or "stain" within the stone until it is invisible or minimally visible.