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Seeking relief from Hawthorne wound

Pete Podurgiel

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posted 2 years ago

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Hey all:

Well, I got myself good ...was pulling weeds from under my Hawthorne tree last night and managed to grab a thorn along with a handful of weeds. Felt like the thorn pierced the middle joint of my index finger. Never saw any blood or sign of puncture or pieces of thorn. Wound shows very little redness, but finger swelled up like a sausage and VERY painful if I try to bend (feels like I smashed it with a hammer). I did a little research online and it seems I'm not the only one to have this sort of reaction.

Was beginning to think they were poisonous (turns out they are not), but they apparently do host some special types of bacteria, cited here: http://www.tree-care.info/ask/read.php?2,1345,1719#msg-1719

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Hawthorne thorns are not poisonous. They are however 'aposematic'(initially coloured as a warning to herbivores and humans) and recently researchers(Halpern, Raats, & Lav-Yade, 2007)have discovered that the thorns themselves harbor an array of pathogenic bacteria as yet another defense mechanism. The most common isolates they found on Hawthorn thorns are Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, Rahnella aquatilis, Shigella boydii, and Pantoea agglomerans.

Depending on where you get stabbed and your own immune response to these pathogens, you may very well require medical treatment. As this was the first site that I found before going to the medical databases to do my own research, I do hope that my answer will help others in the future.

It is time for you to seek medical attention when/if you see signs of infection that include: increased pain, heat, swelling, redness that spreads, loss of function, yellow, green or grey discharge

My source of information:

Halpern, M., Raats, D. & Lev-Yaden, S. (2007). Plant biological warfare:thorns inject pathogenic bacteria into herbivores. Environmental Microbiology, 9(3), 584-592. Retrieved from [journals2.scholarsportal.info.proxy2.lib.uwo.ca]:
2048/tmp/512323002418357254.pdf
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Some posters in that forum found relief by soaking in warm water with epsom salt, others used essential oils. I'm going to try the epsom salt soak now and see if that helps any.

Wondering if anyone here has any suggestions on what to do for relief/recovery?

Thanks in advance!

Om is where the heart is.

greg mosser

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posted 2 years ago

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yeah, it can be pretty bad! the problem is that puncture wounds don’t let you apply anything antibacterial to the infection site itself because it’s internal. i don’t have any special advice, unfortunately, but i can commiserate, as i’ve been there before…but it’s been awhile, and i don’t remember if anything specific helped. sorry it’s happening, though!

Heather Sharpe

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posted 2 years ago

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Ouch, Pete! That sounds really rough. Having a hand out of commission is so frustrating! I think the epsom soak is a great idea. I would also suggest plantain (Plantago major or lanceolata). It is very good at drawing out infection and soothing tissues. Should be easy to find most places. You could do a spit poultice with the leaves and keep reapplying often. A poultice with warmed leaves and then wrapped so it stays would be excellent to draw anything out. This can do wonders. You could also make a plantain tea, possibly add it to your salt soak? Given how bad what you're describing is, I would suggest both soaking and poulticing. If that doesn't reduce the signs of infection pretty soon, I'd get some more overtly antibacterial herbs in the mix. Some of the more aromatic mint family plants like oregano or sage. Calendula would be another good one. Or something with berberine, like Oregon grape root possibly. I'd keep essential oils as a last resort, since they can be quite strong and irritating themselves. But I have seen them work and would use them if you didn't have anything else available. I hope you get some relief quickly!

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Casie Becker

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posted 2 years ago

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I'd be reaching for echinacea root either as a supplement or a tea made from the root. I am not an herbalist but it is one of my small stock of reliable herbal remedies whenever I have an infection (or a spider bite). I use it sparingly because revving the immune system that hard isn't sustainable.

Pete Podurgiel

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posted 2 years ago

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Many thanks for the prompt replies & sympathies!

I have echinacea growing out back and I'm sure I can find some plantain while I'm out there.
Will give those a try and report back in a day or two with how I'm making out.

best regards!

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Carla Burke

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*If* the plantain doesn't do it, I make a drawing paste of equal parts bentonite clay and activated charcoal, with just enough distilled water (or better yet, colloidal silver, if you have it) to make a sticky paste. I'd blob on about a quarter sized glob of the paste, then wrap it overnight. As long as it doesn't get worse, keep repeating that. But, don't put anything on to actually heal it, until you're sure you've gotten the infection completely out (i.e., adding yarrow before the infection is gone will seal the infection in, and make it far worse). If it gets worse, get to a medical pro you trust, be it a clinical herbalist, holistic, or conventional doctor.

For the pain, St John's Wort is good. It's not going to eliminate it, but it usually takes enough of the edge off, that I can function.

"The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance."~Ben Franklin
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Carla Burke

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Oh! If you have that echinacea, apply it directly to the wound, rather than ingesting it, and it will be much more effective.

Casie Becker

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And there's where it matters that I am not an herbalist. I will try that next time I am using the echinacea for something other than an allergy induced sore throat.

Pete Podurgiel

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posted 2 years ago

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Good news - I seem to have staved off any infection and the swelling is beginning to get better. Pain is basically gone as long as I don't do anything stupid.
I mostly did the epsom salt soak and plantain poultice. Had some echinacea tea (yogi 'immune Support' with eachinacea) as that was easier than diggiing for roots.

Will mark this up as a learning experience. Much like the time I stepped on a hawthorne and it punched right through my loafers and right into my foot (ouch!).
Note to self: hawthorne trimmings are to go in the burning pile

Thanks again to all for your help and insights - permies rock!!!

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Jan Macdonald

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posted 1 year ago

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Hello OMG I currently having the same issue on my ring finger since 2 months ago… it’s still red, swollen and painful I’ve just been using ginger poultice wrapped overnight. I broke skin but bacteria must have gotten into it. Unfortunately the skin had healed quickly and it must have sealed in the bacteria. I thought I developed rheumatoid arthritis but I have since realised a couple of weeks ago that it’s from the hawthorn prick. Any suggestions please to purge the infection now?

Carla Burke

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posted 1 year ago

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Jan, I'd use an activated charcoal drawing salve or paste directly on the wound. After this amount of time, it might take a bit of time to draw it out, so be patient, clean it daily, reapplying the salve or paste, each time.

Jan Macdonald

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posted 1 year ago

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Thank you for your reply. I believe the activated charcoal salve will work but I think I may have to get an antibiotic jab now since it’s been that long. I started to get a lot of white hair in the last month I think my body has been battling the septic infection for a while but I will continue to use the charcoal salve.

J Garlits

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posted 1 year ago

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Just letting you know that you're not alone and I'm sorry that happened to you. When I was a kid, probably ten or eleven, I was playing in the 20 acre woods behind our house, messing around with a dead honey locust or hawthorn tree (still not sure which), and when it fell over a thorn caught and impaled the inside of my forearm. There WAS blood, but the wound sealed quickly and hurt like the dickens as it was healing. I'm so lucky I didn't hit an artery or vein. I survived. Never told my mom until I was much older. I was scared she'd never let me back in the woods again!

j

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R Dell

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posted 1 year ago

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Jan Macdonald wrote: Any suggestions please to purge the infection now?

Hi Jan, hoping you are doing better! If you haven't already, as Heather and Pete mentioned, Plantain (Plantago major) is very good at drawing out toxins from within the body. It is so easy to apply and works pretty quickly. I had a horrible infection from a wound on my hand that turned into sepsis. On a quick break from work, I ran to a nearby field, picked some plantain, smashed it up with my fingers (to release the juices) and put it over the original wound and covered it with a bandage. By that evening the swelling was down and sepsis gone. Within two days it looked completely normal. Hope my experience will help others as well.

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'It is a plant of great virtue;...therefore, give God thanks for his goodness, Who hath given this herb and all others for the benefit of our health.' (Mattheolus/Fuschius)

Lauren Jenkins

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posted 5 months ago

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Hi all. I found this thread helpful but wondering if anyone can offer advice- yesterday afternoon I was hiking with my family and stepped on a hawthorn thorn it went through my show and punctured my foot - we cut my shoe off- I came home soaked it in Epsom salt, did food grade hydrogen peroxide and clay and silver, went to sleep- got up and the pain is intense. Is this normal for the day after?

Pete Podurgiel

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posted 5 months ago

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Hi Lauren, sorry to hear of your missfortune. Yes, the pain is pretty severe (at least it was in my case) and will probably last for a few days. Hopefully you were able to get the entire thorn out. Aside from the helpful comments noted above, all I can can recommend is to try to stay off your feet as best you can and keep a close eye on it.

Hope you recover soon!

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