A poultice, also called a cataplasm or fomentation, is a soft, often heated and medicated mass spread on cloth and applied directly to the skin to reduce inflammation, ease pain or promote the healing of a wound. The base material, often a cereal or similar soft substance, carries an active agent intended to work on the body through the skin, and the cloth or additional bandaging holds the preparation in place over the treated area; some poultices are applied directly without any cloth. The practice is ancient and appears across many traditional medicine systems, and it survives today chiefly as a home remedy and in some complementary medicine settings.
Facts
Origin YearEarliest known written description of poultice-like wound treatment, not a claim about when the practice itself first began. Classification
StatusDiscontinued or Obsolete 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultice, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultice, lead section
A poultice or cataplasm, also called a fomentation, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is applied to the skin to reduce inflammation, soothe pain, promote healing, or otherwise treat wounds or ailments.
2. Wikipedia: Poultice
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, Egypt subsectionQuote, History section, Egypt subsection
The Edwin Smith Papyrus (c. 1600 BCE), one of the earliest known surgical texts, describes wound treatments involving cleansing, bandaging, and poultice-like applications made with honey and animal fats.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a poultice made of and how is it held in place?
A soft medicated mass on a base such as cereal, held by cloth or bandaging.
A poultice is a soft, often heated and medicated mass spread on cloth and applied directly to the skin. Its base material is often a cereal or similar soft substance that carries an active agent, and the cloth or additional bandaging holds it over the treated area. Some poultices are applied directly without any cloth.
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