[YEA]  12/31/2010: Kay from St Augustine, Fl/usa: "Thank you earthclinic! I put a paper towell in ACV(Apple Cider Vinegar) and within 24 hrs the bruise was gone. Amazing! Oh, by the way, my knee pain was gone too! "

[YEA]  10/21/2011: Mommy V from Washington, D.C., Usa: "This stuff works like a miracle. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. I recently smashed the distal phalanx (smallest bone) of my pinkie. My fingertip swelled to the size and color of a grape in a matter of minutes. I applied a thin layer of Arnica Cream (which I bought at my local health food store) and literally watched as the swelling and bruising disappeared to almost nothing overnight. I also use Arnica frequently on my toddler boys, the youngest of which manages to incur knots on his forehead at an alarming rate. Same story. Goose eggs all but disappear overnight; swelling and bruising are down to just a small mark. It even works on blood blisters. (My aunt, a Farsi accupuncturist, introduced me to this stuff and I am SO grateful!)"

[YEA]  12/16/2010: Jasmine from Chicago, Illinois Usa: "As the mom of a four year old, I've dealt with every type of bump, bruise, pinch, burn and cut imaginable. And for everyone I use one simple remedy. A black tea bag. Any brand will do, but makes sure its good quality and fresh. Great thing about it is, I can slip it in a ziplock back and throw them in my pocket, car or purse and forget about it until an injury occurs. Dunk the tea bag once or twice in hot water if available and blow on it or wave it in the air to get it to cool down. If there is no hot water, hot faucet water works great. And if that's unavailable, just wet it with room temperature water until the liquid coming off of it turns brown. Then apply as a poultice. You may need to wet it again whenever it dries. It takes the pain out, eliminates swelling, and quickens healing.

My daughter is so spoiled with this remedy, she thinks that "owies" are "fixed" by mommy and comes straight to me for any little hurt. If it's in an ackward or large area, throw 3 bags of tea in a hot mug of water for 3-5min, cool it down with ice cubes after and use a rag or paper towel to apply it (be sure you dont like the rag because it will stain). Its important to use this remedy asap. The sooner its applied after the injury, the better and more dramatic the results. After the tea poultice or compress:

(1)if its a nasty bruise, I'll dress it with a thin layer of castor oil and wrap it up.

(2)If its an open cut, I'll dab it with raw honey and cover it with a cartoon bandaid (cartoons optional).

(3)If its a bad burn I'll put the tea poultice over the burn, place a piece of plastic wrap over it and wrap an ace bandage around that. This worked for me on a 2nd and 3rd degree burns I received from a very hot lightbulb. It wouldn't stop stinging until I used the tea. I fell asleep with the ace bandage on, woke up 2-3hrs later with the pain 100% gone and the best part yet, when it healed it didn't scar!

Also, for those lovely times when your child slams there hand in a door or cabinet, I brew the 3 bags in a wide mouth cup, cool it with ice cubes (to a luke warm/cool temp) and have her stick her whole hand in it until she tells me it stopped hurting (usually 5-20min). If it doesnt stop hurting, I would know she may have actually broken something (although thankfully its never been serious). I figured out the black tea bag remedy out of desperation when burning myself years ago on that light bulb. After that, I began experimenting on my own cuts and bruises. Since my daughter was born, its been the best thing I've ever tried, and it has yet to let me down."

[YEA]  05/01/2007: keefe from markham, ontario: "boil an egg and rub it on your bruise it will feel better and will start fading."

[YEA]  03/06/2008: Michelle from Lamora, Mexico: "When you first get bruised, especially around the eye, if you apply some butter over the area then it helps it not to turn blue."

[YEA]  12/18/2010: Christina from Brooklyn, Ny, Usa replies: "I always apply butter (cold) and my children have not had a bruise when in my care after a fall or bump in years!! The best home cure ever known to man kind. I use it on my spouse and myself as well. Mash it with hands and apply. Promise no bruise will appear."

[YEA]  03/17/2010: Soulon from Dittmer, Missouri: "If you've ever been hit by a ball or smashed your finger then "Castor Oil" is your best bet. As soon as the hit or smash occurs, saturate the entire area with Castor oil and leave on. Really lay it on! This has been advice that was given by a medical practitioner some 40 yrs. ago and it works. It will also remove blood blisters, take the swelling down and stop the pain. I was hit in the arm muscle with a zinger grounder and immediately applied my Castor oil. It took out the pain and never swelled and where I did not go down my arm far enough it did bruise, but where I applied the Castor oil it did NOT bruise. It's awesome for toddlers who constantly are falling. Apply ice on top of the Castor oil if you wish, but many times it's unavailable and the oil is handy to carry on you in a small bottle. "

07/02/2012: Kp from Tuscany, Italy: "My boyfriend has been getting abnormally shaped bruise-like marks on his skin for the past several weeks, with no previous trauma to the area where he gets them. They appear one at a time and range in size from a blister of a few millimeters to a circular bruise of about 1 inch. Usually the mark will start out as a light red welt that gets darker over the course of a day until it is a dark tan color. Over the next days it will form a blister (without liquid) in the center, then the blister will peel and leave raw pink skin exposed underneath, surrounded by the tan bruise. Some of the marks are more linear and brown, and some are perfectly circular, blue bruises. They don't itch, they don't hurt when they are touched and he doesn't feel them when they start to appear. So far, they have been mostly on his arms and neck, but he also had one on his leg. Other than his skin symptoms he feels totally fine (but totally freaked out). Does anyone know what this could be?? Many thanks to everyone at Earthclinic for this wonderful site!"

07/03/2012: Heather from Leicester replies: "Hi, I think bruising is connected to blood/ spleen. When I am deficient in iron I bruise easily. I can tell you that arnica gel or tablets heal bruising quickly but really you need to take a blood test as there are some serious blood conditions that cause bruising."

[YEA]  10/06/2008: Anna from Philadelphia, PA: "Ice is perfect for bruising! As soon as possible after blunt hit I get anything--usually some veggies--from the freezer and hold it touching the hit place. Usually 10-15 min. I also take homeopathic ARNICA - whatever potencies I have."

EC: This remedy works on bruises because it constricts the blood vessels, and so less blood spills into the tissues around the injury. If using an ice pack, make sure it is wrapped in a towel to avoid frostbite. Better yet is to use cold water. Ice or chill your bruise for no more than 15 minutes. Allow the skin to warm for 10 minutes, then you can chill again.

[YEA]  05/06/2010: Kathie from Rock, Mi: "I recently went under total knee replacement surgery. As most know there is a major amount of bruising that goes along with this. Well the first day I got home I started eating pineapple and drinking pineapple juice. My bruising was gone in almost a week. The Dr and therapists could not believe how good my knee and leg looked. They never have seen anyone have bruising go away that fast. The more natural the pineapple without added sugars is the best. Just thought I would share my experience in hopes it might help someone else too."