Deb (Nantucket, Ma) on 12/08/2012:

Last summer, I stepped on a scallop shell (on our street) & within a few days was limping and in pain with a 1 inch gash in my heel. A few days later, my husband noticed 2 4-inch long red streaks running up my leg from my heel. I had begun to experience sharp stabbing pains as well.

Since I haven't had an antibiotic in 20 years & see a naturopathic doctor as my primary physician, I wasn't anxious to go to the ER (it was also a weekend) but knew I needed help; sepsis is very real... I found your site & since I had some organic yukon gold potatos called my auntie who confirmed my grandmother used to use crushed potato to draw out boils. I decided to give it a try.

I chopped finely a potato, packed it onto the wound, wrapped w/ Saran wrap, elevated my leg/foot & lay down to focus on healing. My husband photographed my foot at intervals thruout the day. (Well-intentioned neighbors were waiting to drive me to the ER. )

Within hours the red streaks had begun their retreat & the sharp stabbing pains literally "rounded" over. I was very much present w/ this journey. Within 6 hours, the red streaks were gone completely!! I changed the potato 3 - 4 times over the course of the day/night & by morning, the layers of my foot had turned outward. I wish I could put the photos on this site. It was truly remarkable.

One word of caution: Potato juice stains are challenging to remove from fabrics so just make sure you have an old sheet or towel under the site of the potato....!!

I've told SO many people about your site & so many people witnessed first hand the amazing healing property of the simple potato that day... My neighbors thought I was crazy at first! Thank you for providing this forum... It's truly a gift & how we can keep alive these old home remedies. They WORK!

Nancy (Mt. Airy, NC) on 05/26/2007:

Hello, I just love your website and I just wanted to tell your readers about another wonderful old-time remedy for blood poisoning and infection. We have used this many times in my family and I couldn't tell you how many times I have seen it work.

For a nasty infected cut or in my worst case a nasty puncture wound from a rusty nail. Within about 6 hours I had a red streak going up my leg from the blood poisoning. My mother took an Irish potato and washed it, cut it in half and scraped out a pile of mushy raw potato. She put it on a piece of plastic bag to hold in the potato juice and wrapped it around my foot. The next morning the red streak was gone and my foot was healing with no sign of infection. Over the years I too have used this folk remedy on my family. Just make the potato poultice leave it juicy and use it inside bandaging for an infected wound. Plastic helps to keep it wet and keep you dry. Leave it on the wound overnight. Then take it off and examine the wound if it's still infected clean it off again and reapply the poultice. Somehow it draws the poison and infection out.

Mother nature is simply amazing!

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