SOAP AND SUGAR POULTICE

by col shepherd
(brisbane Australia)

I remember my mother used it a soap and sugar poultice on me when I was young, and I recently tried it on my 3 year old, with amazing success.
He came to me with a badly infected thunb, from a damaged fingernail, having been to the doctors for it and been given antibiotics, it was getting worse, so I got some soap, and some sugar, and mixed it into a paste, then used a gauze bandage, and kept it wrapped up overnight.
The next morning the infection and swelling was gone, so it left me thinking maybe it works ???

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Confirmation
by: Vivienne Gibson Green

I am Australian, living in Canada. Looking for a poultice recipe I couldn't relate to any of the herbal ones listed then I saw your Soap and Sugar mixture and immediately knew it was the one. Then I read that you were Australian too so no wonder it looked familiar to me. I will try it immediately and apply it to a boil like sore I have on one of my toes. Thankyou
My Irish Grandma's Recipe
by: Anonymous

This was passed down from my grandmoter from Ireland. In her time, there was no such thing as antibiotics to control or remove an infection. When I was about fifteen, I took a particularly nasty fall off my bike. My knee was scraped up pretty badly and became infected. My father prepared a soap and sugar poltice and covered my knee with that and a bandage. The following morning, not only had the infection spilled out onto the bandage, but the imbedded dirt did as well. I've used this recipe on my kids and grandkids. Works like a charm and doesn't hurt in the least!
Soap and sugar poultice
by: Margie

My Finnish mother also used the soap and sugar poultice, although she swore by Ivory soap. Yes, it still works!
it works
by: Anonymous

my grandfather was a country veterinarian - having been trained in France during WWI. Common practice to remove infections from horse wounds was a poultice of home made cane sugar and home made lye soap. Growing up and living in the Ozarks, they were somewhat self-sufficient and they themselves made most anything could, including their log cabin from hand-hewed logs - my dad use to tell a joke that his family were not hill billies, but all of their neighbors were. Once my mother asked her mother-in-law to share her recipe for chicken&dumplins' and grandmother replied , you first grow some corn to feed the chicken : go figure :)
What kind of soap?
by: Diabetic mother

My mother is diabetic and has an infection in her foot. What type of soap do you use, Liquid or a bar of soap?
What kind of soap?
by: Col shepherd

Just your ordinary bath soap, but the old yellow cakes of laundry soap works just as well.
Soap and sugar make amazing poultice
by: Anonymous

My mother used a dish soap and sugar paste as a poultice since I was a child. I'd love to know why it works. Over 60 years experience have shown it does work.
sugar, soap and a slice of bread
by: Jax

Hi, reading your posts reminded me of my mum's poultice which was very similar. Her family were from the Highlands of Scotland and their recipe had the sugar and soap paste on a slice of bread and then attached with a bandage. It's almost a miracle cure for drawing poison from a wound literally overnight!
SOAP AND SUGAR POULTICE
by: Anonymous

When you have hard brown sugar you stick a slice of apple in it and it becomes soft again. The sugar draws the moisture from the apple slice. I think that is part of the reason a soap and sugar poultice works. I was always stepping on things and getting infections. Mom used a lot of Epsom salt soaks and soap and sugar poultices on me. It is probably why I still have feet.
Nana's cure for splinters
by: Anonymous

My grandparents were also from the northern highlands of Scotland and I remember having a soap, sugar and bread mixture on all of my cuts and splinters. I recently tried it on my daughter who had a sand spur broken off in her foot and it was gone after one night of a simple bread ball with dish soap on it, rolled in sugar and topped with a bandage. I don't have a clue how it works, but I know that it's been around for at least three generations in my family and it works great for splinters.
reply to your thank you
by: Colin Shepherd

Vivienne Gibson Green you are welcome, I think a lot of old and "proven to work" are being forgotten and not passed on, so I am really pleased I'm doping my tiny bit :-)
Soap
by: Anonymous

Does it matter what kind of soap you use??
Type of Soap for Poultice
by: HFHR

I haven't tried a soap and sugar poultice but from what others have written I believe they use any bar soap. Shave some slivers off and mix with the sugar. You can add a tiny bit of water to make a paste if necessary.
sugar & soap poultice
by: Anonymous

It's the old wives tale of poison to poison, I have used this for over 40 years, passed down from my mum, her mum etc...the old remedies are the best and actually work better than most modern ones
Still used in Scotland,by those with sense..
by: Anonymous

Still used by those in the know, bar soap of any variety and granulated sugar,sit the soap in hot/warm water for a couple of minutes and used the softened part on a dressing,top with sugar.place directly over affected area and as the poltice dries out it draws the poison to the surface,overnight in a nice warm bed is best as the heat helps the process.
Remove dressing,clean area with warm water and re-dress as necessary.
My great great grandmother and great grandmother
by: Anonymous

Both came from Scotland through Canada and used soap and suger on cuts and slivers and it always work like magic. Until I saw a episode of Grey's Anatomy using sugar on a wound , I was able to google and finally get a idea as to why it worked so well.Everyone used to think I was nuts when i told them about great grams treatment.
On Trial as we Speak!
by: Anonymous

Yesterday I got a splinter in my finger. A portion was sticking out but my fumbling attempts to remove it without being able to find my tweezers only resulted in the rest embedded in my finger.
A couple of years ago my friend told me about a sugar and soap poultice she had used on her horse and sometimes on her son in the past.

So remembering that I just this morning searched online and found this site.

Found a block of soap, shaved some off, added sugar but needed a tiny bit of water to get it going to make into a paste.
I sprea d it on a bit of bread thickly and put over the splinter.

Did not have bandage so used huge plaster( hope this wont interfere with process!)

Will leave it for half day and take a peek and let you know!
splinters drawn out by soap and sugar
by: rosemarie

my mum and grandma in the uk used to use soap and sugar to draw out splinters and it seemed to work
Yes, it really does work!
by: Elizabeth

Hi, I also come from Australia and my grandmother used a sugar/soap poultice on me as a child. I had a swollen lump on my leg and after applying the poultice it not only reduced the lump but also drew out 2 large splinters which had been embedded and grown over, causing the infection in the first place. I think she used ordinary white sugar and yellow laundry soap (Sunlight).
Sugar poultice
by: Elsabe

Hi, I grew up in Rhodesia, and my mom used to make a poultice of Sunlight Soap and sugar, worked well! In recent years here in the USA I subscribed yo a Dr Whitaker's newsletter and he explains the bacteria cannot live in a hyper osmotic solution! The sugar dissolves into the open wound and the bacteria die. Good for drug resistant bacterial infections too, Diabetic ulcers and burns. I think the soap is just a way to keep the sugar under control :)
Cactus woes!!
by: Anonymous

My daughter knocked over my mums cactus plants and one of them landed on my mum, her hand was covered in cactus needles, lots of them were buried deep in her skin. We tried for a few days to remove them but her had was so sore and red and swollen, my aunt told her about the soap and sugar remedy so we put it in and left it over night, next mornin neary every cactus needle was on the bandage! I'm just about to make one for my husbands hand :)
Sugar poultice
by: Yee

My mother grew up in rural southern China in the 1920's - 30's. She married my father and came to Honolulu. Around 1956, I fell and knocked my scalp open, and she got white sugar and rubbed it on my wound. I always thought it was some weird Chinese treatment because she never learned English. I guess all you other folks learned this treatment from the Chinese.
scottish poultice
by: Anonymous

It looks like the remedy comes from Scotland. A nation whose biggest export was their people.
Love this site
by: Anonymous

Thanks to all of you wonderful people! My mother in law was a nurse in WW2 and she used this same remedy in WW2 and used it with all of her kids! Love this as people don't always have to take damaging antibiotics to heal wounds :)Merry Christmas to you all!
soap and sugar for a cat bite
by: Anonymous

I went to pick up my cat and scared her. She bit me and it ran rather deep. Just so you know I was on antibiotics for a tooth infection. My last day of them. My hand was red and slightly swollen even on the antibiotics. (I had washed the bite throughly with soap and warm water.) It had been two days. I started the sugar with antibacterial soap yesterday. The swelling and redness are gone.
Mum used velvet soap
by: Anonymous

I had a piece of salt bush embedded in my foot it healed over but about 12 months later the wound opened up again, Mum put a VELVET soap ( usually used in the laundry )and ordinary sugar poultice over it, the next morning a piece if salt bush about an inch long and the thickness of a match had been drawn out,still have the scar 53 years on.
you wonderful souls!!!
by: juniebeth

So nice to see others still believe in the 'au natural' way of life. I make my own skin cream using beeswax, melted down, add whatever...usually glycerin, aloe vera, and/or tea tree oil, vitamin E oil, orange oil, or other fragrance....and good old fashion 'sheeps lanolin' bought from the drugstore...It is the best cream I have ever made, and I do honestly believe the lanolin is the kicker here. My toe is so sore,,,I cut the toenail down way too far, and being a diabetic I am going to try your soap and sugar remedy,,and I bet it will work after I soak it in Epsom salts first. I don't want to loose my toe....I love my toes...all ten of them. thanks so much. Juniebeth
Poultice for Deep Prickles?
by: Kiwi

Will any of these remedies work for a deep seated invisible prickle? I've had it for about 2 weeks, cannot see it or feel it when I press around, but know it's in my finger. How should I go about getting rid of this?

Many thanks
deep prickles to be drawn out
by: Colin Shepherd

This remedy is meant to draw out things like that, and it's been very effective for me and my children with infections that modern antiseptic creams just can't fix...

Hope that helps.

Col
Poultice for Deep Prickles?
by: Colin Shepherd

Hi Kiwi,
The type of problem you describe is what I use this for,specially if the area is inflamed.
All I ever do is make a poultice with soap by scraping off some soap from a cake of soap (either bathroom or laundry soap) and mixing that with a small amount of sugar, put it in a cup, mix it up, you then have your poultice, which I use an old clean sheet (ripped up), or a bandage, and apply the poultice to the wound site , then wrap it up not too tight, and go to sleep, it's that simple. It should be better by the morning , if not try one more night.
Ingrown toe nails/infections as well
by: Anonymous

I have infection on both big toes due to ingrown toe nails have had two courses of antibiotics and had nails cut twice and still no better!I am giving the soap and sugar a try. will let you know.
Soap and sugar poultice
by: Anonymous

I was delighted to find others had known of soap and sugar poultices. Mother always used laundry soap and brown sugar when I had an infection from a splinter or a bite from an insect. It always worked.
baking soda
by: Anonymous

My mother used to use this as well (Australia) but I remember her adding baking soda as well to the mixture. Anyone heard of that?
brown sugar-ivory soap
by: murrey

I had a boil on my neck when young. I recall my mother making a mixture of brown sugar and scrapings from a bar of ivory soap. It took care of the boil, never to return.
a thousand cuts
by: shy swan

Five years ago, yes, five, I pruned a spiky big palm for hours without gloves. Dumb, I know, and got punctures and scratches that contain micro-splinters all over both forearms, legs, shoulders, face, you name it, and they still itch, are red and scarring. I've been to five, yes, five dermatologists, had a biopsy, ultrasound and prescribed two tubes of cortisone cream. My entire wardrobe is now long-sleeved, even in Summer.
Today, a friend told me about this sugar and soap poultice remedy. I was sceptical, having used every other remedy, Friar's Balsam, pawpaw ointment, Magnoplasm, Savlon etcetcetc and I still soak in Epsom Salts.
I'm now gonna try this and if it works, and by the above recommendations, I feel a ray of hope, my world will change.
Amazing that the medical professionals were stumped. Amazing that this remedy is global. Thank-you all so very, very much.
Wound Care for Animals and Diabetics
by: Elkayen

The trouble nowadays is that vets and doctors all bow to the chemical gods - as they've been trained to do. I had a 13 y.o. cat (Ziggy) who'd been bitten by a spider leaving a necrotic wound down to the bone. The vet said she mightn't survive the surgery to "transplant" a plug of flesh into the wound. Antibiotics did nothing. I caught a fly, bred some clean maggots to remove dead tissue (successfully), then applied 4 hrly alternating poultices of fresh Aloe Vera gel and Manuka honey. The wound healed, the skin AND fur grew back - the vet was amazed. Ziggy lived for 8 more happy years.
As my late mother was a Diabetic I couldn't use the honey on her infected feet, however, I used the Aloe Vera 4 hrly and cured her "unresponsive to antibiotics" foot infections in under 2 weeks.
My housemate told me his late mother always applied the soap and sugar poultices when he had splinters etc, and I've just removed a monster splinter from my dog's "armpit"!
My 17 y.o. tom cat's heart murmur cured in 6 mths by adding half a teaspoon of Macadamia Nut oil once a day to his wet food. Only side effect was an extra glossy coat! My own developing heart disease was cured by 1 teaspoon of the oil per day. If it worked for the cat, why not me? My glucose intolerance cleared up by adding a 1/4 of a teaspoon of "Cassia" cinnamon to my breakfast cereal. PLEASE DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDICATIONS WITHOUT MEDICAL ADVICE - adding these to your daily diet will not hurt but tell your doctor so you can carefully monitor any changes.
The mystical poultice
by: Gav

Loved reading the good results. Dad showed me this growing up. Twas the demise of many a tricky splinter. Found it soothing on abrasions as well. To the questions I read on why it works: Soap acts to break down surface tension on particular substances (without going into the science) and sugar has absorbing qualities. I.E. - weakens the bad stuff and draws it away. Enjoy....and try not to get burnt at the stake.
Thank you :-)
by: Anonymous

I've had a blind pimple like thing on my face now for over a week - I applied the soap and sugar poultice and this morning it was half the size and totally pain free. Absolutely amazing - thank you, thank you, thank you :-)
Sunlight bar soap and white sugar
by: Anonymous

An effective poultice for boils, pimples and other skin infections; used in my family for over a century!
Yes, it works!
by: Anonymous

My father, who was English-born, but who spent a lot of his life in rural and Outback Australia, always used, and swore by, the effectiveness of the sugar-and-soap poultice.
I'm not sure where he learned it from; it could have been when he was young in England, or when he worked in the Australian bush.

He would get splinters regularly because he was a house painter and was always cleaning up old wood.
Out would come the sugar-and-soap poultice, and the splinter would be drawn out within a day or two, and the infection would be gone.

I recall he had one of these poultices on, when he visited a doctor for some other reason - and the doc wanted to know what he had on.
When he told the doc what it was, the doc just laughed in a sneering fashion, and reckoned it was an old wives tale!

It just goes to show, how doctors are trained only to treat in the specified medical manner, and to consider all other treatments as quackery - when the old treatments are often just as effective, without doctors intervention!

Another good trick is to use neat Lavender oil on 1st degree and moderate 2nd degree burns.
Slap the Lavender oil on as fast as you can, after the burn is incurred. Put plenty on the burnt area, keeping it wet with oil.
You generally need 3 or 4 applications of the Lavender oil over about 1/2 or 3/4 hr, but most of the pain will go in about 15-20 minutes - the swelling will be substantially reduced, and the healing time will be about 1/3 the normal healing time.
home made remedies
by: Anonymous

I just put soap and sunlight under my armpit I have 3 boils I'll let you know how it goes, I had one on my buttocks and the antiboitics could not help and ended up going to theatre I regret it as I have a deep wound which takes forever to heal.
Soap & Sugar for Splinter
by: Gary from USA

When I was a (very active)child I got a LARGE splinter in my upper left leg. Mom & Dad tried to get it out, but it was in too deep. Mom made a paste of Yellow soap and sugar, put it on over the splinter with a bandage an sent me to bed. I remember very clearly getting up and while using the bath room seeing the bandage and remembering the splinter. When I pulled the bandage off, there was the splinter: I had completely forgotten about it!
Sugar and Vaseline poultice
by: A M Sheridan

Recently I had an infected cyste near my rib cage which grew very quickly and was very painful. The Osteopath I was attending told me to make a poultice out of sugar and vaseline mixed together (vaseline was just used to keep the sugar together in a paste form making it easier to apply.) I applied a fresh poultice daily and covered it over with a fresh cotton wool round pad and medical tape daily for over a week and it completely drained the cyst of all the infection.
sugar and soap poltice
by: Anonymous

I had terrible boils appear on my legs when I was a child - I was pining terribly for my Father - who was away serving in the Royal Air Force in Singapore - mid 60s. My Mother took me to the Medical Officer on camp in the UK when one split open because I fell - antibiotics didn't work and the pain was terrible - I was about 8 years of age. She then used a sugar and soap (Lifebouy) poltice - on a scalded flannel - and applied it to my legs. She didn't leave it on over night - but took the sterile bandages off the next day and the pus had all come out onto the bandage. AFter that it healed very quickly and the intense pain went. My Mother was from South Wales, UK and her Father, who was a decorated soldier in the First World War had a great knowledge of herbal medicine which he used on dogs and horses. i don't know if this was one of his remedies - but know that before the National Health Service working people often could not afford the doctor - so, as other contributors have said here - had to be resourceful and self sufficient and use what they had. This method worked for me.
Works Great
by: fred

My father, in Louisiana 70+ yrs. ago, used the soap and sugar on me as a child. Many rusty nail punctures and boils. All of the debris was on the bandage the next day. The only time I had an infection was after I was taken to a doctor for a boil. Soap and sugar was applied the next day, cleaned the next day.
Still use it to this day.
Caterpillar spikes in foot
by: Gaylene

I stood on something 6 weeks ago - possibly a caterpillar with barbs/spikes as opposed to hairs. They have been in my foot for 6 weeks now, and I have been to 2 dermatologists, a GP, podiatrist, and seen 2 plastic surgeons - one who shaved off some layers of skin to try get the barbs out. Had a biopsy & lab came back saying probably caterpillar.
I am at my wits end as my foot got infected after 4 weeks, and have been in hospital, too. Developed cellulitis as a result, which I have had for 2 weeks now.
I am hoping this will help - can I apply it to an open wound? My skin is still raw on the ball under my toes where the skin was scraped off? My foot keeps swelling when I lower it to walk so have been on crutches for 2 weeks now. I can see the barbs just under the surface of the skin; my foot cramps up & flushes with heat occasionally.
Doctors are stumped.
It really works
by: Paul

I grew up at Elliott Heads in QLD Australia. When I was 12 years old I jumped out of my dads dingy and landed on a stingray, part of the Barb snapped off and the doctors at the hospital were unable to remove it. When I got home from the hospital my mum made a mixture of sunlight soap and cane sugar and put it on my foot as a poultice it took 3 days and changing the poultice 2times per day, but the remaining barb in my foot finally came out, so I always use this for my kids when they get boils and splinters it always works.
Love it
by: Anonymous

I used this many times in my life for boils. Iv found raw sugar to work the best. I spent the last two days putting antiseptic cream on the kids and it didn't work and so I thought I'd get onto the soap and sugar again (costs nothing compared to antiseptic creams) and ta da success almost over night, why did I even bother with the other stuff :(
Great for boils
by: Another Kiwi

As a kid in the 70's, mum used to put a sugar and soap poultice on boils and it always worked! Was a hell of a lot gentler then lancing or squeezing, that's for sure! Putting one on my son's infected insect bite tonight, As he nearly cried when I merely suggested the painful squeeze proposal !
Science behind it
by: Anonymous

Science wise a wound becomes inflamed and swollen as fluid is pulled into the area during the inflammatory response which is the body's way of fighting infection. The poultice is hypertonic, which means it will draw fluid towards it and out of the wound. I think the soap is drying, so it may further encourage the wound to shrink.

Honey is also used very effectively on infected and non-healing wounds. The sweetness is greater than the bacteria can tolerate so it actually reduces the numbers of bacteria, though it seems like it would do the opposite. Bacteria can only tolerate a certain environment, like ourselves who need a certain ph balance to live.

Anyone who is diabetic should see a doctor before trying self treatment. If an infection goes on too long it can result in terrible complications in diabetics.

I am very glad to see home remedies being posted like this.
Fels Naptha soap and sugar
by: Anonymous

My mom, grandmother, and great grandmother, all used this mixture for splinters, ingrown toenail and poisin Ivy. This mixture has been in our family for years, and has never let us down.
As a mom I also use this old time mixture and have passed it down to my own kids and grand kids. If it works, then I have no need to try something else. I have even given this to my own family doctor and he was shocked how well and how fast it works.
It's great to know I'm not the only one who has heard of and use this. Lol
Butter and Sugar Poultice
by: Anonymous

I remember one time when I got glass stuck in the skin of one of my toes when I was little and my step sister told her a remedy that worked for her that she learnt off her nan. All it was to it was mixing a tiny bit of butter with sugar and wrapping it up in a bandaid for the day/ or even over night. She said to do this because the butter pushes the sugar under the glass and lifts it up. In a few hours i unwrapped the bandaid and the piece of glass was sitting right on top of my skin, I could literally just pick it up and toss it away.
I have a splinter right now and I just wrapped it up in sugar and butter to see if it would have the same effect.
S/S poultice
by: Anonymous

I had this applied numerous times to boils, splinters and other infections. Mom used ordinary bar soap and white sugar. 24 hours later and the boil had ruptured and drained or the splinter was found in the dressing. The soap acts as a surface tension reducer to allow for the poultice to draw out the infection.
It works
by: Anonymous

I just passed my 80th birthday and my mother used soap and sugar poultice on me and it sure worked and fast. I believe it was kirkmans or ivory soap and brown sugar. My mother was from Switzerland.
Carbunkle
by: Anonymous

Have had a lump on my back for several years, finally was half the size of a golf ball this year.The Dr. prescribed antibiotics and referred me for surgery (in about 3 weeks). In the meantime, I remembered my mother using soap and sugar to draw out a boil on me over 50 years ago. My wife and I were both impressed and repulsed by the amount of infection that RAN down my back when it was pressed on! After 3 days, it is 1/3 the size and the pain is gone. Will have it removed once and for all 7/7/15. The poultice allowed me to lay on my back and sleep without pain.
confirm
by: Anonymous

I'm from South Africa and we have this too. we used some washing up liquid with sugar. I still use it. works!
New Dog Groomer
by: Lois

I have a problem with hair splinters in my neck. Grooming Jack Russles ( wire haired dogs) are the absolute worst. I get a little sweaty from working salon, with the dryers etc, the hairs stick to my neck and work their way into my pores. I am in agony with the itching, the skin has actually closed over some of them. Oh I hope this works! Remember my dad (from Scotland) when he was alive kneading a poltice for a sliver or infection. Giving it a try! July 14 2015. 😩
Grandma's Remedy
by: RockyIan

As a young child i used to get boils and my mother would use this remedy using Sunlight soap, which is a pure soap, and sugar. Once when at my Grandma's house I walked into an old palm frond and the point penetrated the front of my leg close to the ankle and some broke off while trying to remove it, so on went the poultice and within a day or so it had drawn the piece to the surface for removal and no infection.
Poultice with Vick's Vapor Rub
by: Shelley from Mississippi

My mother used the same concoction to remove my splinter when I was a child; although, there were 4 ingredients. She would start with Vick's Vapor Rub then, mix in the sugar. She would add bar soap shavings to the mixture and of all things, a couple of drops of turpentine!! Worked like a charm. Any time after that if she ever went to get the needle to "dig out"...I would always beg for the "MAGIC POULTICE"
sugar soap poultice... fot boils
by: Anonymous

My late Welsh mother used several sugar and soap poultices on boils I had on my legs as a child. My Dad was away with the Roysl Air Force... Antibiotics failed to work..the poultice worked over night... This was the early 60's.... It was thought I had become run down and unhappy as I missed him.
Lye
by: Alex

I think heart of the amazing power is LYE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide that is very powerful microbe killer plus sugar helps also lot, According to this http://www.processdevelopmentforum.com/files/tips/18112457AG2.pdf lye can inactivate Endotoxins and kill all microbes, so guess that is why such fast responds.
I can confirm healing action my self. I have skin infection with gram negative bacteria and staph bacteria and in 15 minutes it was pulling death bacteria to skin surface not talking how much come out over night, Thank you all for this - nothing ever worked that fast and strong in those 5 years until I have this, tried so many ointments and nothing worked like this.
CELLULITIS TREATMENT
by: jam

May i just ask if it could also be used for treating cellulitis?
Will it work when pricked with dragon-fruit thorns??
by: Mala

I and my mom were removing weeds in our home garden yesterday when my mom pricked her hand with dragon-fruit thorns. but none of the thorns are visible. she says that her hand is very painful and she even can't extend her fingers. i would like to know if this paste works when pricked with dragon-fruit thorns.
Cellulitis treatment
by: Angie

Jam I'm sorry but did you ever get an answer? I so need to treat cellulitis too. Have you had any luck finding info.
soap and sugar poultice worked for dragon-fruit thorns!!
by: Mala

I really had the problem wondering if this poultice really worked for dragon-fruit thorns, and I tested it as I had no other option when my mother pricked her hand with those thorns. She added scraped coconut to the poultice as we have a strong belief that coconut is good for poisons. Finally the poultice was bandaged continuously for about 3 days till she could straighten her fingers (which was very painful to do before). Then about a day later the dried skin got removed and now she is feeling fine, but still she has a very mild pain. She thinks it will go off with time. I thank everybody who made this valuable piece of information to be put into the internet. THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!
Ivory Soap & Sugar poultice works quickly!
by: Nicole

My Mom is from New Zealand (her parents from Northen UK). For centuries this has been the BEST remedy passed down through our family; natural soap & sugar. It removes cysts, grown in hairs, splinters, ticks, mites, pulls infection from wounds, etc. It even works on acne. Use a bandage or band aid with the ivory soap/natural sugar. Reapply mixture & bandages daily until infection is gone. Sometimes it can take a day or a week for the poultice to work its majic.

Good luck and hope this works for you too !
Magic brown sugar/soap
by: Ellie ohio

Mum used this concoction on an awful wound on my leg.
After she applied poultice I could feel the pull on the gunk that was in the infection. Actually could feel it. Next day it was 90% gone. She came from Great Britain
Soap & Sugar Poultice
by: Irish in Canada

My mom used to make this for all my nasty cuts and scrapes. I just mixed a batch for my elbow where I have a cyst and it pulled it within 20 minutes. I used carbolic soap (bought at Bulk Barn store)
Removes splinters from under finger nail
by: bagpipe

My Dad used this on me as a kid when I had a splinter down deep under the nail. We are from Scotland - now in US. The thought of putting a needle under my nail was too much to handle - so he made the poultice. I put it on overnight. When I woke in the AM, the splinter was sticking out the top of my nail. Yay Dad!
Soap and sugar pack
by: Anonymous

I was trampled by a 1500+ pound horse and my parents used the soap n sugar pack n I never saw a doctor n it healed just fine. Now I have a ulcer on my heel caused from compressive socks, they were given to me in the package and told to read the instructions. I attempted to put them on n took a couple minutes to rest while putting them on n come to find out my resting (cuz they were HARD to get on caused them to strangle my foot n cause a sore. I've been trying to get a Dr to help me get it to heal n to no avail they are more concerned with the fact that I need pain killers for the severe pain that comes with this. So NOW I'm doing the soap n sugar pack n the pain relief compared to yesterday is almost nothing. I'm so relieved, cuz I'm diabetic n when I went for my 6 wk check, my Dr told me in a harsh tone "you're going to loose your foot!" A word of caution to everyone, DON'T use compressive socks if you are not taught to put them on properly. I hope this helps some of you to know this. Take care of yourself.
Additional poultice recipe
by: Dr Mom

The other poultice my mom used was bread and milk. Take a piece of bread usually white but any will work. Moisten with milk but not drippy and heat till warm but not hot enough to burn (few secs in microwave). Prick/open with needle. Place on splinter etc and cover with bandaid. In the morning splinter or puss and infection will be gone or at the surface for easy removal. Prick w needle so splinter or head can come out easily. The warmth for either type poultice helps it xraw better.
My Whole Childhood!
by: GirLee

My grandmother used this it was ivory soap, sugar, white or brown some milk and some bread crust mushed it all together and bandaged it on us with gauze and tape and all was good! also when us kids were sick and had bad coughs she would take a washcloth drenched in hot water ring it out and safety pin it around our necks the safety pin a dry one over that and by the time the wash cloth was cooled down we didn't cough any unless we took the wash cloths off, lol!
Sugar and Fels Naptha removed thorns from my feet
by: Anonymous

My grandmother swore by sugar and Fels Naptha soap poultices for splinters and infections.
When I was about 10, I stepped barefoot from a van onto pavement that had goats head thorns growing all across it. I had to walk with these thorns in my feet over to the parking bump and sit there trying to get the thorns out of my feet. Instead, they broke off in my feet and I had about 20 thorns deeply embedded in each foot.
We tried various methods of getting them out until my grandma found out the next day. I had been painfully crawling around on my hands and knees it was so bad.
My grandma (Scottish) grated Fels Naptha laundry soap, mixed it with white sugar and a little hot water and made a mushy paste. She put it in some sturdy zip-loc bags, and put my feet in them so my feet were entirely covered in the mush. Then she carefully taped the bags at my ankles and I went to bed and wore them overnight.
The next morning, we took the bags off and all of the thorns had been drawn out of my feet! I couldn't believe it, but it worked like magic.
After that I've used it every time one of my horses or kids has needed it. It's amazing.
Scottish lass in America
by: Janice

I've told friends for years (decades) about the Soap and sugar poultice when I was growing up. (We used Ivory soap back then. ). They brushed it off. Tonight I showed them this info. All of a sudden I have credibility. 😉
poultice
by: sherron melinchuk

we used to use fels napha soap and brown sugar keep up the good work on your blog
Sunlight soap bar the best.
by: Erna

Sunlight soap bar the best.
Quantiy of sugar needed
by: Morven

Hi there going to try this out. Can anyone tell me how much sugar to use? Thanks
New England Recipe
by: Heather

My mother grew up near Plymouth Mass and always used fels naphtha soap and sugar on my big toes when I would get an infected ingrown nail. Apparently it worked. I never saw a dr about my toes, and today they are perfectly normal. I haven't had an ingrown nail issue since I was a teenager.
Itching and painful boils
by: Palesa cecane

It started as a hair growth and i never really took it as a serious bump but as time goes i saw it becoming a big swollen joint and it was painful but after someone told me wat 2 use i did nd after 30mnts i felt pain as if i was sick i couldnt even speak or eat bt at night after using brown sugar nd sunlight im telling u i didnt feel any pain i slept like a baby nd all thanks 2 brown sugar and sunlight ur de best jst for me 2 think i had three boils bt nw its gone thnks
Old timer at heart
by: B.D.GarnerAnonymous

I will tell you why sugar and soap works! First of all my granddaughter was brought to me with a severe boil that antibiotics could not touch. I washed the large boil with soap and water and then packed the open wound with sugar and wrapped it that night. Next morning the wound was purple which indicates the infection was was dead. The sore healed after that with minimal effort. "SUGAR" is an salicate acid, Which kill bacteria on contact. Don't know how it all works but I have never seen it fail when properly used. Soap is probably for tender skin.
Sugar Stopped bleeding
by: Anonymous

My little sister suffered a bad cut above her eye by flying glass from a broken overhead light cover. My Swedish dad put table sugar in the cut. It stopped bleeding and I don't think she even had a scar. 50 some years ago.
Honey locus tree tx thorn stuck in foot
by: Anonymous

It worked on my 2 yr old son. Had ahalf inch honey locus thorn stuck in his foot. Playing outside. Could get it out. Skin grew over over a period of 8 days. I did this recipe everyday for 8 days. It this long cause the skin grew over it and so i cut it open last night not to deep. Just enough to let the puss out. Soaked it in epson salt and bandages it up again over night. WITH DISH SOAP AND SUGAR. (Dish soap is Dawn ultra platinum). This morning gave it one more go and saw the thorn came to the surface just under the skin. Poked at it with the needle and one last good push to see if the puss would come out. But the thorn popped out in stead and hit me in the face. I am so thankful for Gods healing and this recipe. Now one last bandage qith soap and sugar to pull whats left of any infection and puss.
Works on boils!
by: Anonymous

It does work, but when I give advice to friends they dont listen.Use any kind of soap.For my swollen finger I used washing up liquid and muscovado! For an employeees swollen hand we put him on a course of antibiotics and I wrapped his hand in cane sugar and washing up liquid 3 times withfresh dresssings ( which turned green) over two days. I had a deepset and painful boil yesterday between my shoulder blades and I used ph neutral baby bath soap and white granulated on a patch over night and it disappeared. This remedy is ansolutely priceless. ( i wish it worked on cancer 😢)
I agree
by: Anonymous

I almost lost my left arm due to infection 50 years ago. Nothing worked. A neighbor suggested the brown floor soap and sugar. It worked and saved my arm. PTL.
Add a tea bag
by: Anonymous

When I was a child living in cooktown 35 - 40 years ago there was no vet and we were very remote. We were cut off for weeks each year due to the wet, the road in was a single lane dirt road and would always flood.
When the neighbors race horse got a splinter and infection in its leg the local wisdom was to apply a poultice of sunlight soap, white sugar and black tea leaves.
I have used this many times since, whenever there is a splinter or rock that needs to be drawn out of a wound. It works amazingly and that is why I continue to use it. I hadn,t noticed in the past,but reflecting now it always drew the infection out too. Tea has a drawing effect too. And you get a cup of sweet tea to calm the patient while you wait.
I have left it on for upto 3 days to get a splinter out.

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