by In this blog post I will share what items I keep in our family’s natural first aid kit. Take the ideas to create your own kit with your whole health in mind. Take a look at your current first aid kit and switch out the items that have ingredients that you aren’t comfortable using.
What better time than late Spring to gather all of these supplies – when you can just anticipate the bug bites and the sunny (maybe too much!) days of summer. With kids (or adventure loving adults) comes more skinned knees, black eyes and potential broken bones. Read on below to know what to keep to on hand to help you roll with whatever this season throws your way.
This post is for general informational and educational purposes only. See my full disclaimer here. Many accidents and injuries can be an emergency and warrant the help of a doctor. In the event of an emergency or if you are concerned about your health or the health of the person in your care, always seek the help of a medical doctor, call your local health link, or head to the emergency room. When in doubt, go to the emergency room.
Why do I need a natural first aid kit?
You may be wondering why you need a first aid kit, let alone a natural first aid kit. It’s all about being prepared!
If you bring it, you probably won’t need it. But if you don’t bring it, you’ll wish you did! AKA it’s better to be safe than sorry.
If something happens to one of us, I have what I need. I bring all of these things when we travel and when we camp.
When we head out on our day to day adventures, I do not bring all of the listed supplies – the big stuff stays at home, or at the campsite. In our day packs I keep our bag of homeopathic remedies along with bandages, sunscreen, bug spray, water, the entire contents of my fridge… you know, the important stuff ;).
I am not here to convince you to go au naturel. I am here to encourage you to research your products and understand the ingredients. And once you do, I bet you’ll be looking for better.
Is this everything I need in a first aid kit?
You need to be the judge of that.
This post does not include items like bandages etc. which we do also keep just incase.
Other than that, this is what we use and what has served us well.
We lean hard on Homeopathy in all aspects of our life, so first aid is no exception. Actually, first aid is how many people are introduced to homeopathy and then become hooked due to the obvious results. My remedies are never left behind.
Feeling inspired to create your own natural first aid kit?
Check out my “Homeopathy Adventure Packs,” featuring the remedies listed on this page! Find the page in the top menu.
21 top homeopathic remedies for first aid
ACONITE
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Panic attack from an emergency (the injured person and any one else affected). Give this remedy if there is a lot of restlessness, anxiety and fear along with injury.
- Sunstroke that came on suddenly and intensely, possibly after falling asleep in the sun.
APIS
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Stings and insect bites with burning, swelling, redness and stinging. The symptoms feel better with an ice pack or cool cloth.
- Intolerable itching from stings (worse at night).
- Minor burns and sunburns with pink, swollen and itchy skin that is relieved from applying something cold.
ARNICA
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Any injury, pain and for shock. Give first in every first aid situation.
- Shock if there is a lot of pain and confusion following the trauma. The injured person will almost always claim they are fine, and to leave them alone.
- Bumps, bruises, sprains and strains it is used to keep swelling and bruising down.
- Muscle pain from injury or overexertion. The body will feel sore and bruised.
- Any head injury, big or small, whether there is a concussion or not.
- Internal and external bleeding – this will help the body to reabsorb blood
ARSENICUM
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Food poisoning with diarrhea and vomiting.
- Serious burns with a lot of pain and anxiety.
It is common to feel cold but have burning pains when you need this remedy.
BELLADONNA
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Mild sunstroke with red hot skin, a flushed face and a throbbing head that came on suddenly.
- Sunburns that are red, feel hot to the touch and are painful.
BELLIS PERENIS
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Bruising of soft tissue and internal bruising (after Arnica, if it has not helped).
- Lumps that remain after Arnica clears the bruise
- Severe sprains (after Arnica, if it has not helped).
bryonia
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Fractured ribs
- If pain remains after a fracture and both arnica and symphytum have not helped.
- Sprains (try Arnica and Rhus tox. first). Use this remedy to help with the pain of any sprain, if the pain feels worse when you move around. The pains are sharp and excruciating.
CALENDULA
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Scrapes, infections and inflammation.
- First degree burns.
- Preventing scarring as a wound heals.
*you can dissolve the pills in water and use the solution to bathe the wound or apply to your burn
CANTHARIS
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Bad burns (typically used for second degree) and scalds with blistering; this remedy will help to remove the pain. Symptoms feel better from applying something cold. This can help prevent the blistering of a burn.
- Sunburns – soothes pain and promotes healing.
CAUSTICUM
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Bad, deep burns (typically used for third degree); helps to remove the pain.
- Burns that blister and ooze.
CHINA/ cinchona
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Weakness after loss of fluids (like a lot of sweating, diarrhea, vomiting), to help prevent dehydration.
COCCULUS
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Sea sickness and travel sickness. There are feelings or dizziness and nausea with possible trembling. Symptoms are worse in the fresh air and worse after eating and drinking, better while laying down.
HYPERICUM
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Injuries to areas rich in nerves, like fingers, toes, the spine and tailbone, genitals.
- Insect bite or stings that have sharp or shooting pains.
- Infected or deep cuts with shooting pains.
- Head injuries with shooting pains that extend to other parts of the body.
LEDUM
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Puncture wounds from rusty nails and animal bites.
- Black and blue bruises, when arnica has not helped.
- Itchy bites or stings from mosquitoes, bees, wasps and spiders.
- Skin rashes that are itchy and feel better from cold water. Ledum can prevent a poison ivy/oak rash from developing.
- Tick bites, to help prevent Lyme *take right away!*
Symptoms feel better from ice or a cool cloth and are sensitive to the touch. For wounds that feel cool to the touch.
MAGnesia PHOSphorica
This remedy may be helpful for:
- General pain and cramping.
RHUS TOX
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Aches and pains from an injury that are better with movement.
- Skin rashes that itch and burn, but scratching just makes it worse. The rash feels worse at night and is better with warm water. Use for poison ivy/oak.
- Sprains that feel very stiff and painful, but feel a bit better from continuing to move around. Give this remedy following Arnica, to help heal a sprain.
- Sprains and strains of muscles when they’ve been overexerted.
RUTA
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Strains to tendons and ligaments and dislocations.
- Injuries to the periosteum (covering of the bone), and injuries to the knee, shin or elbow.
- Bone bruises that are very sensitive to the touch
SILICEA
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Slivers, or to remove a foreign object from the skin.
staphysagria
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Insect bites (like mosquitoes) that are very itchy and/ or create large welts.
- Deep/ clean cuts, puncture wounds and lacerations with pain.
SYMPHYTUM
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Speeding bone healing (fracture) *the fracture must be set before this remedy is given.
- Injuries to the cheekbone or bones around the eye.
- Injury to the eyeball from an object (ex, stick, rock, etc.)
Urtica Urens
This remedy may be helpful for:
- Reducing the pain of first degree burns and speeding up skin healing.
- Sunburns that itch or feel prickly and sting with pain.
I’ve picked my remedy … now what?
If you are wondering how to use each remedy or how often to take it – take a look at this post for some guidance.
If you are currently working with a Homeopath and are taking a constitutional remedy, make sure you make note of what remedy you take, or run your selection by them first.
topical REMEDIES
Arnica cream: do not apply to broken skin (cuts and scrapes); can help with pain and bruising.
Calendula tincture/ cream/ gel/ ointment: Use for clean cuts – do not use on deep cuts as it will cause the top of the wound to close up too rapidly; can reduce and stop bleeding and prevent infection; great for sunburns and scrapes.
Traumeel: accelerates healing from bumps, bruises, burns and relieves pain and inflammation.
other home remedies
The below items are things that are in our natural first aid kit, that I may use alongside our chosen homeopathic remedy. As I said above – we lean hard on homeopathy! I always turn to that first, and if I feel necessary I will use one of the below items as well.
Activated charcoal
I never go away without this! It can be used incase of food poisoning, incase of stomach flu, ingestion of toxins, etc. It can also be useful topically (mixed with something like coconut oil) applied to a rash caused by poison ivy/oak.
Aloe vera
We apply to burns and blisters to cool, soothe and reduce inflammation.
Epsom salts
Dissolve in water, soak and then remove blisters (after we’ve tried silicea of course!). Soak in epsom salts in the bath to ease sore muscles.
Hydrogen peroxide (food grade)
Used for wound cleaning and sterilizing.
Witch hazel
For use on cuts and scrapes, sooth bug bites or stings, and relieve itchiness from a rash.
Baking soda
To make a paste with water and apply to bug bites, wash off after a few minutes and repeat as necessary to help relieve itchiness.
Coconut oil
We sometimes use coconut oil on small nicks and cuts because of its antibacterial and antifungal properties. First we would clean with water and hydrogen peroxide, then dab on some coconut oil.
Colloidal silver
I use this as a natural antibiotic to spray on wounds if we’re worried about potential infection.
manuka honey
Used for treating minor wounds and burns, to help fight infection and quicken healing times.
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