This article was taken from the August 2011 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
In the wilderness, you should carry a decent first-aid kit to treat injuries. It's not always easy to restock -- yet various flora, your own body and the dregs of a backpack can provide a number of last-resort solutions.
URINE
John McPherson, who teaches survival skills to US Army Special Operations Command instructors, says that -- without clean water -- "if I had a gash or cut on my body that my pecker could reach, I'd pee on it. Urine is sterile, but not a disinfectant."
LIVING CACTUS BANDAGE
This is a solution you'll be able to use only in the desert. The prickly pear is a cactus with round pads that contain astringent and antiseptic qualities. Take one of the pads, then peel it. Put the raw flesh over the wound and bandage it to help healing.
ZIPLOC BAG
If the wound is deep, you'll need to irrigate it. Cody Lundin, a primitive-skills expert, always carries a plastic syringe in his pack, but you can also use a clean Ziploc bag full of sterile water. Make a pin-sized hole in the bag and squeeze water through it.
PINE SAP
Pine sap is a natural antiseptic. Lundin uses balsam fir resin if he can find it, because it's runny and easy to apply: "There are lumps [on the tree] that look like pimples. Pop the lump like a boil and the antiseptic runs like honey," he says.
SUPERGLUE "I use this as flat-out liquid stitches," says Lundin. "I've used it on machete wounds and blisters." Clean and disinfect the wound, then hold the edges together, glue over the top and 5mm around the edge. Let it dry, then reapply if needed.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
