Five Other Ways To Use Rancid Oil

It is going to happen sooner or later.  Inevitably, a bottle of oil gets lost, and then when it reappears, it's rancid.  Or, like me, you decide to just say no to soybean (vegetable) oil, but you have a boatload of it.   
SOAPMAKING
Soapmaking gurus will scoff, but rancid oil can be turned into soap.  Careful attention will have to be paid to the process to ensure complete saponification.  And soapmaking gurus also caution that using rancid oil in soap will damage the skin.  I'm not entirely convinced, but I also haven't done much research.  I prefer to just store bars of soap and leave the soapmaking to those who enjoy it.  However, even if the soap shouldn't be used on skin, we still need soap for washing clothes and dishes. 

FURNITURE POLISH

Combine rancid vegetable oil and cheap vinegar in a one-to-one ratio in a bottle with a pour spout.  Shake the bottle every time you use it, as you are using it.  Use a soft cloth to apply.  If desired, add some lemon essential oil or other citrus-scented oil.  

MAINTAINING GARDEN TOOLS

Several times over the years, I’ve read recommendations for using rancid oil to coat the metal of garden tools to protect them from rusting.  What most advocate is mixing the oil into sand and then dipping the shovel, rake, hoe, etc., into the sanded oil to give it a light coating.  Wood handles can be oiled to provide protection as well.  

DOG AND CAT FOOD

I’m not entirely convinced that rancid oil is safe for pets.  I wasn’t able to find any authoritative source saying that it’s acceptable, but I couldn’t find anything indicating otherwise, either.  I realize the thought of giving a pet food that is spoiled for us is mortifying to some people.  And that is because to them, pets are people and their pets are like children to them.  I just happen to believe otherwise.  Pets are pets.  They are not people and they are not children.  I would rather give them rancid oil to flavor their food and provide necessary nutrients than nothing at all. 

LEATHER CONDITIONER

Peanut and olive oil are the only oils that should be used on leather.  

Links to related posts:   
DIY Oil Lamps  
Maximizing the Shelf Life of Cooking Oils  
Preparedness  survival  emergency  bugging out in bug pack survivalist prepper freeze dried dehydrated food storage gamma lid bucket #10 can medicine supplies supply emergencies disaster natural civil war political unrest hyperinflation inflation canning jar Mylar oxygen absorber disease

injury pneumothorax family children antibiotics alternative refrigeration solar communications salmonella pneumonia CPR medic mask gloves beans wheat rice oats corn oil coconut water purification filtration iodine pasta sugar salt iodized dry powdered milk mountain house essentials bread education home school vitamins skills chickens goats rabbits homestead redoubt American fuel wood ticks mosquitoes repellent disinfect sterilize Armageddon TEOTWAWKI SHTF WTSHTF societalPreparedness  survival  emergency  bugging out in bug pack survivalist prepper freeze dried dehydrated food storage gamma lid bucket #10 can medicine supplies supply emergencies disaster natural civil war political unrest hyperinflation inflation canning jar Mylar oxygen absorber disease
injury pneumothorax family children antibiotics alternative refrigeration solar communications salmonella pneumonia CPR medic mask gloves beans wheat rice oats corn oil coconut water purification filtration iodine pasta sugar salt iodized dry powdered milk mountain house essentials bread education home school vitamins skills chickens goats rabbits homestead redoubt American fuel wood ticks mosquitoes repellent disinfect sterilize Armageddon TEOTWAWKI SHTF WTSHTF societalPreparedness  survival  emergency  bugging out in bug pack survivalist prepper freeze dried dehydrated food storage gamma lid bucket #10 can medicine supplies supply emergencies disaster natural civil war political unrest hyperinflation inflation canning jar Mylar oxygen absorber disease
injury pneumothorax family children antibiotics alternative refrigeration solar communications salmonella pneumonia CPR medic mask gloves beans wheat rice oats corn oil coconut water purification filtration iodine pasta sugar salt iodized dry powdered milk mountain house essentials bread education home school vitamins skills chickens goats rabbits homestead redoubt American fuel wood ticks mosquitoes repellent disinfect sterilize Armageddon TEOTWAWKI SHTF WTSHTF societalPreparedness  survival  emergency  bugging out in bug pack survivalist prepper freeze dried dehydrated food storage gamma lid bucket #10 can medicine supplies supply emergencies disaster natural civil war political unrest hyperinflation inflation canning jar Mylar oxygen absorber disease
© 2020, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com 

27 april 2023
injury pneumothorax family children antibiotics alternative refrigeration solar communications salmonella pneumonia CPR medic mask gloves beans wheat rice oats corn oil coconut water purification filtration iodine pasta sugar salt iodized dry powdered milk mountain house essentials bread education home school vitamins skills chickens goats rabbits homestead redoubt American fuel wood ticks mosquitoes repellent disinfect sterilize Armageddon TEOTWAWKI SHTF WTSHTF societal

Managing Third Degree Burns When There Is No Hospital

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 


We've previously covered prevention and treatment of first- and second-degree burns.  In general, dealing with those doesn't present much of a challenge or concern.  We've all had them and had to care for family members who've had them.

Third-degree burns, however, are an entirely different matter.  Fortunately, they are much less common, but that doesn't make them any less challenging to treat.

Third-degree burns are full-thickness burns.  There is no skin left, and no skin cells to re-grow new skin.  These burns penetrate all the way into subcutaneous tissue and even muscles and bones.  Naturally, there is going to be nerve damage.  The edges of the remaining skin may appear black, brown, yellow, or white.  That affected area of the body may appear sunken if a lot of tissue has been lost.  And it is a bad sign when a substantial burn is not painful, as this suggests a very deep injury.

The immediate treatment is the same as for second-degree burns:   Cool the burn with cool running water for 15 minutes and remove all jewelry and constrictive clothing above and below the burn.  In a functioning society, most third-degree burns are treated at burn centers.  In a disaster scenario, this may not be an option.

Before getting into treatment options, let's take a look at the numbers you need to know.

• Use the Rule of Nines (covered in the post on second-degree burns) to calculate how much of the body has been burned.  Basically, the palm of the hand is 1% of the body surface.  The head and neck and each arm are 9%.  The chest, back, and each leg are 18% (2x9).  The genitals are 1%.  
• If the burn covers more than 10% of the body, the patient may go into shock.  This is a life-threatening situation.
• If the burn covers more than 30% of the body, it is probably going to be fatal.
• If the burn covers more than 40% of the body, it is definitely going to be fatal.  You don't have the resources to manage it.

The treatment goals are to keep the burn clean and prevent infection and to prevent dehydration and shock.  Accept the reality that there is going to be significant scarring.

Treatment for the burn itself is not complicated.  After the burn has been cooled under running cool water for at least 15-20 minutes (but without causing hypothermia), apply pure raw honey generously all over the burned area and beyond the edges.  Always maintain a thick layer of honey that extends beyond the edges of the burn.  Cover this with plastic wrap (colored Saran Wrap is thicker and easier to handle) or waterproof dressings.

If and when the dressing begins to fill with fluid, change the dressing.  More severe and extensive burns will necessitate more frequent changes.  Regardless of the amount of fluid oozing, change the dressing at least three times per day.  Continue this process for at least seven to ten days, and up to twenty days.  Do not remove or wash off the honey for the first twenty days, unless healing is complete.  Throughout this process, watch for any signs of infection.

Alternatively, if honey is not available, studies on animals show excellent results using coconut oil may also be used, especially if it is combined with silver sulfadiazine.  Yes, we've been told forever to never use butter or anything like it on a wound.  Coconut oil is different.  Read the blogpost on coconut oil and this article.

A substantial burn is going to cause dehydration, and as stated above, even with a burn covering only ten percent of the body, there is a significant risk of dehydration and shock.  The patient must somehow increase fluid intake.  The Parkland formula is what medical personnel use to calculate the volume of fluid to be administered in the first 24 hours following a burn:  3 ml/kg times the percent of body surface area burned.

So if a patient weighs 50 kg (about 110 pounds) with ten percent of the body burned, we have 3 ml times 50 kg times 10, or 1500 ml.

One-half of this amount must be administered in the first eight hours.  The other half is given over the next sixteen hours.  After twenty-four hours, the amount of fluid administered is based upon urine output and other signs of perfusion.  The goal in urine output is at least 50 ml per hour in an adult.  If urine output is less than this, give more fluids.  If there is low blood pressure or other signs of shock, administer more fluids.  Oral rehydration solution may need to be administered.  And if the patient is unable to drink, fluids may have to be administered using an enema bag (have several of these in your stockpile) or hypodermoclysis. 

Burn patients need a lot of additional protein and calories.  Those with burns covering less than 20% of the body can manage by eating and drinking more, but normal eating will likely not be sufficient for those with burns covering more than 20% of the body.

The book Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition provides details on skin grafting for dealing with burns covering 5-10% of the body surface.  It looks like it would work.  That book is a free download and covers some conditions that other grid-down medicine books omit.  I highly recommend it.

There's not a lot more that can be done for a burn patient.  The pain is going to be substantial.  The likelihood of infection is high, as is the demand for supplies.  Keep in mind that large burns to limbs may not heal and the disability may be to such an extent that amputation is preferable. 

Links to related posts:
First Degree Burns
Second Degree Burns
Oral Rehydration Solution   
Medicinal Uses of Honey
Does It Have To Be Manuka Honey?
Coconut Oil for Third Degree Burns   
Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition book review 

For further reading:
https://insidefirstaid.com/burns/how-to-treat-different-types-of-burns
Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition, p 125.
The Survival Medicine Handbook, p 317.
Armageddon Medicine, p 264.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792613/  Research article on use of coconut oil to treat burns

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   05.24.23

The Medicinal Uses of Comfrey

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.


Comfrey, Symphytum officinale, has been used for thousands of years to heal fractures, so much so that one of its common names is knitbone.  The officinale part of the name refers to the officina in Latin, a little room in the monastery where monks stored the medicinal herbs.  In addition to healing bones, comfrey excels in soothing the mucous membranes of the intestinal tract.  It's also good for respiratory issues such as bronchitis and very effective in healing skin tissue.  As a vulnerary (which means it accelerates healing through cell proliferation), it dramatically speeds recovery.  However, because it has no anti-microbial properties, it should never be used on deep open wounds.  The danger is that the skin will heal over, sealing in pockets of pus and bacteria below the skin surface.

And before we go any further with this herb, it's best to come right out front and say that there is a whole lot of controversy surrounding comfrey.  It's right up there with colloidal silver and DMSO.  They have the same common enemy, the US FDA.  It's odd that other countries don't have the same issues.  Maybe our government just cares about us more.  Or maybe the pharmaceutical companies somehow feel threatened by a naturally-occurring plant.  Because then people wouldn't have to use their drugs.  Please do your own research.  I'll try to present the basic information.  Web addresses are provided below to do follow-up research if this is an herb of interest to you. 

Time to harvest:  Harvest the leaves and flowering tops in the summer; harvest the roots in the fall. 

Parts used:  Both the leaf and the root are medicinal.  The root is much stronger than the leaf.  The young leaves are more potent than mature leaves.


Medicinal uses:

• Orthopedic:   Sprains, fractures, arthritis.
• Skin:  Burns, rashes, and superficial wounds.
• Respiratory:  Respiratory expectorant for upper airway, especially a dry, hacking cough; sinus infection; sore throat.  It was used historically to treat whooping cough.
• Intestinal:  Gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and esophageal mucosa, especially due to GERD damage.
• Urinary tract:  Soothing for urinary tract infections.

Preparations:
Powder.  Stephen Buhner, author of Herbal Antibiotics and Herbal Antivirals, recommends using the root powder for treating gastric ulcers, one teaspoon three times per day for thirty days.

Infusion.  To treat gastric ulcers and irritable bowel, steep one teaspoon of crushed leaves in boiling water for 15 minutes, 3 times per day.  Use for only one week before taking a break. Drinking 1-2 cups of tea per day is also beneficial for broken bones. 

Poultice.  To hasten the healing of sprains, broken bones, burns, and rashes, and to relieve osteoarthritis, apply a poultice of the leaves and flowers three times per day.

Tincture.  Use the dried root in a 1:5 weight to volume ratio, in 50 percent alcohol.  The recommended dosage per Stephen Buhner is 30-60 drops, 1-3 times per day, for up to 30 days.

Salve. Put comfrey leaves in a canning jar.  Add olive oil to the jar, enough to cover by about one-half inch.  Stir the oil and leaves each day for two weeks and then strain out the leaves.  Measure the infused oil, and for every four ounces of comfrey oil, add one tablespoon of beeswax.  Melt these together in a double boiler. Pour the salve into a clean jar. Apply to arthritic joints, rashes, burns, and sprains.

Listed below are several addresses to clinical studies and other sites for and against the use of comfrey, internally and externally.  After reviewing the clinical studies (from around the world, not just the US), I'd have to say that the FDA did not prove their case.  A few references say the FDA cites a study in which rats were fed massive amounts of comfrey and developed liver problems.  Despite searching for at least an hour, I could not find any further information on this purported study.  There are very isolated reports of the toxic effects of comfrey on some individuals that usually involve using enormous doses of comfrey for an extended period of time.  Many of the clinical studies use enormous amounts of comfrey, or do not state exactly which species or what part of the plant is being used, or they isolate components of the plant, rather than the whole plant.  As noted above, the roots are more potent than the leaves, and young leaves have more pyrrolizidine alkaloids than mature leaves.  The Herbal Legacy website refutes the FDA's studies and reasons for withdrawing comfrey from the market for internal use.

I would also note that there are quite a few cases of Tylenol overdoses in this country where people combine over-the-counter or prescription medications with Tylenol and damage or completely destroy their livers, and yet Tylenol is still on the market.  The US averages 78,000 accidental poisonings, 33,000 hospital admissions, and 150 deaths per year from acetaminophen overdoses.  The FDA has known about this problem with liver toxicity for over forty years and continues to do nothing.  Yet comfrey is banned.  (And for the record, I don't want any more regulation by the FDA.  I just find it interesting that they're so blatantly in the pockets of Big Pharma.)

You'll have to do your own due diligence and research comfrey for yourself, as you should with any medication, herbal or US FDA-approved.  In this case, in my opinion, the FDA made an epic fail.  I'm going with comfrey.  Especially when arthritis kicks in.  Or if I ever break a bone or sprain an ankle. 

Contraindications. Comfrey is not for use by pregnant or nursing women or those with liver conditions.  Do not use in children under three years of age. 

Caution:  The comfrey root is especially is high in pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which have been shown to cause liver damage in high doses over long periods of time.  Reasonable usage for shorter periods of time, like a teaspoon a few times per day for a month, should not be cause for concern, except in people with liver conditions and pregnant and nursing women.  

Links to related posts:
Colloidal Silver
DMSO


For further reading:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3580139/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491633/
https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/72868-fda-ftc-take-action-against-comfrey-products
https://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/regulatory/fda-ahpa-clarify-pa-free-comfrey-guidelines-0
https://www.rxlist.com/comfrey/supplements.htm
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.664.9555&rep=rep1&type=pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2103401
http://www.nantahala-farm.com/comfrey-pyrrolizidine-alkaloids-reducing-s.shtml  (reducing alkaloid content)
https://herballegacy.com/Contentions.html  (contentions with studies FDA used to support reasons for disallowing internal use of comfrey)
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/pas.htm  (safe limits)
https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/acetaminophen-ingredient-in-tylenol-causes-more-than-1500 (Tylenol overdoses)

28 august 2023

How and Why to Dehydrate Pasta, and an Instant Meal

If you're thinking that cooking and dehydrating pasta is a little silly, I understand.  But it's not, and there's a very good reason to do it.

You see, the dried pasta with a twenty-year shelf-life, the regular stuff sold in stores, isn't actually cooked.  It's raw.  And that's not a big deal.  It's what we've used all our lives, and most shapes take less than ten minutes to cook.  About the time it takes to get everything else on the table.

But if you wanted to make some just-add-water meals that don't actually need much cooking to conserve fuel in an emergency, or if you're backpacking or camping, then you need to use pre-cooked and dehydrated pasta.  While very fine pasta, like angel hair, doesn't need to be cooked and dehydrated first, all the thicker and larger shapes do.

If you haven't dehydrated pasta before, it's really simple.  Here's how:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Drain.
• Spread it out on dehydrator trays to dry at 135 degrees.  

It usually doesn't take long, about four to six hours.  Yeah, it's that easy.  And now, for how to use it:

The emergency preparedness class I teach has a different focus each month.  And for this month I've decided to share some just-add-water meals and mixes.  So I scoured the blog looking for the recipes I'd already posted.  And I was surprised that I hadn't yet shared my good friend Renee's All-American Hot Dish.

She adapted this recipe from an old Betty Crocker cookbook when she was putting together instant meals last year before her family's trip to a major archery tournament in Las Vegas.  They and we were spending the better part of a week doing in Vegas what we do a few days each week at home, namely, watching our children shoot their arrows into the center ring of the target, and getting irritated when their equipment or aim is off (the kids, not us).  Anyway, taking the whole family to Vegas for a week is expensive, and having some just-add-water meals in the room lets them have a little privacy and quiet in an otherwise noisy place.

This meal is quick to put together and is by far my family's favorite of all the homemade just-add-water meals we've tried.

Renee's All-American Hot Dish
In a snack-size baggie, put the following ingredients:
1 tablespoon tomato powder
1 teaspoon cheese powder
1 teaspoon minced dehydrated onion
1/4 teaspoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a quart-size freezer bag, put the following ingredients:
1 cup cooked and dehydrated pasta
1/4 cup freeze-dried corn
1/4 cup dehydrated hamburger
seasoning packet from above

1 ½ cups water

To prepare:  Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add the large bag of pasta, corn, and hamburger to the boiling water, cover, and boil for one minute.  Stir in the seasoning packet, replace lid, and cook on low for five minutes, or cover with towels and let sit for ten minutes to fully rehydrate and thicken.


Note.  I use dehydrated foods rather than freeze-dried in my just-add-water meals whenever possible.  Freeze-dried food is expensive, and often dehydrated foods will work well, even if they do take a little more time to rehydrate.  But such is not the case with corn.  It just doesn't rehydrate fully in this dish in the allotted time.  Freeze-dried corn works much better.

Links to related posts:
Instant Meals
Dehydrated Hamburger
How to Make Tomato Powder
Basic Food Storage--Pasta   

4.6.23