The escaping of blood internally or externally. Blood coughed from the lungs is generally of a bright red color and is usually mixed with sputum. The problem is often preceded by nausea and stomach disorder with blood passing through the bowels. [SNH p.5]


Bleeding, unless it is by injury, is caused by a calcium deficiency in the body. Bleeding from the nose (epistaxis) is generally caused by the rupture of a small vessel in the nose due to pressure in the head (with a rupture occurring at the weakest point). Diet is very important in this case. [SNH p.5]

Herbal Aids:

Cayenne: This will take care of most bleeding problems, external or internal by the time you can count to ten. For bleeding of the lower bowel (commonly called dysentery) use mullein (preferably in milk). In the urinary tract, marshmallow (preferably in milk) is generally faster. Other excellent herbs; comfrey root, European golden rod, self-heal, shavegrass, shepherd's purse, and wild alum root may be used. In bleeding of the nose, raise the arms above the head and administer cayenne dissolved in hot water, or the extract of witch hazel may be sniffed in the nostrils. A decoction of equal parts of bistort root, cranesbill root, avens or raspberry taken internally works well. [SNH p.5]

Hemorrhage: This throws many people into shock and can bring on death very rapidly. If the wound is small, the blood usually coagulates and the area seals itself, but if the rupture is large, some herbal aid is needed. The first thing one should think about is cayenne as quickly as possible. Using one teaspoon to the cup, as hot as can be taken without scalding. This will stop any hemorrhage, internal or external, by the time a person can count to ten. If the rupture is external and cayenne is not available, comfrey placed over the wound will stop bleeding quickly. [SNH p.30]
Bleeding of Minor Wounds; Cuts, Scratches, Bruises, etc: Apply a poultice of the fresh, bruised or mashed plantain leaves; drink the tea internally. [SNH p.53]

Ulcers, Spongy and Bleeding Gums: Use the decoction of bayberry as a wash. [SNH p.133]

Bleeding (lungs, stomach or bowels): See formula using white oak, tormentil, shavegrass and shepherd's purse. [SNH p.140]

Sore Mouth, Bleeding Gums: Use cranesbill (also known as crowfoot or wild geranium) as a decoction or strong infusion as a mouth rinse. [SNH p.153]

Bleeding (wounds, cuts, tooth extraction): Sprinkle cranesbill powder onto the affected area; rub powder into the tooth cavity. Also as a local styptic, apply the special strong decoction to the affected area on the lint or cotton without dilution. [SNH p.153]

Special Strong Decoction (Hemorrhage of the lungs, internal wounds, excessive menorrhagia): See formula using cranesbill, comfrey and glycerine. [SNH p.153]

Bleeding and Internal Hemorrhoids, Bowel Problems: Inject 3-4 ounces of the undiluted tormentil decoction and retain as long as possible. [SNH p.168]

Cuts, Wounds: Both the fluid extract and the powder of tormentil applied to bleeding surfaces will serve as powerful styptics. [SNH p.168]

Stomach Bleeding: Witch hazel - Drink the infusion of the dried leaves or chew them when green. [SNH p.171]

Bleeding of the Bowels: Boil 1 ounce of mullein in 1 pint of milk for a few minutes, strain and give in 1/2 cupful doses after each bowel evacuation (and if you don't have a scale or the time to calculate the equivalent measure, just grab some and go to work). [SNH p.317]

Cayenne: In wounds, though the wound is cut and exposed to the bone, that wound may be filled with cayenne pepper (and if cayenne is not available, black pepper) and it will heal beautifully and stop the bleeding. Many people, when they seen the skin ruddier by cayenne, believe that the skin is irritated; but cayenne is a counter-irritant; there is no itching involved with it. What cayenne is actually doing is bringing the blood to the surface to take away any toxic poisons, or to start the healing; so the redness comes to the skin from the blood that has rushed to the surface to assist in carrying off wastes. [SNH p.410]

Gums (tender, bleeding, spongy): Apply diluted tincture of myrrh or use as tooth powder. [SNH p.455]

False Unicorn & Lobelia: Dr. Christopher's Anti-Miscarriage Formula:  False Unicorn, 3 parts, and Lobelia, one part, constitute this combination. Unless otherwise specified, teas are always made with one teaspoon of herbs to a cup of distilled water (if obtainable). If hemorrhaging starts during pregnancy, stay in bed, use a bed pan when needed, and use 1/2 cup of this tea each 1/2 hour until bleeding stops, then each waking hour for one day, while in bed as much as possible and then three times in a day for three weeks. If bleeding continues instead of decreasing, see a doctor. [SNH p.532]



Stopping Bleeding: Questions to Dr. Christopher in his Newsletter: What is the fastest method to stop bleeding from wounds? Answer: There are a number of herbal aids to stop the flow of blood from wounds. One of the most efficient procedures is to fill the wound and poultice over with comfrey root or leaf. This may be powdered, cut (in the dried) or whole chopped or bruised in the fresh. Put the comfrey directly onto the wound, then put gauze over the area, and bandage it on. This will stop the bleeding quickly and as the healing proceeds there will often be no scar showing at all. Stories of many hundreds of healings have been related to us, using this amazing comfrey plant. Another life saver is cayenne pepper. This will stop bleeding by applying it directly to the wound, and again--most often--no scar! Another way cayenne will stop bleeding (exception: bleeding from uterus) or a hemorrhage, is to take a teaspoonful of cayenne, put it into a glass of preferably hot water (or any other temperature will do if hot is not available) and drink it right down. As I have taught for over thirty years, if you will drink a cup of cayenne tea it will stop any unnatural hemorrhage due to injury, etc., by the time you can count to ten. One patient contradicted me on this, laughing as he said it, "You said a cup of cayenne tea will stop a hemorrhage by the time you count to ten--you were wrong. I tried this when I had a "nose bleed" and I started to count, but I only got up to six instead of ten." [NL 1-9]

Ulcers: We need to go to the cause of ulcers and eliminate those but we can begin by relieving the pain and healing the tissues. Cayenne pepper should be taken by the teaspoon (start with 1/4 tsp. three times a day and work up to 1 teaspoonful three times a day). The cayenne pepper will even cauterize a bleeding ulcer. [NL 3-10]

Stinging Nettle: In Russia, it is used as a valued antiseptic and astringent. The pulverized dry herb is sniffed to stop nose bleeding. [NL 4-10]


1. Cayenne: A person in our audience told how he had cut deeply with a sharp instrument the inside of his hand, fingers and palm. The blood spurted out in streams. He poured a large amount of cayenne pepper into the wound, and within seconds the blood flow slowed down to congealed dripping and the bleeding stopped entirely before many seconds had passed. With a goodly amount of cayenne covering the wound, he then wrapped it. He was so excited about the rapid results he could hardly wait for the regular herb meeting. But, as he said, the "punch line" was lost, because instead of a nasty ragged scar to show how severely he had been hurt, the area was healed and there was no scar. [NL 1-12]

2. Molars: One of our students used a combination of comfrey root powder, oak bark powder, and cayenne to stop hemorrhaging from the mouth in a child who had seven healthy molars pulled out in one day. Her mother was told by the dentist that this was normal procedure before braces. When they arrived home, the mother couldn't stop the bleeding from the child's mouth. 1 1/2 inch gauze pads were dipped in water, folded and then dipped in the combined herbal powders. These were placed between the bleeding gums and held there. They were changed about three times in 20 minutes. Shepherd's purse tea was given through a straw. Healing was rapid. [NL 4-3]

3. Stomach Ulcer: I had symptoms of a stomach ulcer and I drank the Cayenne Pepper and now I have no more symptoms. Thank you again for your information on Cayenne and how it works for bleeding and heart attacks. [NL 4-7]

4. Cayenne and the Gunshot Wound: Once a child was shot in the abdomen; a bullet hit the spine, ricocheted, and made a second wound leaving the body. One of Dr. Christopher's herbal students, living next door, heard the shot and raced over, as she knew that the parents were not home and that the children, ages eight and four, would not be shooting guns. There was the eight-year-old gushing blood out both sides. She ran to the cabinet and mixed a tablespoonful of cayenne in a glass of water; she poured it down the boy and immediately called the ambulance, which was eighteen miles away. The emergency room attendant said that the boy would probably bleed to death, being that the distance was so great. The ambulance arrived and rushed the child (who had been playing "Cops and Robbers" with his father's pistol, which he had found under the pillow of the bed, to the Primary Children's Hospital eighteen miles away. When he arrived, he was the center of attraction, not because his case was so dangerous, but because he was chatting a mile a minute--and there was no bleeding. The bleeding had stopped by the time they arrived at the hospital. The chief doctor said to the parents, "I have seen many accident victims in my life, but this is the first time in such an emergency operation that I have opened an abdomen to find no blood, except for a small amount that was there before the bleeding stopped so quickly. This has saved your boy's life."

In that same year, Dr. Christopher treated four other gunshot victims, and each case responded the same, although sometimes the blood coagulates and comes out in clumps before it stops completely. By the time you count to ten, however, the heavy bleeding should stop completely after administering Cayenne. The Doctor even used tincture of Cayenne on open wounds and, as he put it, "There may be a bit of muttering about it," referring to the burning feeling of the Cayenne, but the bleeding stops. [NL 6-3]

5. Damaged Eye: A woman fell while descending stairs to the basement and struck her head on the overhang above the staircase. She fell on her elbow and hip as well, but she had hit her eye so badly that it was oozing blood down her face. She found her way upstairs, and "dumped a pile of Cayenne into her hand and pressed it against her wounded eye" (Herbalist:March, 1978:30). She also took Cayenne internally and applied an ice pack. By this time the bleeding had stopped, and she applied Dr. Christopher's Comfrey Poultice, made with wheat-germ oil and honey, to her eye wound and other facial wounds. When she went to the doctor, he cleaned out the wound and told her that she would bruise very badly and that, if she wished, he would recut the wound and stitch it, as she had passed the eight-hour limit for stitches.
She kept taking the Cayenne and rubbing wheat-germ oil and other oils and herbs on the wound. She also applied wet hot packs for the itching associated with healing. After a few days, the marks of the accident were nearly cleared up, although the doctor had predicted many days of discolor and discomfort. This lady--who has teenage grandchildren--credits her quick healing to Cayenne. [NL 6-3]

See Also:

False Unicorn & Lobelia
: Dr. Christopher's Anti-Miscarriage Formula

"Natural Healing with Herbs for a Healthier You"