FYI: McKee Family Topical First-Aid Kit

The McKee Family's Topical First-Aid Kit

Our go-to external first aid kit is made up of these 3 Boiron remedies: Arnica Gel, Calendula Gel, Calendula Ointment. Tincture of Iodine (not the colorless kind), Lavender EO, and Cayenne Pepper.

Arnica Gel (Boiron)

Bumps, bruises, overdoing it/muscle aches. If used soon enough and repeated as needed it can prevent bruising. Our first experience was when our son's hand was closed in the hinge side of the car door. It took away the pain and it never bruised.  Use on unbroken skin only, but can be applied near the open area. 

Tincture of Iodine

This is the first thing we do. (not the colorless kind or Povidone....it can be difficult to find in local drug stores. We found it on Amazon. )

Good for any insect bite or scratch. Especially animal scratch/bite, tree/thorn/fence scratches. We've treated Brown Recluse bites with only Iodine.  Iodine is a long time standard anti-infective treatment.

Calendula Gel (Boiron)

Skin irritations, infections, razor cuts, burns, skinned skin (you know like knees/arms, etc...).

Calendula Ointment (Boiron)

For longer lasting staying power under a band-aid.

Lavender EO 

It's good for any kind of burns- sun or heat.



Cayenne Pepper (ground)
Cayenne stops bleeding FAST.  The sooner you use it the better.  Like while the area is still in shock it won't feel the heat!   It coats a cut & speeds healing. Just make sure that you leave it on a while before you clean it off, or it will start bleeding again.  You can bandage over the cayenne and it can stay on until you need to change the band-aid. 

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Rice Milk

(please don't give it to your baby as a milk replacement!)

We basically followed the Vita-Mix directions.

1 cup cold cooked brown basmati rice (cooked with salt and rice bran oil - 2 cups rice per 6 cups water)

4 cups warm water

2 Tablespoons Sucanat

Blended as per directions.  Decided it was a little on the thin and watery tasting side so we....

added another 1/2 cup cold cooked brown basmati rice and poured the rice milk back and processed it again.....

....we were delighted to see there was nothing in the strainer, so we can dispense with that step in the future! 

We bought the rice at a store called "India Market" in Irving off Hwy 183 on the way to the DFW airport.

From the recent news concerning arsenic levels in rice (from Ag use such as pesticides and feeding to conventional poultry - then using the manure for fertilizer) in rice grown in the good ol' USA, we might be better off getting our rice from India, although it wasn't organic.....