Hit the side of the coffee table with your leg or bump into the car door and you’ll probably develop a nasty reminder of your blunder. A bruise is an injury to the tissue found under your skin. It occurs when an object makes contact to the blood vessels that run throughout your body. When blood vessels rupture, the blood drains into the surrounding tissue and then seeps into the skin. Expect the process of healing to create a fascinating rainbow of colors that includes reddish-blues, purple-blacks, and greenish yellows. Along the way, home remedies for bruising can help restore your skin to its normal color.

Causes and Symptoms

Besides making physical contact with an object that can cause a bruise, there are other reasons that a black-and-blue mark may arise. Some individuals are more susceptible to bruising, especially women. The older you get, the higher your chances are for bruising. The aging process causes tissues that support vessels to weaken and capillary walls become prone to damage. The skin thins out and loses some of the protection that fatty layers offer. Certain medications and blood-thinning drugs can decrease the blood’s ability to clot.

Other causes of bruising include:

• Corticosteroids that thin out the skin
• Dietary supplements – like fish oil, ginkgo, ginger and garlic
• Aspirin

Bruising typically causes pain, swelling, and discoloration – usually bringing black and blue colors to the surface of the skin.

Bruise Home Remedies

Over time, your body will reabsorb the blood associated with your bruise and it will eventually disappear. However, if you wish for a speedy recovery and instant relief, consider the following home remedies for bruising:

a) Vinegar:

Encourage speedy healing of a bruise by soaking a piece of cotton gauze in white or apple cider vinegar and applying to affected skin for one hour [1].

b) Vitamin K:

Encourage the clotting of your blood by taking a vitamin K supplement. As a substitute, you may eat alfalfa.

c) Tea:

Reduce the pain and lessen the appearance of a bruise by soaking a cloth in comfrey tea and applying to the skin.

d) Cayenne Pepper and Vaseline:

To replicate an ancient Chinese remedy, mix one part cayenne pepper and five parts melted petroleum jelly. Mix the ingredients and allow to cool. Apply to your bruise once per day.

e) Witch Hazel:

Apply distilled witch hazel to bruises two to three times per day [2].

f) Parsley:

Apply crushed parsley to your bruises. With a great deal of healing properties, parsley provides therapeutic relief to black and blue marks. For this reason, some people create warm poultices with parsley to soothe the skin.

g) Vitamin C:

If bruises seem to pop up out of nowhere, you could be suffering from a lack of vitamin C. Make sure to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables that are packed with essential vitamins and minerals. As a result, you will develop stronger and thicker blood vessels that do not become susceptible to ruptures.

h) Raw Onion:

Place a slice of raw onion over your bruise – only if the skin is not broken.

Resources

[1] Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things by Reader’s Digest; pg 355.
[2] The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants by Andrew Chevallier; pg 304.