Most cuts and scrapes are minor and stop bleeding on their own within a few minutes. If bleeding continues, remove any visible dirt or debris and apply direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or gauze pad; if nothing else is available, use your hand. Keep applying pressure until the bleeding stops, then tape the cloth or gauze in place. If blood soaks through the cloth, do not remove it; you may lift off clotting blood cells. Instead, add another cloth and keep pressing. Do not try to use a tourniquet; if misused, it can cut off circulation to the limb.

If a foreign object is embedded in the wound, do not try to remove it. Instead, lie down and apply direct pressure above and below the wound. When the bleeding stops, see your doctor or go to a hospital, where appropriate care can be given.

A wound may spurt blood if an artery has been cut. This is a potentially life-threatening injury that requires emergency med ical assistance. Apply direct pressure to the wound, then call an ambulance or go to a hospital emergency room. Also see a doctor if the wound is deep, large, or has rough edges. It may need stitches to heal properly and minimize scarring.

Modern research has proved many herbs to be fairly effective against infection and in the healing of wounds. A study conducted in Austria in 1994 looked at 48 plants that folk tradition credits as vulneraries (substances that promote wound healing). This study found that 35 of the extracts showed antibacterial activity. Six that produced "outstanding antibacterial effects" were the leaves of sundew (drosera), witch hazel, eucalyptus, and blackberry, the bark of English oak, and the flowers of linden.