# Legitimate substance that really promotes healing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903 "2025-06-20T18:13:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/21 "2025-06-21T20:24:02Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Bag Balm. It’s a very old product and good for many things, by all accounts. I’ve tried Bag Balm for cracked, chapped hands & fingers and found it worked decently. I apply at night and my paws were noticeably better the next morning. BUT, it wasn’t dramatically better than any other hand cream or lotion and those don’t have the delightful aroma and, er, lasting stickypalms and fingers of BB. You can really smell ot working! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/22 "2025-06-23T14:53:06Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I’ve tried Bag Balm for cracked, chapped hands & fingers and found it worked decently. I apply at night and my paws were noticeably better the next morning. BUT, it wasn’t dramatically better than any other hand cream or lotion and those don’t have the delightful aroma and, er, lasting stickypalms and fingers of BB. You can really smell (i)t working! Like the “science” behind [Vicks VapoRub](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11874951/)? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/23 "2025-06-23T15:05:35Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Aloe Vera or aloe Vera hydro gels have definitely been peer reviewed and proven to promote healing. I came in here to say this. One of the labs I worked at had aloe vera plants growing not only for show but for healing. If you got a bad burn, their solution was to crush a leaf and rub it into the skin. They swore by the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/24 "2025-06-26T12:56:30Z")
I jumped on a KTM motorcycle (as passenger) when I was about 14, horsing around on farm bikes. I usually mount from the left side. Most bikes that I had ridden at that point in my young career had the exhaust on the right side. Not the KTM. I got a roughly round 15cm diameter burn on my inner thigh. Probably 2nd degree, although I am no doctor. The farmer took me to his wife who dressed the burn with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water. Incredibly I don’t even have a scar. I also don’t have any peer-reveiwed research to support my claim, though. I have hot-oil burn and a dry-ice “burn” scars that prove I am not invincible. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/25 "2025-06-26T13:58:12Z")
Hubster had a pressure sore. The home nurse used many things to heal it from the inside out. Apparently one of the things she used contained honey. Erm, should have read the whole thread. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/26 "2025-06-27T01:04:22Z")
Pressure sores are a particular problem. As the offense cannot be mitigated. The person has to sit or lay there. Moving the patient helps but is not always to a better position for other reasons. They will kill a person if not treated properly. I have a personal fear of them. I hope your husbands has healed. That is party time. * * * OTOH, bag balm does nothing for me. Neither does that O’keefes. (Yes, I have thread about it somewhere in the bowels of the Dope). I was ultimately not impressed. Vaseline actually costs as much as Bag balm. You can get tiny amounts of Vaseline, tho’. I was surprised to find the cost of the _tub_ of V-jelly, the size I have(oh yeah, its so big I’ve had the same one for a couple of years) was so expensive when I went to buy another. I promptly decided it wasn’t going to age rudely. So I waited. I still have it. I rub it on my elbows and knees every night. It may never run out. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/27 "2025-06-27T02:04:21Z")
Now I used O’Keefe’s on my fingers. When I worked full time, I worked on a touch screen register, and spent as much time as possible in the cooler, (it beat the hell out of customer service. Still does as part time.) At any rate, in the Winter my fingers constanly cracked and bled. Liquid bandage kept me from bleeding all over, but O’Keefe’s healed the cracks, and prevented some of the damage. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/28 "2025-06-27T02:14:11Z")
I recall reading an article (sorry, no cite, it was a long time ago) that investigated “home remedies” and, surprisingly, chicken soup is good for a cold/flu. It will not heal you, as such, at all. But, it provides some necessary nutrients your body needs which helps it fight the cold/flu and, it is something someone who is ill can probably tolerate eating. To be clear, there is no magic hocus-pocus here at all. The illness will still run its course and you will be miserable for a few days. But it helps some. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/29 "2025-06-27T02:17:36Z")
I agree. Aloe has done wonders for me a few times. I get the stuff with no scent or anything. Just 98% (or whatever it is) aloe. Great for various minor skin issues. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/30 "2025-06-27T02:27:58Z")
Oh. I bet it helped with the frozen and cracking skin, like that. It didn’t help me, for what I needed. So I was not impressed. My skin and your skin, (the big we) is different. What works for one may not work for others. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/31 "2025-06-27T15:39:22Z")
[Aquaphor](https://www.aquaphorus.com/specials/how-it-works) smells better than bag balm maybe works better too. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/32 "2025-06-27T20:57:29Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > In the realm of alt med that’s proven to have legitimate value as medicine (a scantily populated realm, to be sure), [use of medical-grade honey](https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/medical-grade-honey-is-viable-tool-in-wound-care) on wounds has been shown to have antimicrobial properties and promote healing. Yes, that is true. Triple antibiotic/Neosporin beats it out on some types of woulds, and it is what most doctors recommend. But if you have some honey and nothing else, it can be a good choice. Few people would have medical grade honey on hand. Some studies have shown Manuka Honey to be better. > [@Steven\_Maven](#): > > If you are self-treating wounds of any origin that are too small to require professional care, I strongly suggest starting with OTC triple antibiotic ointment (plus the aforementioned bandaid). Yep. > [@Chronos](#): > > Does it work any better than, say, Vaseline? Yes, in general. > [@elbows](#): > > Bag Balm. It’s a very old product and good for many things, by all accounts. Bag Balm isnt a bad choice, it contains a mild antibiotic. > [@chela](#): > > Aloe Vera or aloe Vera hydro gels have definitely been peer reviewed and proven to promote healing. For mild burns, yes. Not wounds. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Pressure sores are a particular problem. As the offense cannot be mitigated. They can be- by a sheepskin.wool mattress pad. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/33 "2025-06-27T21:57:51Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Another one is silicone. Ages ago I had a spot removed and after the plastic surgeon had sutured things up his assistant was keenly applying what I later found out was a silicone liquid that once cured formed a permeable film, again conducive to good healing. It healed without trace. A variant of the same thing is sold to help avoid scarring of wounds. I was STRONGLY encouraged to use silicone scar strips on my wrist, back in 2018. The OT gave me a bit of really thick stuff that worked great, but didn’t last forever; I was forced to get the over-the-counter sort which was super thin and preferred to stick to itself rather than my skin, and was a huge pain. I wish I’d been better able to find the thicker stuff. Whether it helped, I don’t know. Her take was that reducing scarring would improve wrist function - the beginning of each session typically involved stretching and massaging the area to loosen things up internally. Studies are inconclusive. But it did no harm, and may have helped. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/34 "2025-06-27T22:50:17Z")
I had such a large wound I was really anxious the scar was not really as bad as it could be. I heal slowly, so scarring is always worse(I’ve found). Anyway, I had scar _sheets!_. I suppose they helped some. Not perfect, but as you say no harm done. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/35 "2025-06-27T22:51:32Z")
Sheepskin doesn’t heal the skin. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/36 "2025-06-27T23:18:21Z")
Of course not, but it prevents the sores from happening in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/37 "2025-06-28T01:48:34Z")
My dermatologist said to never use a neosporin type salve for aftercare from a biopsy. I didn’t hve Vaseline so I once used neosporin big mistake! That irritated the hell out of my skin. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/38 "2025-06-28T02:48:30Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Probably 2nd degree, although I am no doctor. Second degree is blisters but still surface only. [![](https://drzaydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/burns-1024x981.png) ](https://drzaydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/burns-1024x981.png) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/39 "2025-06-28T22:42:30Z")
Might be obvious to folks, but that graphic is mislabeled. 1 is _epidermis_, 2 is dermis and 3 is subcutaneous tissue (mostly adipose). ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903/40 "2025-06-28T22:42:31Z")
If anyone wants a summary of aloe’s healing efficacy, Wikipedia’s main source for its article on the topic is **[drugs.com](https://www.drugs.com/npp/aloe.html)**. The overview begins: “Topical aloe appears to inhibit infection and promote healing of minor burns and wounds, frostbite, striae gravidum, and skin affected by diseases such as psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis, although studies have had conflicting results.” The section on wound healing begins almost exactly halfway down. It reviews many studies, some good, some bad, several weird (e.g. Testing a mixture of aloe and olive oil). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legitimate-substance-that-really-promotes-healing/1019903.md?page=3)