When literally “rubbing salt into a wound,” how much additional pain does it produce? (If I weren’t such a sissy I’d try it myself.) And is it true that the salt actually speeds up healing by drawing out bacteria?
How are we supposed to quantify this?
About as much as pouring rubbing alcohol on it, but I think the alcohol feels colder.
Salt may kill bacteria, but it also kills your own cells, so it will slow down wound healing.
That is, a lot of salt. A little salt, mixed with water in the same ratio as the salt in your body…that’s called saline, and it’s what we use to rinse wounds to clean them. But at that level, it’s not antibacterial.
Easiest way to do it is to just swim in the ocean. It may sting a bit, but not too bad. It always seems to make wounds feel better, not sure about actually speeding up healing.
Anywhere from “stings a little” to “excruciating agony.”
Swimming in the ocean with an open wound does indeed sting, but it’s bearable. I even like it as it feels cleansing.
But the question is rubbing salt on a wound which I believe is an idiom derived from rubbing salt into wounds after someone has received a lashing. If I recall correctly, it was done mainly to misbehaving sailors. Punishment could sometimes be the lash and salt.
I would say that rubbing it into a fresh lash wound would be excruciating. And since it was meant as punishment and torture, it was meant to be painful.
I’ve had a bit of salty grit imbedded into scrapes and cuts and they tended to hurt and KEEP hurting for a long time. It’s like a pain that you just never quite get “used” to, in my experience.
In short, it’s a punishment I wouldn’t wish on anyone and is extremely cruel and inhumane. So way more than just “mild stinging.”
Floating in the Dead Sea with an open wound, though…
I’ve done it to myself to make friends squirm (I’ve also squeezed lemons into cuts for the same purpose). I’m a giver in that regard
It hurts. But remotely incapacitatingly (though I’ve never done it to a really big wound or anything).
Ouch!!!
I got a very very tiny splash in my eye once. Not fun.
Onan, is that you?
Well I’m at the beach and just cut myself, so let me head into the ocean and check this out right now…yes, definitely a little stinging sensation…but kinda soothing now…that’s weird, something just brushed up against ajkljhksdgjkhsdklj jdmb cv
Salt on a cut stings no question but for even more fun try salt and lemon.