Virtually all essential oils are antiseptic and therefore helpful in cleansing and treating wounds, but some are more notably so. Several of them also help to promote healing and kill pain, so obviously a combination of these properties makes a good oil for treating wounds. A further requirement is that the oil will not damage or irritate the exposed flesh (some of the most power­fully antiseptic oils are more suitable for washing surfaces, vaporising in sickrooms, etc., than for applying directly to broken skin).

This combination of properties reduces our choice to a small handful of oils, but as each of these is a really powerful healer, this is no disadvantage. Lavender has been used for this purpose for thousands of years (indeed, its name is derived from the Latin 'lavare' = to wash, since it was used to wash out wounds). Myrrh was similarly used by the ancient Greeks, and Tea Tree, although a relatively recent introduction to Europe, has a long history of use by the Aboriginal people of Australia.

The essential oil can be used neat on minor wounds - it will sting for a moment, but this will quickly pass. The safest method, which avoids touching the wound is to put a few drops of the oil on a plaster and then put this over the cut. For larger injuries, put the essential oil on a piece of gauze, and cover the wound with this, but be sensible about the extent to which you should attempt to treat without medical help. If in any doubt, especially if the edges of a wound may need to be held together with one or more stitches, use the essential oil as first aid and take the injured person to a doctor or casualty department as soon as possible.

Many other essential oils are suitable for treating wounds, including Benzoin, Bergamot, Camomile, Eucalyptus, Juniper and Rosemary, but Lavender and Tea Tree are regarded as the most important and useful, with Myrrh in reserve for any wound that is slow to heal, especially if it is weepy.