Snake Oil or Healing Salve?

Oh, winter, and the art of keeping toasty warm during these cold months. A week or so ago I had started a fire in the wood furnace because it was a surprisingly cold November day. As I was slinging a larger chunk of wood into the unit, it started to slip and I used my other hand to try and catch it. Well, wouldn't you know, I got a chunky sliver jammed into the side of my little finger. Ouch! Not only did it leave a pretty good gouge, but I could also see a dark shape under the skin that wasn't damaged. Darn it! I washed the wound in the kitchen sink with soap and hot water, but I was pretty sure there was still a chunk of wood in my finger. Splinters creep me out. Not only are they sore, but they have this kind of weird itch to them. It's like your body knows there's something foreign in there and it really doesn't like it. I mentioned my injury to one of my real estate colleagues and she said, "You need some PRID." I asked her what she was talking about and she said she has this ointment that actually draws the splinter out. Later that day she texted me a photo of this very old-fashioned looking tin with the name "PRID" on its cover. How have I not known about this little miracle splinter fixer before? According to Wiki, PRID is an old homeopathic ointment whose origin can be traced back to the 19th century when various "drawing salves" were on the market. A drawing salve is an ointment that usually contains ichthammol or ammonium bituminosulfonate, a substance derived from sulfonated shale oil that has been used in dermatology for over a century. The photo my friend sent me was of a small tin of Hyland's Naturals PRID which stands for Pain Relief & Irritant Drawing Salve. It also lists its uses: "May help draw out splinters & ingrown hairs and temporarily relieves pain, itchiness and irritation from minor skin eruptions, bites and superficial cuts or scratches." I did a little more digging and found that Hyland's PRID has been around for about 100 years. The company itself was established in 1903. Interestingly, in some of the articles that popped up when I was researching Hyland's PRID, the ability for it to "draw out" splinters appears to have little scientific basis. The salve does have some valuable healing ingredients such as "ichthammol (a sulfonated shale oil), sulfur, arnica and calendula." All of these ingredients can specifically be beneficial to skin due to their healing properties, but one article doubted the "drawing out" capabilities and had an explanation as to why people are convinced that the salve actually draws the splinter out. Our bodies have an incredible healing capability. As soon as you get a cut, the body begins a three-part process. First, blood vessels constrict to slow blood loss and platelets clump together to form a scab. Then white blood cells arrive to clean the wound and fight off infection and finally, new tissue is built to fill in the wound. Our immune systems naturally want to shed toxins and foreign material from our bodies. As well as the beneficial healing qualities of PRID, it probably also softens the skin with its moisture content which helps the body push the splinter out. While there may be a lack of scientific evidence regarding Hyland's PRID drawing salve and its ability to suck those splinters out of your finger, there's a reason why many, many carpenters carry a tin of it in their toolbox. NOTE: I also came across a warning in a few of the articles around salves. It's important not to confuse a drawing salve with a black salve. Another homeopathic ointment that's been around for a long time, black salves are highly frowned upon by modern medicine. Thought to cure skin cancers and get rid of moles, warts and boils, black salves actually dissolve or break down tissues… including healthy skin cells. Best to stay far away from black salves.