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Drawing ointment. Who remembers it?

(107 Posts)
Lizbethann55 Sun 24-Oct-21 16:30:56

This morning my DD got a splinter in her finger. It turns out that she can't cope with splinters ! So my DH had to rescue our DD by removing it with my best eyebrow tweezers, while she screwed up her face and looked the other way. ( We will ignore the fact that she is in her late 30s!) But it reminded me of when we were little, if we got a splinter " drawing ointment " was put on the afflicted part of the body. Does anyone know what "drawing ointment " actually was and whether or not it actually worked?

H1954 Sun 24-Oct-21 16:35:57

I remember my Mum talking about it but don't recall seeing her having to use it on us kids. Her favourite 'go to' treatment was a kaolin poultice.

SueDonim Sun 24-Oct-21 16:36:49

Was it mag sulph paste?

SueDonim Sun 24-Oct-21 16:37:49

There you go. A small pot of it can be yours for £3.40!

www.boots.com/boots-pharmaceuticals-magnesium-sulfate-paste-bp-10083701

Lexisgranny Sun 24-Oct-21 16:43:28

I do remember it ……… I would wager that it sat in the medicine cabinet on the same shelf as Opening Medicine and Kaolin poultices with a few senna pods.

Oopsadaisy1 Sun 24-Oct-21 16:44:54

Mum would use Bicarbonate of Soda mixed with water to make a poultice to draw the splinter out.

kittylester Sun 24-Oct-21 16:45:02

It was brilliant!

Whitewavemark2 Sun 24-Oct-21 16:46:01

We still use it on the dog who gets in growing hairs between his toes and which festers up.

Poppyred Sun 24-Oct-21 16:51:07

It’s still a available and I always keep some in the first aid box.

Callistemon Sun 24-Oct-21 17:07:49

SueDonim

There you go. A small pot of it can be yours for £3.40!

www.boots.com/boots-pharmaceuticals-magnesium-sulfate-paste-bp-10083701

That's it!

Squiffy Sun 24-Oct-21 17:11:42

Brilliant stuff! I use it for drawing out post-gardening thorns and splinters.

Fennel Sun 24-Oct-21 17:14:54

I think kaolin has a drawing function. But more for things like septic spots and abcesses.
I also still have a small bottle of gentian violet.

JaneJudge Sun 24-Oct-21 17:18:01

Yes, it's magnesium sulphate!

JaneJudge Sun 24-Oct-21 17:18:48

gentian violet is used a lot on animals and poultry/fowl isn't it?

Kali2 Sun 24-Oct-21 17:20:28

Indeed, magnesium sulphate- always have a pot handy.

BlueBelle Sun 24-Oct-21 17:26:19

I still have a small jar of mag sulph in my first aid drawer

Blossoming Sun 24-Oct-21 17:27:46

Yes, I remember it. It was very smelly! I usually dig splinters out with a sharp needle.

Nannatwiglet Sun 24-Oct-21 17:45:40

Yes…still available at chemists…
We used it on our three year old “inquisitive” daughter some 40+ years ago…to draw a splinter out of her nose. She had been peering through a knot hole in the fence at new neighbours!

tanith Sun 24-Oct-21 18:14:13

We had something called Yellow Basilicon (sp?)for drawing out splinters when i was young

Oldbat1 Sun 24-Oct-21 18:20:14

Yes have a small pot in first aid box. Love the smell of Magnesium Sulphate.

pensionpat Sun 24-Oct-21 18:20:44

I remember Black Jack always in the cupboard. Don’t know if it was a “drawing” thing.

Puzzled Mon 25-Oct-21 16:42:10

As a child, ours was a bit like a stick of sealing wax, but yellowish, so was hot when applied. But it worked!
Can't remember the name!
Have used Magnesium Sulphate fairly recently to remove a metal splinter, instead of the usual needle and tweezers.

tickingbird Mon 25-Oct-21 16:58:51

I remember Kaolin poultice and Gentian Violet being in my mum’s medicine box and the poultice being heated up in it’s tin.

Nonogran Mon 25-Oct-21 16:59:42

My mum had a bad witlow on her finger when I was a small girl. Drawing ointment aka Morrison’s paste did the trick to draw the puss. Wonderful stuff.

Redhead56 Mon 25-Oct-21 17:16:45

I remember it as a child now it’s magnesium sulphate paste I bought some from the pharmacy a few weeks ago.