Why I am putting tea bags in my first aid kit and why you should too!

Why I am putting tea bags in my first aid kit

On Canada Day we hosted a playdate and there were over 10 children here. With that many children there was bound to be atleast one injury and there was. 

I am not really sure what happened but I know one of the kids had a bleeding mouth. While assessing the injury and the mom thinking that a dr’s visit was in order, two other mom’s jumped in. One a 911 dispatcher and the other a pediatric nurse. 

In the middle of figuring out how bad the injury was the pediatric nurse asked for a tea bag… weird time to make tea I thought. Berry, mint, lemon,…anything strike your fancy? “Just basic black tea” she said.. 

I of course then asked, for what! And at that point it was explained to me. 

Basic black tea, is a coagulant. What does that mean? It can help your blood clot. 

Now of course it’s not like you could use this on a large wound that requires immediate emergency medical attention however, it is a good thing to have for minor injuries. It’s espcially helpful for some people who have had bleeding in their mouths. 

When the bleeding stopped (after using a tea bag) it was noted that no immediate attention was required, infact the child that was hurt was back to playing..and of course I made a mental note to put some tea bags in every one of our first aid kits.