Making plasters/band-aids in the woods

Step 4 Application

I wasn't going to cut myself for my instructable...

But I did put one on to show you the method in my madness.

When applying, stretch slightly and gently squeeze and the polypore will bind to itself. You can reinforce with cordage/grass/bark whatever you've got on you really.

There are otherways - using pine resin etc but birch polypore is nice neat and less sticky to deal with.

Have fun in the woods and don't forget :-

- Always take a first aid kit,
- Take care
- and most importantly leave no trace!

Comments

[Andrew McClellan]

At first, I thought this would just be a waste of my time, for I don't live in the UK, but in the last bit you mentioned pine resin! I've been gathering pine resin on and off during this week, or at least what I think is pine resin, and I just have no idea what the difference between sap and resin is. I'm planning on making my own incense; that is mainly why I am asking. Is resin just dried sap, or is it the same thing?
Thanks, even if you don't know.

[tim_n]

Hi Andrew, I'm afraid I know nothing about making incense...

Sap is a liquid, usually quite thin which caries nutrients around the plant.  It's not quite the full story, but for laymens purposes thats what it does...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sap

Resin is a very thick sticky substance excreted by a tree and it has protective properties.  Amber is fossilised resin.   It's a bit like a plaster/band-aid for a tree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin

I've been told that if you mix pine resin with ash and apply that to cloth you can use it to pull the edges of larger wounds together, but as a first aider, I'd rather use my first aid kit or get myself on an ambulance quick. 

[kleer001]

Hmmm, looks like you didn't need to break off the fruiting body from the tree. You could have cut your plaster off without wasting the rest of it. And it would have grown back, leaving more plasters for everyone else. If you have the time I humbly suggest redoing this instructables or at least adding a note that you don't need to break off the fruiting body. I only say this because this has been linked through lifehacker and will get lots of traffic. I do understand that the fruiting body, the part that you're breaking off, is basically the fruit of the mushroom, it's reproductive part, and not its main body. I know that taking a mushroom does no lasting harm, and is actually beneficial because it helps spread spores. My only wish is to quash waste.

[tim_n]

Kleer001 the fungus becomes prevelant in the last stages of the birch or oak trees life. The fungus will grow from many parts of the tree and will not suffer from harvesting. You will find it difficult to strip the tree of the fungus as many examples were about 10ft up. I'm no expert but it is believed that this fungus gradually kills the tree. I'd only take them from trees bearing more than one fruit. You could get several plasters from one fruit or dry it to use as a strop used in sharpening knives. Eventually I'd use it as a firelighter which you'll see in the next instructable. Featured on life hacker? That's really cool - I love that site!

[kleer001]

Sweet, excellent! I hereby revoke my ultra conservative recommendations, but leave the comment up to demonstrate your knowledge. I thought it was a slow growing and/or rare fungus like some of the conks. Psffft, shows what I know.

[sonipitts]

And don't forget, the shelf he's pulling off is just one "fruit" of the larger fungus that's running through the tree. It's more like picking an apple than harvesting an entire plant.

[katiezilla]

ever sense forever when i went camping my dads rule was leave it cleaner than when you first came...its good to see that others care as well =)

[billythebob]

I always heard that to when I was in boy scouts--I quit though it got boring

[tim_n]

Sounds like a bad scout leader. My scouts get sick of my moaning about tidying up after themselves or getting them to do the washing up!

[Notbob]

im not a scout leader myself (im an explorer), but i help out with the local scout group, and the bad leader story is one ive heard many, many times.

[huntervort07]

Leave nothing but foot prints Take nothing but time

[tim_n]

knowledge is the lightest tool of all!

[Metalcaster14]

cool that's interesting