Rakia As An Antiseptic

Image by double dose via Flickr

Rakia has many uses in Bulgaria and apart from drinking a little everyday the second most used method for rakia is its antiseptic values. In the villages up and down the country working on the land with tolls often lead to cuts and bruises. Not only in the country but n town and cities working in factories or even just in the home accidents happen and this is where the rakia comes into play.

The initial distillation of rakia (about 1 litre) brings about a spirit that is around 70% proof. This is put aside for medicinal purposes and consider toxic to drink. It is stored in a jar or bottle and put in the medicine cupboard along with other conventional first aid appliances. This is the first place that is visited when an accident occurs. A cut is dabbed with the rakia and this is a great and truely effective form of antiseptic – as good if not better than most commercial chemist products that cost the earth.

On may occasions I would have seen Bulgarians dipping their finger in their drinking rakia and dab it on a would or bruise in the evening. I myself have found that this habit of using rakia to sterilize cuts is being used to great affect. After the initial stinging, which is deemed a good healthy pain it is certain that the wound will heal that much quicker and with a little rakia in the blood circulation prior to bed also adds to the healing process.

We now have 70% rakia in our medicine cupboard and it is used frequently, in fact I wouldn’t use anything else now as an antiseptic. It works and is a pure and natural remedy with no chemicals involved at all. Surely it is just a matter of time before rakia is realised outside the Balkans as a great alternative to commercial antiseptics.