(Sublimated) sulfur is a natural element that is an essential substance to have available in your home, since its topical application safely cures many ailments.

Sulfur has been known to be useful medically since ancient times. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit: sulveri. It is also known as "brimstone" in the Bible, and Christians consider it the fuel of Hell!

The sublimated sulfur to use as a medicine is called "flowers of sulfur". It is cheap to buy on the internet, but I have always got mine from the local drug store with excuses such as: "it's for my plants" or "I am using it to cure my pet rabbit". The pharmacist is always hesitant to order it for me since sulfur is an ingredient in explosives.

Flowers of sulfur is a yellow powder. If you have a shallow wound or a weeping sore or acne, then sulfur is an excellent treatment. Putting antiseptic cream or a sticking plaster onto a wound is likely only to breed harmful microbes that thrive in the warmth and damp.

Here's a tip to avoid blood poisoning/gangrene when a minor wound looks as though it may be developing pus under the scab. First: hot bath and slough off the scab. There will be some bleeding but it doesn't matter. Then, dry with clean towel and apply sulfur.

There is a pharmaceutical product called "sulfur topical". It has some nasty side-effects that can be avoided if you use flowers of sulfur instead. The medical establishment makes a fortune marketing dangerous medicines, when natural cures will do at least as good a job, with little or no risk. Sulfur is added to products, making it seem as though the product is worth buying, when really it's the sulfur that is the main beneficial ingredient. Cleansers and masks for acne, which are rather expensive, often include sulfur. Romans used to submerge themselves in sulfur springs to cure skin ailments.

Because sulfur is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and a natural antiseptic, you don't need to worry that it will cause an infection. The powder should not be used in eyes, mouth (or ingested) or inside genitals.

Another use for flowers of sulfur is as an insecticide and fungicide for your plants. It is used in organic gardening for the control of mites, fungal diseases (you can put it on your own fungal diseases such as athlete's foot by the way) and to kill insects' eggs. It is an effective treatment for scabies, if applied repeatedly and diligently.

Sulfur is present naturally in all cells of your body. Its greatest concentration is in hair, skin and nails. We need sulfur in our diets, to maintain the quality of these features. Meat, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs and vegetables (in particular onions) have high sulfur content, so be sure to eat enough of these.

Few people appreciate the importance of sulfur and it is surprising how uncommon it is for people to trust established natural cures, and to trust instead to pharmaceuticals admitting long lists of contraindications. Humans are increasingly medically dependent, and we should look for ways to take care of ourselves and break free from this insidious control.