PRID is a homeopathic drawing salve made by Hyland’s, used to help pull splinters, thorns, and other small foreign objects from the skin. It’s also commonly applied to boils, minor skin irritations, and insect bites or stings. The product has been on the market for decades and remains a popular home remedy, especially in rural areas where splinters, wood slivers, and thorn pricks are everyday nuisances.
How PRID Works as a Drawing Salve
The idea behind a “drawing salve” is simple: you apply a thick layer of ointment over the affected area, cover it with a bandage, and let it sit. The salve softens the surrounding skin and, in theory, helps coax embedded material like splinters or glass slivers closer to the surface where you can remove them more easily. For boils, the goal is similar. The salve is meant to encourage the boil to come to a head and drain on its own.
PRID is typically applied in a small amount directly over the problem spot, then covered with a clean bandage. Most users leave it on overnight and check the area in the morning. If a splinter hasn’t surfaced yet, you can clean the area and reapply. The salve has a dark color and a distinct tar-like smell, which comes from one of its key ingredients.
What’s in PRID
PRID contains seven active ingredients, all listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS). The most functionally relevant one is ichthammol, a dark, sticky substance derived from shale oil that has been used in topical skin products for over a century. Ichthammol is the ingredient most associated with the “drawing” action and gives the salve its characteristic look and smell.
The remaining ingredients are homeopathic preparations at varying dilutions:
- Arnica montana, traditionally used in homeopathy for soreness and bruising
- Calendula, a flowering plant associated with soothing minor skin irritation
- Echinacea, an herb commonly linked to immune support
- Hepar sulph calc (calcium sulfide), used in homeopathic practice for skin conditions involving pus
- Silicea (silicon dioxide), traditionally used in homeopathy to help expel foreign bodies from tissue
- Sulphur, a common homeopathic remedy for skin complaints
It’s worth noting that several of these ingredients are at 12X dilutions, meaning they’ve been diluted 12 times by a factor of ten. At these dilutions, extremely small amounts of the original substance remain. The ichthammol is at a 2X dilution, making it the least diluted and most concentrated active ingredient in the formula.
Common Uses
People reach for PRID most often in a handful of situations. Splinters are probably the number-one reason. When a wood sliver or thorn is embedded too deep to grab with tweezers, applying PRID overnight can soften the skin enough to make extraction easier the next day. This is especially popular for children who won’t sit still for tweezers or for splinters lodged in tough, calloused skin on the hands or feet.
Boils are another common use. A boil is a painful, pus-filled lump that forms when a hair follicle gets infected. Applying PRID and covering it with a bandage is a traditional approach to encourage the boil to come to a head and begin draining. Many users report applying it for two or three nights before seeing results.
Other uses include insect bites and stings (to reduce irritation and help draw out venom), ingrown hairs, and minor skin infections that produce small pockets of pus near the surface. Some people also use it on cystic acne, though the product isn’t specifically marketed for that purpose.
Does PRID Actually Work?
This is where things get nuanced. There are no published clinical trials specifically testing PRID’s effectiveness. The product is classified as a homeopathic remedy, which means it isn’t evaluated by the FDA the same way conventional drugs are. It doesn’t need to prove efficacy through clinical trials to be sold.
That said, ichthammol-based drawing salves have a long history of use in folk medicine and are still recommended by some dermatologists as a low-risk home option for minor boils. The ichthammol component has mild skin-softening properties that may genuinely help with splinter removal by loosening the tissue around the foreign body. Whether the other homeopathic ingredients contribute meaningful therapeutic effects at their listed dilutions is a matter of ongoing debate between homeopathic practitioners and mainstream scientists.
Many users swear by PRID based on personal experience, and online reviews are largely positive. For minor issues like shallow splinters and small boils, the risks of trying it are low. For deeper infections, large boils, or any wound showing signs of spreading infection (expanding redness, red streaking, fever), a drawing salve is not a substitute for medical treatment.
How to Apply PRID
Start by washing the affected area with soap and water. Apply a small amount of the salve directly over the splinter, boil, or bite. You don’t need a thick glob; a thin layer that covers the area is enough. Cover it with an adhesive bandage to keep the salve in contact with the skin and protect your clothing (it stains). Leave it on for several hours or overnight.
After removing the bandage, clean the area again. If you’re dealing with a splinter, check whether it has moved closer to the surface and try to remove it with sterilized tweezers. If it hasn’t budged, you can reapply for another cycle. For boils, you may need to repeat the process for two to three days before seeing the boil come to a head. Once a boil drains, keep the area clean and covered to prevent further infection.
Precautions Worth Knowing
PRID is intended for external use only. Avoid applying it inside the mouth, nose, eyes, or on mucous membranes. It should be applied to intact or mostly intact skin. If you have a deep open wound or a large area of broken skin, this isn’t the right product.
The salve can stain fabric and skin temporarily, so wearing an old shirt to bed on the night you apply it is a practical move. Some people experience mild skin irritation, so if the area becomes significantly more red, itchy, or swollen after application, remove the salve and wash the area thoroughly. For boils that are larger than a golf ball, extremely painful, or accompanied by fever, professional drainage by a healthcare provider is the safer route.