Sugar has a number of uses in survival situations that make it more than just a sweetener. Anyone who is serious about prepping should include sugar in their arsenal, whether building a survival kit, bug-out-bag or stockpile. It stores easily, is available for immediate use, and can provide beneficial resources when supplies of traditional methods are limited.
Wound Care
Sugar has been used for thousands of years to clean wounds, prevent infections and promote healing. While it is not considered to be an antibiotic in the traditional sense, it does have the ability to kill bacteria by starving them of oxygen so they can’t reproduce. It also dries out wounds, which leads to the faster regeneration of tissue.
The application procedure is simple. Clean the wound, pat it dry and then sprinkle a healthy amount of sugar on the affected area. You will notice that some of the sugar immediately dissolves over moist spots. Add some more until a pack forms and allow the wound to air-dry as much as possible. The sugar will cause fluids to escape while also protecting the area from harmful things from getting inside.
You should rinse and repeat at least once a day until the wound has completely scabbed over.
Incendiary Device
The combination of sugar and potassium permaganate is commonly used as a fire-starting agent or defensive weapon. For fire-starting, mix equal parts of both ingredients together and pour over the kindling material. All you need to do is touch it with a flame and the material will flare-up and generate a tremendous amount of heat that will get a fire going in seconds. However, it does not burn long, so it is important that you have all of the ingredients for a fire assembled before adding this accelerant. You will be amazed at how many matches or fuel you can save by using this trick, especially in circumstances when starting a fire is difficult.
You can also make a highly effective smoke bomb with these two ingredients. Combine three parts of potassium permaganate and two parts of sugar and place in a pan. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the ground, and lay a piece of cloth or string coated in wax in the middle, making sure one end is sticking out from the edge the foil. This will act as a wick or fuse.
Cook the ingredients on low heat and slowly stir the mixture as the sugar begins to dissolve and liquefy. Pour or scrape the mixture onto the foil, making sure to cover the fuse. Roll the foil into a tubular shape and allow to cool. All you need to do is light the fuse when you are ready to use the device, but make sure that it is not in your hand or near any flammable material once the ingredients begin to burn.
Hypoglycemia
Low blood sugar can impact how the brain and other systems in the body function. It can reduce clarity of thought, increase mood swings and impair judgment, all of which can create all kinds of problems during a survival situation. The easiest and best cure for this is to ingest small amounts of sugar, especially when foods that have a naturally-high sugar content may not be available.
Storing Sugar
Keeping sugar in an air-tight container is the best way to ensure that it doesn’t solidify or clump during storage. However, for more portable applications, you can place sugar in plastic zipper bags along with a cracker. Keeping the sugar sealed will prevent a lot of moisture from entering while the cracker will absorb most of the moisture that finds its way inside. You can replace the cracker as needed in order to keep things dry if you don’t consume the sugar for prolonged periods of time. You can also use more than one cracker in really humid environments or if you are storing the sugar in large bags.
Sugar gets a bad rap because it’s linked to so many problems associated with health and nutrition. However, its use in a survival situation is very beneficial. Keep a supply on hand in order to benefit from its various uses, and don’t feel bad about incorporating it into some of your meals from time to time as well. It can help to make living with less a little bit easier to bear.
