The Science of how sphagnum moss works as a wound dressing is more complex than just having antiseptic properties. The absorbency, coupled with the complex pectins, promotes healing by depriving harmful bacteria of the environment in which they thrive and creates an environment friendly to leucocytes. The "lack of cytotoxicity on the part of sphagnan, and its ability to inhibit growth only by sequestering ammonia and other primary amines in the ambient medium, must reflect its polymeric and hydrophilic character, which would oppose its traversing the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria. Similar arguments apply to the plasma membrane of mammalian cells, and the intense proliferation of leucocytes (white blood cells) at the interface between wounds and Sphagnum dressings seems to confirm that the latter are not cytotoxic."
Sphagnum dressings were dried and sterilised; they weren't used wet from the field. There has been extensive research into sphagnum moss complex pectin healing properties: "Pectin is a complex polysaccharide and a structural fibre found in plant cell walls, particularly in the primary cell wall and middle lamella. In recent decades, pectin, a biopolymer derived from citrus fruits, apples, and sunflower heads, has drawn remarkable attention as a promising biomaterial due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process essential for restoring the integrity and function of tissues."
"Although they are of a preliminary nature, these simple experiments clearly demonstrate that Sphagnum wound dressings are much more than inert, absorbent materials, and their traditional use for dressing wounds which in most cases would have been septic (Williams, 1982) starts to make sense. Much remains to be done, however, before the healing properties of Sphagnum moss tissue can be fully understood. Sphagnan is essentially a kind of pectin, and there is an extensive literature on the immunostimulatory properties of complex pectins from a wide variety of higher plants, including some that are used specifically for wound healing in traditional African medicine."
IMHO, the OP video is in many ways correct. Don't apply damp moss picked off the ground to use unprocessed as a wound dressing in the field. If you need to stop bleeding, use pressure elevation and an astringent inner bark from an Alder Tree, if necessary. Birch Polypore has antiseptic properties and makes an adequate plaster for a small cut. Still, medicinally, it is better suited to extraction by decoction and to used as a wound wash, with the antimicrobial active ingredients extracted into the water. The Birch polypore, like many medicinal conks, contains beta-glucans, which are largely responsible for overall immune modulation by activating innate immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, granulocytes and natural killer cells. Mushrooms with the highest beta-glucan content will support overall immune system health and be most beneficial. Otzi- the Ice Man was found to have Birch polypore on him; he was also found to have an infestation of Whipworms: Whipworm infections (caused by Trichuris species). Beta-glucans are natural glucose polymers found in cell walls that can act as potent immune boosters. . Research shows they can help the gut expel intestinal parasitic worms—such as Trichinella—by reshaping the gut microbiome, expanding helpful bacteria like Akkermansia, and triggering type 2 immune responses. It is likely this Bronze Age man was decocting his Birch buttons to extract the water-soluble beta-glucans. While raw, high-molecular-weight beta-glucans are largely insoluble, hot water extraction breaks down tight cell wall structures to make specific active fractions water-soluble and bioavailable.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666893925003172
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874103001892
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00673/full
& My own research into field herbal medicine.
Sphagnum dressings were dried and sterilised; they weren't used wet from the field. There has been extensive research into sphagnum moss complex pectin healing properties: "Pectin is a complex polysaccharide and a structural fibre found in plant cell walls, particularly in the primary cell wall and middle lamella. In recent decades, pectin, a biopolymer derived from citrus fruits, apples, and sunflower heads, has drawn remarkable attention as a promising biomaterial due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process essential for restoring the integrity and function of tissues."
"Although they are of a preliminary nature, these simple experiments clearly demonstrate that Sphagnum wound dressings are much more than inert, absorbent materials, and their traditional use for dressing wounds which in most cases would have been septic (Williams, 1982) starts to make sense. Much remains to be done, however, before the healing properties of Sphagnum moss tissue can be fully understood. Sphagnan is essentially a kind of pectin, and there is an extensive literature on the immunostimulatory properties of complex pectins from a wide variety of higher plants, including some that are used specifically for wound healing in traditional African medicine."
IMHO, the OP video is in many ways correct. Don't apply damp moss picked off the ground to use unprocessed as a wound dressing in the field. If you need to stop bleeding, use pressure elevation and an astringent inner bark from an Alder Tree, if necessary. Birch Polypore has antiseptic properties and makes an adequate plaster for a small cut. Still, medicinally, it is better suited to extraction by decoction and to used as a wound wash, with the antimicrobial active ingredients extracted into the water. The Birch polypore, like many medicinal conks, contains beta-glucans, which are largely responsible for overall immune modulation by activating innate immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, granulocytes and natural killer cells. Mushrooms with the highest beta-glucan content will support overall immune system health and be most beneficial. Otzi- the Ice Man was found to have Birch polypore on him; he was also found to have an infestation of Whipworms: Whipworm infections (caused by Trichuris species). Beta-glucans are natural glucose polymers found in cell walls that can act as potent immune boosters. . Research shows they can help the gut expel intestinal parasitic worms—such as Trichinella—by reshaping the gut microbiome, expanding helpful bacteria like Akkermansia, and triggering type 2 immune responses. It is likely this Bronze Age man was decocting his Birch buttons to extract the water-soluble beta-glucans. While raw, high-molecular-weight beta-glucans are largely insoluble, hot water extraction breaks down tight cell wall structures to make specific active fractions water-soluble and bioavailable.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666893925003172
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874103001892
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00673/full
& My own research into field herbal medicine.
