Mustard: Pain Relief for Arthritis and Burns

Mustard. It’s such an unassuming condiment. It serves Ketchup’s sidekick – a yellow Robin to the tomato-y Batman. And yet, we all know someone who enjoys mustard as though it were crafted by the culinary gods. I had a buddy named Jimmy who drank it from the bottle on a dare. (A dare, I should mention, that he posed on himself.) There’s a regular at the restaurant I work at who uses mustard on his steak.

Personally, I can’t stand it. But, for some reason, this stuff is popular… And did you know mustard can be used as first aid?

A Bit of Mustard for Your Burns

The next time you get a minor burn, dab a little yellow mustard on it. Yep, you don’t even need fancy mustard for today’s trick – just classic yellow. The wound will sting a bit at first, but after a couple seconds you should feel better. Mustard doesn’t speed healing, unfortunately.

Oh, and in case it wasn’t obvious, don’t put mustard on an open wound. Lightly singed skin? Great. Open sore? Not great. Getting some greasy salt into already damaged tissue would be the opposite of pain relief.

"It's not the condiment we want... It's the one we need... The Yellow Knight."

 Mustard Seeds for Arthritis

The true player in the mustard is the seed. Many holistic healers suggest mustard seed pills to treat pains throughout the body, from arthritis to migraines. Or, you can make a plaster out of mustard seed to treat pain in a specific joint (instructions in the link.) The chemicals in mustard seed create heat when they touch the skin, immediately soothing away aches. However, the heat they create at first is pretty intense, so take measures not to burn yourself in the process. Arthritis is bad enough - don’t add chemical burn to your list of problems.

Not a mustard cast. Mustard doesn't work as well as plaster for broken bones.

 Do You Love Mustard?

If you love this curious condiment (more power to you,) check out this link and post your own story!