Mustard bath

Traditional therapeutic remedy

For another use, see Mustard Bath (film).

A mustard bath is a traditional therapeutic remedy for tired, stressed muscles, colds, fevers and seizures. The mustard was thought to draw out toxins and warm the muscles, blood and body. It was a standard medical practice up until the first part of the twentieth century and continues to be used in alternative medicine.

## General use

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Baths in general have been historically used in medical practices for a variety of reasons, from stimulating the skin, to acting as a sedative, and also simply to clean.[1] Mustard baths specifically were known for their ability to remove toxins from the body and providing a feeling of warmth to the skin. However, if applied incorrectly or for too long it can cause inflammation to the skin.[2] Mustard seeds contain manganese, iron, and magnesium, all chemicals that have anti-inflammatory properties, evidence of using mustard as a way to treat inflammation dates back to Ancient Greece where it is said that Pythagoras recommended mustard seeds as a remedy for scorpion stings.[3]

Mustard baths have been used to treat a variety of illnesses, ranging from acne to insanity, typically it was thought that the sensation of warmth brought on by mustard baths had a calming effect on the body and could calm a racing heart.[2][4][5] It was also common for mustard baths to be used specifically to treat children, because it is seen as a gentle way to treat the skin in cases of pneumonia or typhoid fever.[1][6]

In the modern-day mustard baths continue to be used in alternative medicine circles to alleviate chronic pain, however the FDA, along with other nations has banned the sale of crude mustard oil due to its erucic acid content.[3][7]

The amount of mustard needed to create a mustard bath varies in historical record with one source claiming that "five or six handfuls of crude mustard"[4] are needed to create a proper mustard bath, while another claims that a pound of mustard in a small tub full of water is what's needed.[6]

## See also

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* Mustard plaster
* Balneotherapy

## References

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1. ^ a b Crawford, Minnie Lee (1910). "Why, When, and How to Bathe a Fever Patient". The American Journal of Nursing. 10 (5): 314–317\. doi:10.2307/3403076. ISSN 0002-936X. JSTOR 3403076.
2. ^ a b A Correspondent (1932). "The Uses of Mustard in Medicine". The Indian Medical Gazette. 67 (1): 27–28\. ISSN 0019-5863. PMC 5231598. PMID 29010928. `{{cite journal}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
3. ^ a b Sherman, Carol (2020-02-18). "Mustard: History of the yellow seed - Hektoen International". hekint.org. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
4. ^ a b Braithwaite, William; Braithwaite, James; Trevelyan, Edmond Fauriel (1866). The Retrospect of Practical Medicine and Surgery: Being a Half-yearly Journal Containing a Retrospective View of Every Discovery and Practical Improvement in the Medical Sciences ... Vol. 52\. W. A. Townsend Publishing Company. pp. 63–64.
5. ^ Clutterbuck (1840). The Lancet. Vol. 2\. J. Onwhyn. p. 239.
6. ^ a b Weber (1878). The American Journal of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children. Vol. 11\. W.A. Townsend & Adams. pp. 334–340.
7. ^ "Import Alert 26-04". www.accessdata.fda.gov. Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved 2024-03-22.

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