During flare-ups of joint diseases, traditional healers recommend alleviating pain with various natural irritants such as horseradish, radish, and mustard. Besides providing pain relief, these remedies also have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. If the pain is severe, apply compresses to the affected area for a few hours (taking care to avoid irritation) and carry out the procedures not just once but as a 10-day course.
- Apply freshly grated horseradish pulp to a cloth and place it on the affected area for arthritis, gout, or rheumatism. It has a local irritating, distracting (analgesic), and anti-inflammatory effect. You can also prepare a compress by pouring 2 cups of boiling water over 1 tablespoon of grated horseradish and letting it infuse for 1 hour. Soak a gauze cloth in the infusion and apply it to the affected areas.
- Take 15-20 tablespoons of dried, crushed sage and pour 5 liters of boiling water over it. Let it infuse for 2 hours, strain it, and pour it into a bath with water at 24 degrees Celsius. Take a bath for 10-15 minutes. Do a course of daily procedures for a week, then take a 5-day break and repeat the course.
- For both arthritis and arthrosis, special compresses can help. Apply them at night as a 10-procedure course. Mix a tablespoon each of honey, mustard, salt, and baking soda. Apply the mixture to a gauze napkin and place it on the affected joints. Cover with cellophane or compress paper, and wrap to keep the affected areas warm.
- For severe pain, fresh celandine juice is helpful; generously apply it to the joints. Apply the juice to the affected areas once a day, and the more juice you use, the faster it will act.
- For gout or rheumatism, boil turnips, mash them into a pulp, and apply to the affected areas.
- Radish, which is popular for joint pain, can be used by simply applying its juice to the affected areas.
- Fir oil from the pharmacy is suitable for arthritis baths. If your foot joints are affected, soak your feet in a basin of water with 5-6 drops of oil. The water should cover your ankles and not be hotter than 39 degrees Celsius. Soak your feet for 15-20 minutes, and before bed, you can soak them longer. Do a course of daily baths for 10-12 consecutive days.
After the bath, dry your feet and rub them with the same fir oil, massaging the affected areas for 2-3 minutes. For rubbing, mix fir oil with an equal amount of vegetable oil (such as corn oil), but do not cause yourself pain during acute arthritis. For chronic arthritis, this treatment can be continued for a very long period, even for 1-2 years.
- Mix crushed black poplar buds with petroleum jelly in a 1:4 ratio. Apply the ointment to the affected joint. This relieves pain in cases of gout and arthritis.