Mustard bath

For the 1993 Canadian film see Mustard Bath (film).

A Mustard bath is a traditional English 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 complementary and alternative medicine.

The ancient Greeks & Romans, Europeans, Native Americans and the Ayurvedic tradition of India have all used mustard in this way.

Around half a cup of ground up mustard seeds are placed in a very hot bath and the patient relaxes in this for about ten minutes.

References

• Minnie Lee Crawford,Why When and how to Bathe a Fever Patient American Journal of Nursing AJN, 1910 10(5): 314 [1]
• William Merrick Sweet, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.), Daniel and Eleanor Albert Collection,Published by J.B. Lippincott, Co., 1866 Page 240
• The Lancet Published by J. Onwhyn, 1840 . Item notes: v.2 (1839-1840) Original from Harvard University Page 239
• James Braithwaite, 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 Published by W.A. Townsend, 1866 Page 63
• Bathing info website