Brown mustard has been used for centuries as a medicine, with various uses including as a liniment, poultice, or plaster for muscle pain relief and as a laxative. It is also used to treat fevers, colds, and influenza, and has been used to attack venom from snake bites and scorpion stings. Brown mustard is also used as a food supplement to increase the body’s levels of iron, zinc, chromium, and selenium. However, it contains a highly odorous and irritating chemical, allyl isothiocyanate, which has been used to produce mustard gas as a chemical weapon in wartime.
Brown mustard has been used for centuries as a medicine to treat conditions ranging from simple toothaches to severe seizures in young children. References to mustard as a medicine generally mean brown mustard. Said medicine is generally extracted from its leaves and seeds. In ancient times, the Greeks valued the medicinal properties of mustard so much that they considered it a gift to humanity, created by Asciepious, the god of healing.
The most common use of mustard as a medicine is external as a liniment, poultice, or plaster. Mustard oil, by mildly irritating the skin, stimulates circulation, which relieves muscle pain. Mustard poultices have been attributed to the relief of certain cases of bronchitis and pleurisy.
When ingested internally in small amounts, the ingredients in mustard can be used as a laxative or to improve digestion. Also, taken in mild doses, the extracts tend to slightly inflame the stomach, causing perspiration. Sweating is sometimes helpful in treating fevers, colds, and influenza. The seeds, ingested in large quantities, can cause vomiting. Drinking a teaspoon of the seeds in a glass of water will usually cause vomiting within 10 minutes. Therefore, this treatment is sometimes used in the emergency treatment of alcohol or drug overdose.
In India, mustard is brewed into a tea to relieve muscular and skeletal pain and to treat fevers and colds. The Chinese also use medicinal mustard to treat ulcers, abscesses, and pain resulting from rheumatism and lumbago. They consider the leaves to be especially useful for treating inflammation of the bladder.
Additional medicinal uses for mustard include attacking venom from snake bites and scorpion stings, relieving pain from bruises or a stiff neck, and relieving colic and respiratory problems. The oil from mustard seed husks is said to promote hair growth. It has also been cited as an agent that helps to cure ringworm.
Brown mustard is also sometimes used as a food supplement to increase the body’s levels of iron, zinc, chromium, and selenium. Its oil is often used in the administration of therapeutic massages. Not all uses for brown mustard are beneficial. Brown mustard contains a highly odorous and irritating chemical, allyl isothiocyanate. This compound has been used to produce mustard gas as a chemical weapon in wartime.
Brown mustard seeds and leaves contain several complex chemicals. They include enzymes, glucosinates, sulfur, proteins, and mucilage. Due to the actions of these chemicals, some surgeons in the past used a brown mustard paste to disinfect their hands before operating on patients.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
