No granny, no! ... Please, not another mustard plaster!

My column today deals with the subject of mustard plasters. Older folks, like me, should remember them with total disgust. I researched seven publications ranging from 1800 to 1925; each offered an ample variety of medical advice.First, let me define a "mustard plaster." It was a mild mixture of mustard seed power, applied to the skin with adhesive, such as flour and warm water on a cloth. The original mistaken notion was that a mustard plaster would draw out "bad humors" (defined as blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm).The patient had to be very careful with mustard plasters because they were known to cause severe burns to the body. It did not take the populous long to realize that mustard plasters were powerful and needed to be handled accordingly or, perhaps, not used at all.A mustard plaster was a form of poultice (a soft, moist mass of material, typically of plant material or flour, applied to the body to relieve soreness and inflammation, which was kept in place with a cloth. It acted as a counterirritant and increased the local blood supply.In bygone days, as soon as a family member showed the least sign of a cold, neuralgia, or bruise, my grandmother (Ethel Carroll) would immediately smear me with Vaseline or another greasy substance. This was the late 1940s.A layer of mustard purée was made from leaves and stems on a layer of gauze and attached with tape. Some people left it untouched for several hours if not all night, which was definitely not the right thing to do.Other folks claimed mustard plasters soothed tired feet by adding a handful of crushed mustard seeds to a small tub of warm water and soaking the feet for about 10 minutes. Families claimed that this remedy made the ailing person feel noticeably better.One source noted that Black Mustard was used in the treatment of bronchial pneumonia and pleurisy. Homeopathic practitioners used it for runny nose, hay fever and sore throat. Its effectiveness for these problems had not, however, been scientifically verified.Breathing the vapors of a mustard plaster could trigger sneezing, coughing, and asthma attacks, as well as eye irritation. Leaving a mustard plaster on the bare skin for too long frequently led to burning and blisters, even ulcers and dead tissue.A mustard plaster was not to be left on the skin for longer than 30 minutes, but this varied among households. The actual mustard paste was not to come in direct contact with the skin, just the linen in which it was packed. Thinking back to my granny, she would leave them on my chest for what seemed to be all night.Mustard plasters were not recommended for children under the age of 6. In addition, the product was to be avoided if the sick person had ulcers, vein problems or kidney disease.What is a poultice? One publication defined it as a carrier containing oatmeal, flaxseed, bread, and starch, even mud along with a healing substance. Poultices could be made with an ingredient other than mustard. Each family generally concocted its own recipe.One major drawback to poultices was that they could, and would, leak. Those made from bread had a particular propensity for drizzling "hot glup" on the patient's chest and onto the sheets creating a major incentive for getting well.The ordinary way to mix mustard with water was to temper it with a little flour, but such a plaster as this made it simply abominable. Before it had done its work, it usually began to blister the patient and finally left a painful spot. If done correctly, a mustard plaster should never blister at all.One recipe specified that no water be used; instead, the mustard was mixed with the white of an egg. The result was a plaster that would "draw" perfectly. Furthermore, it would not blister the skin of an infant, no matter how long it was allowed to remain on the body part. Hurray for the egg.The mustard plaster appears to have moved into the annals of yesteryear, where it belongs. May it rest in peace!To the rescue came wonderful Croup and Pneumonia Salve with its soothing effect all night without harm. Granny immediately traded her harsh mustard plaster for soothing Croup and Pneumonia Salve. I think I helped her dispose of them. Thank goodness for modern medicine.Reach Bob Cox at boblcox@bcyesteryear.com or go to www.bcyesteryear.com.