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Mustard Heals Burn from Hot Honey

Q. I foolishly picked up a plastic honey bear that was in a pot of boiling water and the honey squirted out of the little pour hole all over the palm of my hand. Immediately I ran it under cold water and then I then ran to get your book because I knew there was something I could put on burns that was natural: MUSTARD.

I had mustard in the fridge and I poured it all over the palm of my hand. It still burned like the devil but I left it on while I read more. I put more mustard on and wrapped gauze bandage around it and left it on for a while until the pain subsided.

I babied the hand and was afraid it would blister. The pain did ease enough for me to go to the mall in the afternoon. The palm was a little mottled pink and I really didn’t notice for a couple of days that I apparently didn’t get any mustard between the pinky and ring finger over to the first knuckle. That is where a huge blister appeared! To me, that proves the mustard worked; otherwise the whole palm of my hand would have been blistered. Thank you.

A. We have heard from other readers that cold yellow mustard can soothe a kitchen burn. Soy sauce has a similar reputation, and several people have reported blistering on a burn where they neglected to put soy sauce although the rest of the burned area recovered well.

Cold water is the first measure to be taken, just as you did. Bad burns always require prompt medical attention.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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