White Crow’s Herb Corner, June 2013
This is a topic I have wanted to touch base on for quite some time, as I have had a few people bring up the notion of putting DMSO into People Putty. I would have thought that the look of shock on my face would have answered their question. It is not an option and here is why.
This is a symptomatic medicine for relief in its effect, and not truly a rebuilder of the body. This chemical does not supply nutrients or healing constituents to assist the body with repair materials, or give the body what it needs to recuperate. I want the people using People Putty to be healed, meaning the body has rebuilt itself and has been brought back to the state in which it is repaired, with no trace of the problem still felt. The body has been rebuilt strengthened and cleansed, and in many cases made stronger by the nutrients supplied by the herbs.
A little background about this chemical is interesting. DMSO was first synthesized in 1866 by the Russian scientist Alexander Zaytsev. Dimethyl Sulfoxide is produced fromdimethylsulfide and is a by-product of Kraft pulping and the wood pulp industry. It is industrially produced by oxidation of dimethylsulfidewith oxygen ornitrogen dioxide. TheKraft sulfate processis the conversion ofwood intowood pulp, consisting of almost purecellulose fibers. It entails the treatment of wood chips with a mixture ofsodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide which break the bonds that link lignin to the cellulose. Lignin is an integral part of the secondarycell walls oftrees and is in a sense the “glue” or polymer that holds a tree together. An interesting note on lignin is coniferous trees like pines, are very rich in lignin and one quarter to one third of wood is made up of lignin. Thus paper is made and also the chemical DMSO is produced.
Fast forwarding to the 1960’s, it was discovered that DMSO could be part of a formula in which organs for transplantation could be stored It has cryoprotective properties, meaning that it is capable of protecting cells against injury due to freezing. Through the seventies and eighties there was a lot of research done with the use of DMSO in treating arthritis and inflammatory conditions.
The horse racing industry was then a very prominent supporter of DMSO and still is today. The sad part of the horse industry was that many horses were made to race with DMSO applications. These poor beasts were made to race injured with their nerves numbed and pain hidden. Their injuries grew more severe and this lead to their demise, where they could not race any longer and were slaughtered for the dog food industry.
One of the first reasons why this chemical is not an ingredient in People Putty is because DMSO is a chemical!!! It is man-made, not mother nature created. It is not balanced, alive and whole. Another big issue is that as a topical application, DMSO reduces pain by blocking peripheral nerve C fibers that produce pain.. The nerves should be fed nutrients to relax, sooth and rebuild them, as they are always damaged as well. Pain is the reminder that we need to take it easy on an area. DMSO has been reported to reduce swelling quickly, which is a good thing in most cases, however if a person is falsely made to feel that the injury is better, then many will continue to injure that area even more by going back to work or sports. Even though there is some free radical antioxidant damage being moved out, there is not simply anything for the body to work with for rebuilding, only symptomatic relief.
It is reported that one can see a positive response within 5 to 20 minutes of application of DMSO and that it will usually last for 4 to 6 hours. Chronic pain patients often have to apply the chemical for 6 weeks before a change occurs. It is a bit disheartening that when administration of DMSO ceases, so do the effects of the chemical. But as with all chemical symptomatic approaches, they lack what herbs excel in. That is, renewal and rebuilding of the tissues with permanent change and healing. How can one top having an injury heal up to three times faster and with the cellular structure being repaired and made youthful. This is exactly what comfrey and other herbs have been known to do for millennia. These herbs contain all the healing constituents and life force that our organic living tissue needs to repair. This is critical to understanding injury repair.
One needs to be careful not to use the more industrial manufactured DMSO as it can contain additives and heavy metals. DMSO’s original uses are as a solvent, as well as, a stripper of photo-resistant materials in electronics manufacturing, paint and varnish stripper, an industrial and polymer cleaner and pesticide carrier.
This brings one to the method of carrying the active constituents into the tissues and blood. Pure distilled alcohol from organic grapes or grain creates one of the top ways to achieve this, and is also the best for the environment. Organic alcohol is a carrying agent, facilitating the absorption of the herbal constituents through the skin barrier and into the bloodstream within minutes. The skin is very porous and can absorb tremendous amounts through the pores. Swelling and bruising can be relieved very rapidly, and all those free radicals will easily be dispersed as well.
I really cannot find any reason to add this chemical to any formula. I am concerned about the actual healing of cellular tissue and rejuvenation, and creating products that will achieve that result. All the reports of what DMSO can supposedly help with can be dealt with in better ways. But if you want a stinky breath of foul smelling garlicky odor (because that’s an instant continuous side effect of DMSO) and a quick blast of symptomatic relief that will not last, try DMSO. If you want true healing of your body, try herbal medicine and People Putty.
Yo!
