New series: Quickies. Short, practical notes, mostly about things to try for problems with CRPS, dysautonomia, mast cell & histamine disorders, etc.
Problem
I get what my grandmother would have called chilblains: cracks in the calluses around my feet and sometimes on my fingers. Nasty, uncomfortable, and — because they’re surrounded with thick walls — hard to heal.
Option
I’m an old nurse. I know a lot about healing wounds of all kinds. Nothing worked, at all …until I tried Ching Wan Hung, in the copper-colored packaging.
Different manufacturers but similar copper packaging
It’s a traditional herbal product with Chinese cinnamon, which smells a whole lot different from the tropical stuff we eat. It also has menthol, which I can’t tolerate normally, but is no problem for me here. I can scarcely smell it, so maybe it’s a dosing or production issue. Most herbal salves bring on menthol like a battering ram.
Usage
I squish it right into the cracks and holes of the sores, rub it in well, then put a dark sock over it for an hour. (It stains light colors.) Then I get on with my nap, or my task, or whatever. I put it on twice a day, before getting out of bed and at bedtime. I should probably use it more often for faster results, but I’m not very good at that.
It doesn’t work for everyone, just as everything else I tried, that did work for other CRPSers, didn’t work for me. It’s another option.
Sourcing
I’ve found it online at the usual places and at my local Asian/ international market, usually in little copper-colored tubes, which is more hygeinic than the larger tub you have to stick fingers into. It’s cheap for what it is, too.
You can ask for “Chinese burn cream” if you can’t remember the name.
Caveats
Use common sense (all my readers are extremely sensible, so of course you will).
If it brings up a rash or makes you wheeze, wash it off well and never use it again. Not for wounds that bleed readily or might be infected. Never use on bites, because mouths are utterly filthy and bite wounds need different care. If you can’t feel the tissues where your chilblains or non-healing sores are, see a doctor about them and follow their advice over mine. And so on.