Clay poultice for weekend athletes

Wait, clay on my sore thighs?

Clay can help accelerate the healing of wounds and reduce pain caused by inflammation when applied directly to the skin. It has anti-inflammatory and decongestant virtues, properties perfectly suited for joints that are tired or irritated by exercise. Weird, right?

It can even facilitate the healing of sprains, tendinitis, and other sports or repetitive stress injuries! We generally recommend green clay for this type of use.

Caution! For serious injuries and pain that gets worse instead of subsiding, don't hesitate to consult a professional!

Next-level crunchy

Simply mix the clay (green, or as a substitute, Canadian light clay, for example) with enough water to create a smooth paste, liquid enough to spread easily, but firm enough to stay on the skin. Apply a generous amount of your mixture directly to the skin.

You can leave the clay poultice as is or cover it with a cloth and a bandage so you can go about your day without the clay falling off. You should also prevent the clay from drying out, either by adding water with your hands or a spray bottle, or by placing a damp cloth over the poultice. When clay dries, it stops working and can also become irritating to the skin.

Leave it on for 20 minutes before removing the clay. We recommend throwing as much of it as possible directly into the trash or compost, and only rinsing off the residue so that as little clay as possible ends up in the plumbing, as it could eventually clog pipes over time.

Tip 1: To replace the water, you can use a cooled infusion of St. John's wort flowers, arnica, or comfrey, which are particularly appropriate for soothing these types of aches.

Tip 2: You can also add a small amount of oil to obtain a paste with a creamier texture that dries less quickly. Castor oil is traditionally used in poultices to soothe muscle or joint pain and accelerate the healing of sports injuries. It helps reduce swelling by promoting blood and lymph circulation. Hemp oil and camelina oil are also good choices because of their omega-3 fatty acid content, which helps decrease inflammation. Two birds with one stone!