Cabbage is full of vitamin C, K, and potassium. It also has cancer-fighting and anti-inflammatory abilities but did you know that it could be used as a compress for joint pain and swelling? Very effectively too!
Cabbage has been used for treating swollen and bruised skin for centuries. It is full of phytonutrients, vitamins, anthocyanins, and glutamine that contain anti-inflammatory properties, are anti-cancer, and relieve joint pain too. It has been used to treat arthritis and sports injuries. The evidence has been anecdotal, but many arthritis sufferers reduce their medicinal intake by adding cabbage leaves to their treatment. How have they used cabbage? As a wrap!
How To Make a Cabbage Compress
What you need:
- Cabbage (organic; preferably red)
- Gauze or Bandage
- Rolling pin or meat hammer
Directions:
Peel away the outer leaf of your cabbage and wash thoroughly.
Dry the leaf thoroughly and cut out the hard stem.
Place the cabbage leaf on the counter, then with a rolling pin bruise the leaf to release the juice within.
Place cabbage directly over the affected area.
Cover the leave with bandage or gauze and elevate the area.
Keep cabbage compress on for up to an hour.
Repeat 2-3 times per day and change cabbage leaf every time.
You should start to feel the benefits by the next day.
To make a cold compress, refrigerate the cabbage before you begin the process. To make a hot compress, warm the leaf without making it hot or burning it.
The reason we want to use red cabbage is that it contains anthocyanins (the chemical that gives red cabbage its color) and anthocyanins are known to reduce joint pain and inflammation.
Both red and green cabbage are studied for their other health properties and healing effects of cabbage juice on ulcers.
Cabbage allergies are rare, but swelling or itching where the cabbage is placed means it needs to be removed.
