Grrrrrrr! (Tiger Balm)

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Product:	Tiger Balm
Date:	26/03/01 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing healing qualities

Disadvantages: leaves a yellowish stain on your skin (temporary only!)

~~What is it?~~

Tiger Balm is a dark orange ointment that comes from China. It costs £4.99 and can be purchased from Boots and alternative health shops (I brought my last pot at Complements of Cumbria in Kendal).

Ingredients:

Menthol
Camphor
Clove Oil
Cassia Oil
Peppermint Oil
Cajput Oil
NH3 Solution
Wax and Petrolatum

It usually comes in a 19g hexagonal glass jar with a tiger moulded on the glass on the bottom. I have had it in a smaller circular jar but I don’t think that this size is available in this country.

~~It’s Uses~~

Tiger Balm can be used for:

Migraine
Muscular aches, pains and sprains
Insect bites (and other itching)
Lumbago
Rheumatism

External only!

~~My Experience~~

I came across Tiger Balm when travelling in India suffering from mosquito bites that would not stop itching. The hotel owner where I was staying suggested Tiger Balm. I had never heard of it before, went along and paid 30 Rupees for it (approx 50p). I applied it to the mossie bites and couldn’t believe the amount it reduced the itching. With the antiseptic element it also gave me confidence that the bites would not get infected.

Later whilst trekking in mountains near Kodiakanal I sprained my ankle. Tiger Balm came to the rescue again. We had trekked to a small village, my ankle was throbbing and very swollen. I’m no stranger to a sprained ankle and usually takes weeks to sort itself out. I was not looking forwards to the 30km trek the next day. The women in the village massaged my ankle with Tiger Balm, it was the most painful experience of my life, but the next day the swelling had gone down considerably and I could put some weight on it. Although still painful, I managed to trek back to Kodai where I was able to rest it.

~~My Opinion~~

Tiger Balm, in my experience, has always worked and I think it’s
brilliant. The only down side to it is that it does stain the skin a kind of yellow colour and has a potent smell, so if you’re going out it might not be the best solution! It is definitely worth a fiver and is always really useful to have around the house. Tiger Balm smells really nice, comes in a really cool pot and most of all works so well for so many different purposes. I love it and highly recommend it to those who do not like, or can not use, conventional medicine.

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