Phytocontact Dermatitis due to Mustard Seed Mimicking Burn Injury: Report of a Case

Abstract

Mustard seeds have been used in traditional folk medicine as a stimulant, diuretic, and purgative and to treat a variety of ailments including peritonitis and neuralgia. Mustards are still used today in mustard plasters to treat rheumatism, arthritis, chest congestion, aching back, and sore muscles. To make a mustard plaster, mix equal parts of flour and powdered mustard and spread it as a paste on a doubled piece of soft cloth. Apply mustard plaster to the affected area for a maximum of 15 minutes. Prolonged application can result in burns to the skin and nerve damage. Skin lesions occur within hours after exposure, and there is no significant therapy procedure. This case report is about a patient with second-degree burn, occurred when a mixture including mustard seed was exposed to her skin in the pain therapy of the osteoarthritis in her left knee. There are no studies analyzing treatment of skin burns induced by mustard seed in the literature. While in this type of burns our experience is limited, we think that conservative approach should be first choice of treatment.

Do Chest Compresses with Mustard or Ginger Affect Warmth Regulation in Healthy Adults? A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…It therefore remains to be clarified whether a specific substance effect or the duration of the compresses or both lead to the differing effects of the compresses on skin temperature. Since the prolonged topical application of mustard may lead to severe adverse skin reaction [ 23 , 24 , 43 , 44 ], immediate discontinuation of the chest compress intervention was imperative when participants felt discomfort. In our study, we had two incidents of adverse effects, pruritus (after WA, presumably due to the heat of the water or due to the materials used) and headache (after GI, presumably due to vasoactive processes).…”

Botanical characteristics, potential uses and cultivation possibilities of mustards in Turkey: a review

“…Mustard removes congestion by pulling the blood to the surface as in the case of head disorders, neuralgia, and spasms (Agricultural Corporation, 1980;Raghavan, 2006;Thomas et al, 2012;Skrypnik et al, 2014). Mustard plaster is used to treat arthritis and rheumatism (Yabanoglu et al, 2012). Aslan (2013) has reported and identified 41 mustard plant lines at Şanlıurfa, Turkey, of which 27 were wild and 14 were cultivated.…”