This Is The Reason Why Cabbage Compresses Are So Popular Worldwide
Image: Shutterstock
Suffering from arthritis or breast swelling pain? Then a cabbage compress just might be your solution!
We all love cabbage for the low calorie yet high nutritional jackpot that it is. After all, it’s positively bursting with the goodness of potassium, vitamin K, and vitamin C! Besides its oh-so-delicious flavor, we’re also obsessed with its anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting prowess. But did you know that this leafy vegetable isn’t just good for mouth-watering stir-fry, sauerkraut, and coleslaw? Yes, cabbage’s anti-inflammatory goodness can also be harnessed to successfully relieve simple strains, bruising, swelling and also any pain that accompanies a twisted ankle, wonky knee or painful joints—all of this through topical application!
So sit back, relax and prepare to meet your new best friend and go-to remedy for all future aches and pains—cabbage compresses!
The Many Wonders Of Cabbage Leaves
There exists an old Irish blessing that reads somewhat like this, “May the leaves of your cabbage always be free from worms.”
And why not, historically before the invention of fancy ice packs and hot compresses, people were well acquainted with the magic that lies in cabbage leaves. A renowned folk remedy, for centuries cabbage was primarily utilized to treat bruised and swollen skin. Brimming with the power of vitamins, phytonutrients, glutamine, and anthocyanins that give cabbage their celebrated anti-inflammatory prowess, making it a formidable fighter of joint pain as well as cancer! Science also tells us that the juice of cabbage leaves is rich in something referred to as ‘lactic acid,’ a universally recognized anti-bacterial.
Although most of the evidence is anecdotal in nature, it is of great interest to note that cabbage leaves have also, time and again, been the go-to remedy for several arthritis patients and also athletes who happen to suffer sports injuries. Breastfeeding mothers have also successfully utilized the boons of cabbage leaf compresses when it comes to fighting the pain of breast engorgement (1).
Cabbage Leaves Cold Compress For Breast Pain Relief & Weaning
Swollen breasts and the discomfort and pain that accompanies it, is a set of problems most new mommies are all too familiar with. Whether a new mother is pumping, nursing or weaning, the breasts can become larger and feel warmer, heavier and remarkably uncomfortable. During the first few days of nursing, the fullness is normal. However, excessive engorgement, usually as a result of missed feedings or due to changes in the way the baby nurses, can often be very painful.
There are several recommended tips for managing breast engorgement, such as:
- Gently massaging the breast tissue from the chest wall to the nipple region before commencing to nurse
- For a few minutes right before nursing, applying a moist warmth to stimulate the flow of milk
- Gentle massage and breast compressions during the nursing
Other than the tips above, many new mommies have also found remarkably effective the simple, cheap and all natural remedy of making a cabbage leaves cold compress.
Directions:
- Place the head of your cabbage in your refrigerator and allow it to cool. For this compress you could use the leaves of a green or red cabbage. However, red cabbage leaves may discolor or stain your bra, so beware!
- After the cabbage is sufficiently cold, peel away the outermost layer of leaves and dispose them off.
- Now, pull off any 2 inner leaves from the cabbage and place it back in the refrigerator.
- Rinse these 2 leaves to ensure they’re clean.
- Proceed to carefully cut out the stem from these 2 inner leaves in a way that allows them to fit into the shape of your breasts but not cover your nipples.
- Now place these clean, cut cabbage leaves onto your breasts and hold them as you would a cold compress. If you’d like, you could wear a bra to secure them in place.
- Let them be for roughly 20 minutes or until they start getting warm. After that remove them.
- Repeat when pain or swelling returns.
Cabbage Leaves Hot Compress For Joint Pain Relief
Red cabbage leaves contain anthocyanins, which are antioxidants responsible for not only giving cabbage its color but according to NYU Langone Medical Center, they also help relieve inflamed and painful joints. When directly applied to our skin, cabbage leaves can in actuality promote wound healing (2). Even in our modern times, for arthritic patients, certain Swiss hospitals are known to wrap their joints with cabbage leaves to minimize the pain and swelling.
Directions:
- Peel away red cabbage leaves, wash, dry and de-stem them.
- Using a rolling pin or wine bottle, gently bruise your leaves to allow some of the cabbage juice to release.
- Wrap the cabbage leaves in aluminum foil and place them in the oven for 5 minutes to warm and become more pliable.
- Ensure they’re not hot and lay the now warm cabbage leaves around the painful joint until it’s encompassed. Hold the leaves in place by tying gauze bandage around the joint. Now, wrap the entire poultice in plastic wrap to contain all the warmth.
- Use the poultice for a minimum of 1 hour. Ideally, you could also leave it on overnight.
Though it’s highly rare to experience an allergy to cabbage, if you do, however, experience any itching or swelling where the cabbage leaves make contact with your skin, remove them at once. Consult your doctor if the irritation worsens or continues.
