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This easy to make liniment is full of ground ginger and cloves for simple homemade relief for inflammation.
Head to your spice rack and rub those aromatics into your skin withe help of vegetable glycerin for something helps with circulation and provides gentle warming relief.
For active and perhaps aging folks this easy to whip up remedy can help bring relief easily at home without having to run to the store for anything super fancy or expensive.
Using Ginger as an Anti-Inflammatory
Ginger has long been used for its anti-inflammatory properties. It’s even being studied by doctors in the form of compresses and standardized ginger patches.
Because I wanted to make a batch without worrying about straining or mold, I chose to use dried powdered ginger in my liniment.
I’m sure grated fresh ginger root would be stronger and work but would eventually need to be strained and sometimes an easy grab from the spice rack is something we all need.
Clove to Warm & Increase Blood Flow
Clove has been studied for its effectiveness at increasing blood circulation. That increased blood circulation along with clove’s warming properties can ease numerous aches and pains.
In my experience when my body is warmer, my arthritis isn’t as bothersome. Keeping those extremities from being too cold lessens my overall pain and symptoms and the clove does a good job of that in a very nice smelling package.
Again, I opted for ease and used ground cloves from the spice rack here.
Vegetable Glycerin for Softer Skin
I imagine most any carrier oil would work in this particular liniment. I use vegetable glycerin because I like the thickness of it and it’s skin softening power.
If you don’t have it around, use any oil like olive or almond instead.
Rubbing this on and letting it soak in slowly as I knit or read a book after a long Sunday run has proven to prevent that dry, rough skin from the pounding of pavement while also easing any inflammation.
Words of Caution
Test a small area of skin to make sure that this feels alright to you.
You might need to avoid if you have very sensitive skin.
Avoid putting this on your face and getting anywhere near the eyes.
Ginger Clove Anti-Inflammatory Liniment
Make this easy liniment to ease inflammation and increase circulation from ground spices found on your baking spice rack.
Tools
- Small Jar
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.
- Whisk together until thoroughly incorporated.
- Store in air-tight jar.
Notes
Shake the jar before applying. Spread onto swollen skin gently and cover with a loose cloth to prevent staining clothes and furniture.
Hi Kathie. I am going to try this on my feet! I had a sudden extreme arthritic response to something my Doctors were unable to identify. I am still taking Predisone and the swelling is down in all joints but my feet continue to ache and burn especially after walking. I’ve been doing research on anti-inflammatory foods and eat ginger daily. I will take your advice and start with just a little of the liniment. Thank you for sharing this and I’m sorry you suffer from RA. Having had only one episode I can only imagine how hard it must be to live with a debilitating disease such as RA. Take care!
I’m so very sorry to hear of your aches, I hope you find relief soon! Let me know if this works for you.
What’s the shelf life
Use up within 6 months. It would likely last longer – all of these ingredients are pretty shelf stable.
Does this liniment stain?
Thank you.
I didn’t find that it stained my skin – you might want to test a small area first to make sure. Different skin types might react differently.
Thanks, Kathie! As lupus runs in the family, I want to keep this recipe on hand to deal with the inflammation.
I don’t have any glycerin but I am infusing the ginger and clove into coconut oil instead. It will be nice to have an alternative to the petroleum based products.
Perfect, let me know how it works out for you please.
I have fresh ginger root, can i use it in this? how much would i add?
The thing about fresh ginger is that it might mold and/or ferment in the glycerin. I don’t recommend it in this application.
That makes sense. I will just use the powder then and save the root for my throat syrup and tea. Thanks for the swift answers!
I want to know if you can use fresh cloves for this recipe or does it have to be the essential oil?
I didn’t try fresh cloves so I don’t know for sure. Clove essential oil is more concentrated giving it that great mild numbing quality. I can’t speak to how many fresh cloves you’d need to get the same effect.
I’m curious to know if powdered clove can also be used instead of the oil? I know the oil is better but at the moment don’t have it and wish to try this for my husband who has knee pain.
I imagine it could but I don’t know the ratio. I haven’t tried it.
I’m going to try this, but will do avocado oil since it contains vitamins A, D, and E which are all good for the skin. Since I have some already infusing, I’m going to add 1 1/2 teaspoons cloves to the infusion. It will take awhile, I do a slow infusion to make sure I get the most bang from each ingredient.
Thanks for this recipe, I will be using as an alternative to my normal salve; the body adapts when using anything for any length of time. Think about bringing flowers into a room, before long, those in the room don’t smell them due to adaptation. O and you will find if using for long, the ginger will help round off those rough edges of bone in that arthritis. If you have a bone spur, freeze slices of fresh ginger, then apply, wrap and leave on for 30 minutes. Done several times a day, the sharpness andsome of the pain is gone in weeks.
Might Ginger Clove liniment help non-diabetic neuropathy? If not, any suggestions of something that might?
I can’t say with any authority if it would help or not, I’m sorry. I don’t know anything off hand that would help, I mostly research what I know we need help with in our home and share that.
Is it possible to use clove and ginger essential oils instead of the powder?
I imagine you could but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know the ratios or for certain if it would work as well.
Hi, how many drops of clove oil is needed? In the recipe it says 2 drops but in the picture header on Pinterest it says 12 drops.
It should be 12 drops. I fixed it here, my apologies.
This seems like a very strong dilution of clove essential oil. Clive is such a hot oil that it should never be used at higher than .5 % dilution. I would worry that this strength would cause sensitivity over time and because arthritis is a long term issue ai would personally use caution with this strength.
According to my calculation it is exactly .5% dilution. Normally – 1 Tablespoon of carrier oil to 3 drops of essential oil is a 1% solution. In this recipe there is 1/2 cup of carrier oil (vegetable glycerin) – that’s 8 Tablespoons so a 1% solution would include 24 drops of carrier oil. 12 drops should make it .5% unless you have a different way of calculating.
Hik Kathie…Should a person let this liniment sit and infuse for a certain time before using it?
There’s no need to let this infuse the powdered ginger and essential oils will be ready quickly.
I plan on making it with the glycerin, but I know from experience also Cold Pressed Castor Oil aides in pain and immflamation on arthritis joints. Also does assist in pain from Bursitis in my shoulder.
I will also do a version with Cayene Pepper very small amount which is pain killer and anti imflammatory propertied.
I just started a new job a few weeks ago and I’ve been in so much pain after only 5-6 hours. My chiro gave me some stretches and said I need to build up strength in my calves. I will also try this and see if it helps me with my walking. Right now I’ve only been able to work 3 days a week because it takes a full 24 hrs to recover. I have fibro.