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DMSO is an acronym for Dimethyl Sulfoxide. DMSO is colourless and translucent. It came into prominence in the 1960s and remains actively used in hospital-settings due to its ability to penetrate the skin and act as an anti-inflammatory agent. 

Because of the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of DMSO, beginning in the 1960s folks ranging from pro-athletes to the elderly began to use DMSO to relieve discomfort in their joints and muscles. DMSO has continued to stay very popular as an alternative form of finding relief for localized sources of pain and discomfort. For example, a common use case has been using DMSO to alleviate inflammation and "joint bulging" as a result of arthritis of the hands. 

DMSO is non-toxic and when mixed with a base - like aloe gel or distilled water - it is rarely irritating even on sensitize skin. The effect of DMSO is temporary: relief lasts typically between six and twelve hours before your previous discomfort will begin to occur again. 

DMSO became increasingly popular in the 1980s as a result of a 60 Minutes profile of a MLB pitcher who used DMSO to relieve tension and discomfort in his elbow and shoulder. Because of the non-toxic properties of DMSO many other athletes began to experiment with DMSO as a way to lower muscle and joint inflammation. Basketball players used it on their knees, hockey players used it on their shoulders, and quarterbacks and pitchers used it on their elbows. Even today DMSO is still one of the most popular anti-inflammatory options for pro athletes looking for localized relief. 

Because of the increasing prominence of inflammation-related ailments like arthritis in developed countries - like the United States and Canada - many people began looking to DMSO for the same reason as pro-athletes: it dampens down inflammation, relieves discomfort, and provides increased joint and muscle flexibility. 

Peer-reviewed DMSO studies have shown that DMSO has the capacity to down-regulate pain and inflammation sensory areas along with slowing down the conduction along pain fibres surrounding joints and muscles. Because DMSO acs to down-regulate, the relief many feel is not permanent. Continual application (usually twice a day) is needed to keep inflammation down. At present, there are over a thousand peer-reviewed articles on DMSO and its possible applications.  

You can apply DMSO topically to any area where you would like to reduce inflammation or discomfort. You do not need a large amount, but you should ensure you rub in the gel or liquid thoroughly. Further, application should be done broadly around the entire area  of discomfort - not just the narrow area where you feel the most discomfort - as you want to target pain receptors broadly. 

DMSO is non-toxic. With that said, some have reported a feeling of oily skin (due to the oily nature of DMSO) and rarely a slight taste or smell of garlic. Both are normal side effects. Pastoral uses organic aloe gel and distilled water with DMSO to avoid the feeling of having oily skin. Pastoral also uses a hint of essential oil that diminishes any taste or smell. Pastoral's aim is to make our DMSO as effective as possible, while also making our products enjoyable to use.

Below 16°C pure DMSO will become frozen. Unfortunately, especially in cold Canadian months, your product may arrive appearing frozen. No need to worry, however! All you need to do is place the jar/bottle in a container/bag and place that container/bag into a warm bath of water for 10-30 minutes. This will bring the temperature of the DMSO back above 16°C and it will once again return to a liquid or gel-like state. If you have any further questions on this, be sure to just ask us. 

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