Tuesday, January 19, 2010

So what exactly is that icky smelly stuff called Ichthamol really good for?

EnduranceRideStuff.com blog
Karen Chaton

Lots of horse people have a tub of ichthamol in their tack room somewhere. I know I do! I recently used the stuff which got me curious about what the other uses are for it. Ichthamol isn’t something that I have used very often.

Ichthammol is a black, tarry substance that is extracted from rock schist (also known as oil shale). It is known to have antiseptic properties and may also be effective as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and anti-fungal. It is safe to use as a topical treatment and is most commonly found as an ointment. The ointments usually also contain an oily substance, such as mineral oil or beeswax, which helps the active ingredient of ichthammol to penetrate the skin.

At Death Valley when Chief felt a little footsore going over the rocks during the ride I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to pack his feet with ichthamol later that day and put boots on him overnight.

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