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Effective folk remedies for the prevention of bunions on the feet
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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When the bones on the feet are not yet accompanied by severe pain, and the big toe can still be relieved of deformation, you can use folk remedies for the prevention of bones on the feet. We emphasize that folk remedies for getting rid of bones on the feet are not a panacea. They can be used when the hallux valgus changes of the big toe have not yet taken on a threatening character.
Clay vs. Bone
A very effective remedy. Clay has long been considered a remedy that relieves inflammation, fever, resolves tumors, and helps with skin irritation. All these properties of clay can be successfully used in the fight against hallux valgus. Here is the recipe. Buy sea salt, turpentine, and red clay (all sold in pharmacies). Take 50 grams of clay, 1 tablespoon of sea salt, 5-7 drops of turpentine, a glass of purified or boiled water.
Mix all these ingredients and apply to the bones on your feet as a compress. You can use it every day for 2 weeks until the bones on your feet become smaller and disappear completely. You can keep the compress on until the clay hardens, and then carefully wash your foot with warm water without soap. And dry it with a towel, preferably a natural one.
River fish vs. bones
This is an old recipe used by the people of the Baikal area. It is very good against inflammation and deformation of joints. You need to take fresh lake or river fish (but not frozen, otherwise its useful properties are lost). The bones are removed from the fish, and the carcass itself is bandaged to the sore bone overnight. In the morning, the fish is removed, the bone is washed and fir oil is rubbed into it.
If you have to run to work in the morning, then to avoid an unpleasant smell, leave 30-40 minutes of free time so that you have time to carry out all the necessary procedures. These procedures should be done for a week, and then take a break for 2-3 days and, if the bones have not disappeared, repeat the course again. At the same time, of course, you need to spare your feet, wear comfortable shoes and not stand on your feet for a long time.
Salt against bones on feet
Salt is a well-known remedy against pain, inflammation, fever, it disinfects and sanitizes. Salt is also good for preventing the development of bone spurs. Thanks to salt, bone spurs, if they are only at an early stage, can dissolve in just two weeks. The recipe for use is as follows. Take a container in which both your feet can be immersed above the bone spurs. Pour hot water into it and dissolve the salt in it.
You can use sea salt or regular rock salt, preferably coarse, not fine. Fine salt is bad because it is actively processed and deprived of many of its useful qualities. The water should be the same as body temperature - no higher than 36.6 degrees. Put both feet in it and sit in this position for a quarter of an hour. Then you need to take your feet out and wipe them dry, preferably with a linen towel - it absorbs moisture better. The course of treatment is 14 days. Then you can take a short break - a week - and take the course of treatment again. In advanced cases, you will need 4 courses, in the initial stage, a week or two will be enough.
Salt and snow against bone spurs
This method is good if the discomfort of wearing shoes due to bones is accompanied by pain. Salt and snow are effective, but they cause quite severe pain in the bones. It is important to be patient, but the result will not take long to come - the bones will decrease, the inflammation will pass, and very quickly. Mix snow and salt (one equal part each), apply this mixture to the bone and hold it for as long as you can - from two to five minutes. Put a towel on top so that the ice does not flow.
How long to keep the ice on is up to you. As soon as the skin starts to burn and hurt a lot, you can remove the compress. You don't need to wash your leg - just pat it dry with a towel, then wrap it in a bandage or gauze, and put paper on top to absorb the remaining moisture. Put another bandage on top of the paper, and put another layer of something warm on top of it - for example, a warm scarf. You need to keep it on for three hours or leave it overnight.
If you leave the compress on for too long, a burn may occur on the sore bone, it is better not to allow this. To soothe the sore area, you need to remove the scarf from your foot in the morning and lubricate the foot with sea buckthorn oil. 10 days of such treatment - and the bones on your feet will be gone.
Iodine against bones on the feet
Iodine is a great remedy to relieve inflammation and pain at the same time. Iodine compresses can also help against bone spurs, they are also good as a preventative measure. Wash your feet and dry them thoroughly. Lubricate the area where the bone is formed with camphor oil. Then put an iodine mesh on top or smear the bone with a thin layer of iodine.
Do everything in this order, because if you apply iodine without camphor, there may be a burn. You need to do this procedure for a week or two, and the growth of bones on your feet will stop.
There is a second option with iodine
Buy medical bile at the drugstore or chicken bile at the market. Put iodine next to you. Apply a mesh of iodine to the sore bone. And spread the bile of your choice on top. Wrap it all up with cellophane first, then tie it with gauze or a rag. Put a sock on top to secure the compress and keep it warm, ideally a terry one.
Let this compress be on the foot all night, and in the morning you need to wash off the remaining bile, but without soap. Soap can dry out the delicate skin of the foot. If you apply such compresses for one and a half to two months, the bone on the feet will dissolve.
Potato peels against bunions
To get rid of bunions on your feet or to prevent them, prepare raw potato peelings. Put them in a saucepan up to two-thirds, then pour water over them and boil for a quarter of an hour.
Prepare a container that you can put your feet in and the water can cover them above the ankle. Pour half a liter of hot water into this container (a liter if necessary) and add the potato peelings broth (you can add it directly with them).
The decoction should be added gradually so as not to burn your feet. Your feet will steam, the potato substances will penetrate the skin and show their anti-inflammatory properties. After steaming your feet, you can apply hot potato peelings to the sore bone, but not too hot, so as not to damage the skin with a burn.
Devote at least half an hour every day to this useful procedure, and in 7-10 days you will stop feeling pain in the area of the bone. Those who have tried this procedure say that on the tenth day the bones dissolve.
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Egg Ointment for Bunions
Take a fresh chicken egg (preferably a home-made one, it has more useful substances). Put it in a cup unbroken and pour 7% acetic acid over it. The egg should stand in a dark, cool place for 14 days. The acid will eat the shell during this time.
Carefully remove the egg from the cup with a spoon and place it in a dry plate. Add 1 tablespoon of melted pork fat and turpentine (10 grams). Mix it all up – here is a wonderful ointment for bone spurs. This mixture should be applied to the sore bones every other day. In a week or two, the pain in the bones will be gone, they should dissolve.