DMSO, officially known as dimethyl sulfoxide, has been around since 1866, but scientists and researchers are still amazed by it today. DMSO is a product that’s derived from trees called lignin, and it’s created during the process of making paper. DMSO can also be created using coal or petroleum. DMSO started gaining massive recognition in 1959, when it was discovered that not only could DMSO protect red blood cells and other delicate tissues from freezing conditions, but that it could also dissolve substances.
So with all these amazing components, what uses does DMSO have?
You could imagine that these properties alone, never mind combined, have amazing potential. And because of that, DMSO is used for many different things. It was first used for practical things such as anti-freeze, paint thinner, and a degreaser. However, as more advancements were made, it was soon learned that DMSO could do so much more!
One of the most amazing things about DMSO is that it can be applied to the skin and travel directly through it without causing any damage or breakage to the skin. In addition to this, it could also carry with it another substance that would stay with the DMSO until they both entered the body, where the additional substance would then be dispersed and work as needed. This is truly a medical breakthrough when you consider that this means that DMSO could be used to stop infection and deliver medication such as penicillin.
In addition to all of this, DMSO has over forty known uses for it. Largely it’s used to restore tissue and help in the treatment of burn victims. It’s also proven to be highly effective when treating pain and it’s also used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic medication. And DMSO can go even a step further than that.
It’s been shown that DMSO can help restore brain activity immediately after a head trauma such as a gunshot wound to the head. Plus, DMSO can also be a great help in the treatment of reducing the brain damage effects in patients with Down ‘s syndrome.