the.com/liniment
A bottle of warmth you rub on aches so old it predates aspirin.
means A liquid or lotion, usually oily or alcohol-based, that you rub onto the skin to ease muscle pain, stiffness, or joint aches.
from From Latin linimentum, "a smearing substance," built on the verb linere, "to smear, anoint, or daub." That same linere is a relative of the root behind words like "line" and possibly "lime" (the sticky kind). It reached English in the late medieval period through the language of medicine, when treatment often meant literally smearing something onto the body — and the word still carries that hands-on, rub-it-in sense today.
- name origin
- From Latin linere, meaning to smear or anoint
- how it works
- Tricks nerves with heat or cold, masking deeper pain
- horse approved
- Vets and trainers swear by it for sore legs
- key ingredients
- Often camphor, menthol, or capsaicin from chili peppers
- ancient roots
- Used since Greek and Roman athletic eras
bengay — mentholated topical rub first sold in 1907, contains methyl salicylate and menthol
tiger balm — southeast asian liniment created in 1870s burma, contains camphor and menthol
sloan's liniment — american pain relief liniment invented 1847, contains oil of mustard and turpentine