Bag Balm: It's Udderly Wonderful!

Okay, I'll admit that's a corny title for a blog post.  But it's true.  When I was contacted last week about sharing the good news about Bag Balm with my readers, I jumped at the chance.  You see, I've been using Bag Balm since my parents and grandparents used it on me for all kinds of things when I was a little girl.

Bag Balm comes in a 10 oz. tin, plus this cute 1 oz. mini tin, which is just
perfect for travel!

Bag Balm has been in our family households for longer than I am old.  My grandma will be 100 years old on December 26th and I'm pretty sure she was a young 'un when she first used it too. The tradition continues because our younger daughter had it on her Christmas list just this past year.  She grew up with it and knows how well it works.

What would a gardener want with a cream that was designed to soothe cow's udders?  Don't laugh or poo-poo its use, because there isn't anything any better for cuts, sore skin, and even bruises.  That's right - even bruises.  This is our opinion, of course. We've used it on ingrown toenails, skinned knees, animal bites, and sprained ankles, just to name a few things.

Bag Balm has been around since 1899 and has been made in Lyndonville, Vermont all this time by the same family.  (How many businesses can say that?) It's been to the North Pole with Admiral Byrd and was used by rescue workers and their dogs after 9/11.  It's included in the care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.  And it will always have a place in our medicine drawer.

How exactly can it help gardeners?  Even the most faithful glove wearers will find their hands showing the effects of hard work.  But put some Bag Balm on them, wear some cotton gloves to bed, and the next morning you'll be surprised at how much better they feel and look.  You know how sore a finger can get when it gets pricked by rose thorns?  (Especially if the tip breaks off.  Ouch!) Bag Balm takes that hurt away overnight. My husband has trouble with his fingertips cracking in the winter and Bag Balm helps that too.

Bag Balm is a little thicker consistency than plain petroleum jelly and it's got a golden color to it.  Its active ingredients are 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate 0.3% (antiseptic) in a petroleum jelly USP and lanolin base.  According to Wikipedia, "The roots of the invasive plant Centaurea diffusa [Diffuse Knapweed] release 8-hydroxyquinoline, which has a negative effect on plants that have not co-evolved with it." (Another reference to this is here.) It has a very distinctive aroma.  That's the one thing I don't like, but it works so well, I'm willing to overlook it.

I just thought you'd like to know about it.

You can buy Bag Balm online at Amazon.com or at drugstores, supermarkets, hardware stores, pet stores, feed stores, and farm stores.

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*As I said, the company contacted me to see if I'd like to share information about their product.  They also sent me a complimentary 1-oz. tin of Bag Balm, at my request, after I'd already agreed to write about their product.  All opinions stated here are my own. This blog post contains an Amazon affiliate link. If you purchase Bag Balm (or any other product that Amazon sells) through that link, I may receive a small portion of the sale, but it doesn't cost the buyer a thing.  Thank you, if you choose to use the link.