No, egg yolk and Epsom salt won’t ease knee and joint pain – see a doctor instead

“A natural remedy to relieve knee and joint pain,” begins a message posted on Facebook in Nigeria.

It claims a mixture of egg yolk and Epsom salt will ease this pain.

“Whisk the egg yolk until you get a fairly fluid liquid. Then add the Epsom salt and mix everything. You will apply the mixture on a cotton pad which you will place on the painful area and fix it all using the elastic bandage. Leave on for 2 hours. You can apply up to 4 compresses per day and leave.”

Epsom salt, also called magnesium sulphate, is a chemical compound of magnesium, sulphur and oxygen. It is a bitter crystalline substance that’s either colourless or white.

But can this combination be used to treat knee or joint pain?

Not scientifically proven

Knee pain is a common condition. There are many causes, ranging from injury to some kind of arthritis. Arthritis is inflammation in the joints.

There are several medical treatments for knee and joint pain, depending on the cause.

“I recently stumbled on the claim but just ignored it. It makes no sense to me,” Chike Anibeze, a professor of anatomy at Nigeria’s Enugu State University College of Medicine, told Africa Check.

Anibeze said he had not seen any research into joint pain being treated with egg yolk and Epsom salt.

“The ingredients do not affect knee or joint pain. My advice to anyone battling this pain is to visit a doctor. The doctor will need to establish the cause of the pain before prescribing treatment.”