Marigold Treatment for Bunions

What to expect from the marigold treatment for bunions?

To be perfectly honest, I had expected a bit more from the marigold therapy. But then, maybe my expectations were set too high. I read an article about a woman who also tried this marigold treatment for bunions and who noticed a significant improvement after just one week. Unfortunately, that was not the case with me.

pictures of marigold treatment for bunions What is the marigold treatment for bunions exactly?
The marigold bunion treatment is a treatment based on the anti-inflammatory properties of marigold. The treatment consists of two stages:
  1. During stage I you apply marigold paste to your bunions, cover it with a pad, and use bandages to secure the pad. At the end of the week you remove everything and repeat the process for another two or three weeks.
  2. During the second stage you apply marigold tincture and oil to your bunions 1 to 3 times a day, take regular foot baths, wear tubifoam over your big toes for a certain period of time and perform daily exercises. Stage II takes a bit longer than stage I: up to three months.
The moment I write this page, I've just finished stage I of the treatment. I had thought wearing the pad and bandage would cause some discomfort, but that wasn't the case at all. I was even allowed to take short showers (no more than 3 minutes for the first couple of days). The pad stayed in place and dried quickly. Of course I had to wear roomy shoes during those three weeks – as you can see on the picture the pad does take up some space in your shoes!

Did I see any results? Well, hardly, but judge for yourself. (The 'before' picture is taken before I started the marigold treatment and the 'after' picture on the day I finished stage I.) It looks like there's a slight improvement, but it's certainly not dramatic. Nevertheless, I'll continue the program until I've finished stage II as well.

I have to tell you though that some people do benefit from this marigold bunion treatment a lot more than I did. The treatment has been thoroughly researched, and subjected to clinical trials. What follows is an abstract published in the July 1996 issue of the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology:

To assess the effectiveness of marigold therapy using Tagetes patula preparations, a double-blind placebo-controlled trial was designed to be carried out over a period of eight weeks. Sixty patients were entered in the trial.

Twenty patients with bilateral hallux abducto valgus and its associated condition, bunion, were randomly selected from 37 subjects for group A. For group B, 40 patients with unilateral hallux abducto valgus and bunion were randomly selected from 69 subjects and subdivided into groups Ba and Bb. Patients with ulcerated conditions, those on medication and those who had undergone surgery for the condition were excluded.

The results obtained were highly significant (P less than 0.001), suggesting that T. patula preparations, plus protective pad, were effective in reducing the width of the lesion and level of pain of hallux abducto valgus. (Source).
So even though the results I experienced myself weren't spectacular, I still think this marigold treatment for bunions is worth a try – especially when you suffer from bunion pain a lot. And it's not very expensive: I only paid £ 47 for a home treatment.

I found the best way to contact the Marigold Footcare Clinic is by phone. They don't always answer the phone, but my call was always returned when I left a message on their answering machine with my contact details. You have to be patient though: I got the impression that they've more work than they can handle. If you live in the UK, it's probably best to try to find a foot health practitioner who offers marigold therapy as a treatment for bunions.

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