All about therapeutic mud in the Crimea

Therapeutic mud of the Crimea

No matter how far Medicine has stepped, in the treatment of many diseases, the means known to mankind since ancient times remain the most effective. Mud treatment is one of the most ancient methods of healing. Thousands of years ago, Egyptian aesculapians treated colds and skin diseases with them, advised patients as a means of strengthening bones, giving strength and increasing immunity. And the beauties of antiquity used mud for rejuvenation.

Among the therapeutic mud, Crimean mud is considered one of the most valuable in the world. Thus, the content of nutrients in the mud Lake Saka is several times higher than the world-famous Dead Sea.

Hundreds of volumes of scientific works have been written about the unique properties of local mud. But until the end, the secret of the healing power of mud has not yet been revealed. The muddy mud of the peninsula was formed over millions of years, but is very quickly consumed by the modern world. So if you want to take advantage of their healing power, you should hurry, as it is possible that in a few decades all their reserves in the Crimea may run out.

How to be treated with mud

• Treatment in institutions

  The course of mud treatment can be obtained in any balneological sanatorium. Most of them are located in the area of Yevpatoria, in the city of Saki. This is the most effective and safe way. Under the supervision of doctors, mud will have the most effective effect and will not harm health. And the last is very important, because there are so many contraindications for their use. For example, mud of various types can not be used for oncological diseases, active tuberculosis, arrhythmia, pregnancy, bronchial asthma, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, angina pectoris, cirrhosis of the liver, bleeding wounds.

• Self-medication

  

  Despite all the warnings of experts, locals and tourists use mud for self-medication. Access to most lakes, including the most effective Saki, is open to those who wish. Sometimes there are warning signs about the Prohibition of self-treatment and the use of mud, but they actually do not work.

  Mud is extracted from the bottom of lakes, and, usually, it is under a layer of mud and sand. On the shores of the Black Sea, volcanic mud can be mined directly from the cliffs along the shores. Due to inexperience, you can easily confuse real therapeutic mud and just clay or silt. This therapeutic mud has a very rich black color (or gray-blue) and can have a pronounced smell of hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs). The consistency is very thick, like plasticine, and does not immediately disintegrate in water.

  On popular lakes, where there are usually many people who want to self-medicate, you will have to move away from the shore for hundreds of meters to find real therapeutic mud. Fortunately, the lakes are not deep, rarely deeper than one meter even in the very center. To collect the medicinal composition, it is best to take a container with you into the water (often just a cut plastic bottle is used, you can find a lot of them on the banks), and put the "prey" in it. The procedures themselves should be carried out on the shore, not in the water. It makes little sense to collect and take dirt home, as it quickly loses its properties. And yet, take fresh water with you for self-treatment, so that later you can wash off the brine and dried salt.

  On the shore, smear joints, sore spots, wounds with a layer of dirt. No need to apply a very thick layer, thin self-medication will be safer. Next, you need to wait for some time, then rinse with salt water, and rinse with fresh. No need to wait for the dirt to dry completely, this is not the right approach. In hot sunny weather, you can even cover the area with plastic wrap so that the dirt does not dry out instantly. What is important, for different types of mud, you need to observe the maximum treatment time, and then remove it. More about the treatment of each species below. Also, therapeutic mud is used for internal treatment (vaginally and rectally), but we highly recommend not to carry out such treatment yourself.

  And once again we recall that mud can not be used for oncological diseases, active tuberculosis, arrhythmia, pregnancy, bronchial asthma, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, angina pectoris, cirrhosis of the liver, bleeding wounds.

• Purchased mud

  There is a third method of treatment-buy dirt at the pharmacy, but apply it strictly in accordance with the attached instructions. The effectiveness of such treatment is much lower, but at least you will not harm yourself. The greatest effect of such treatment is cosmetic.

Types of therapeutic mud

• Blue clay

  The blue clay of Crimea is of volcanic origin. These are the ashes of volcanoes that erupted on the peninsula seventy million years ago. Once in an aggressive environment, which is salty sea water, the ash interacted with the substances dissolved in it and gradually turned into soapy clay – keel. They also call it "bentonite", "keffekilit", "breather", "soapstone", "foam", "mylovka".

  In fact, this clay is not always blue, often also Gray. It can be distinguished from simple mud both by its color and by the fact that in water it becomes slippery and soapy. You can find it at the bottom of Lake Oyburskoye, on the shores of the Black Sea in the areas of volcanoes: Cape Chameleon in Koktebel; the coast in the village of Kurortnoye in Bolshaya Feodosia; in Sudak under the fortress wall; at the foot of Mount Echki-Dag in the area of Fox Bay Beach; in coves near the village of Ordzhonikidze. On the shore, it is usually found in the form of hard dried strata and stones, which at first glance are not so easy to distinguish from real stone. But it is worth putting a little effort on such a "stone" as it breaks.

  Professor N. P. Buglak, who has been studying the properties of blue clay for many years and is the author of recommendations for its use in Crimean health resorts, says: "despite the uniqueness of the keel, and its effectiveness is comparable only to the black mud of the Dead Sea, it is not a panacea for all ills. Unlike mud, clay does not burden the body so much, and therefore there are not so many contraindications to its use. But categorically it can not be used for tuberculosis, neoplasms, cardiovascular, infectious diseases, tendencies to bleeding. Treatment with Kil at elevated body temperature is categorically contraindicated".

  The healing properties of blue clay are greatly exaggerated by marketers selling it as a finished product. We can say that it is more cosmetic than therapeutic. At the same time, the clay that is sold in stores and pharmacies is at least three times less effective than that extracted immediately in nature. In addition, there are many fakes.

  The effectiveness of clay treatment is proven in such cases:

  • rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy and patients with posttraumatic spinal cord conditions;
  • neuritis, polyneuritis;
  • lumbago;
  • sciatica, muscular dystrophy;
  • gynecological and urological problems;
  • eczema and psoriasis;
  • acne and furunculosis;
  • cosmetic procedures, including non-apparatus methods of rejuvenation.

  Blue clay is used both for external applications and mud baths, and for internal treatment. In this case, you should follow simple rules:

  • the duration of exposure should not exceed 20 minutes, and no more than three procedures per day;
  • do not apply keel in the sun;
  • an hour before the procedure, eat, and after it you can rest for an hour and a half.

  The course of treatment is at least two weeks. Overdoses are not terrible-Clay will take only garbage from the body, no more. Once used, dirt for reuse is not suitable.

• Black mud

  Black mud of the Crimea (iodine-chromium, sulfide, silt) is much more effective than blue clay and is considered therapeutic. Even Herodotus described the effectiveness of therapeutic lake mud from the shores of Taurida. At the beginning of the XIX century, Felix de Serra, a French scientist, explored it, and since then the history of the Crimea began as a resort Peninsula.

  Silt mud of the Crimea is extremely powerful in its effect on the body. In terms of composition, this is a complex complex containing valuable chemical and biological substances for the body, including hormones, biogenic stimulants, vitamin-like and penicillin-like substances. Under the influence of mud, complex processes occur in all systems of the human body, as a result of which forces are activated that can overcome the disease.

  The content of lipids, vitamins and amino acids in the Crimean mud is two, and sometimes three times higher than in the Dead Sea mud. They are used when:

  • the entire list of diseases of the musculoskeletal system – up to 75% of cases of cure*;
  • diseases of the nervous (central and peripheral) and respiratory systems-recovery occurs in 69% of cases;
  • gynecological and urological diseases, infertility-42% of cases of healing;
  • eye and dental diseases-87% of positive outcomes;
  • skin problems, including psoriasis-98% effectiveness of application.

  * the effectiveness of treatment is indicated in accordance with the research of scientists of Kharkiv University. Karazina.

  Rules for the use of black therapeutic mud of the Crimea:

  • Black dirt should be applied to no more than 10% of the body surface;
  • The time of a single session should not exceed 10 minutes, no more than three times a day, the course should not exceed 14 days;
  • Can not be applied to the heart;
  • Apply better in the morning or evening. In the sun, application is undesirable;
  • Take one hour after meals, but not on an empty stomach;
  • After ingestion, rinse with lake water or sea water, then wash with fresh water and rest for about 1.5 hours.

  Often mud has an effect in cases where traditional methods are powerless. In particular, Bekhterev's disease can be defeated only with the help of mud. But there are also serious contraindications: neoplasms, tuberculosis, conditions after stroke and heart attack, hypertension, fibroids, fibromyoma, cysts, varicose veins, hemorrhoids.

  Methods of treatment with mud application and cavity (rectal, vaginal). The treatment regimen has the right to appoint only a specialized specialist. Self-treatment can have undesirable consequences. In some cases, after mud treatment in sanatorium conditions, an exacerbation of the disease is possible. It is called a balneological reaction and is a direct indication of the effectiveness of the treatment.

Where to find medicinal mud in Crimea

Basically, therapeutic mud is extracted from the bottom of salt lakes, the geography of which extends along the entire western coast of the peninsula, but it is not exhausted. In total, there are at least 34 lakes with healing mud on the peninsula, and most of them are concentrated in the areas of Yevpatoria (including Saki), Tarkhankut, on the Kerch Peninsula, and in the north in the area of Krasnoperekopsk. You can also find "healing" volcanic clay on the eastern coast of the Crimea. Among all the lakes, 14 were officially recognized by the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 11.12.1996 No. 1499 "on approval of the list of Water Resources classified as curative" as curative based on the results of analysis of mud and brine samples.

Here are the most famous places:

• Saka Lake

  Saka Lake on the map.

  This is the most famous healing Lake, and its mud is the most useful and the only one today in the Crimea, used for medical purposes. The mud here is black. In the Soviet years, several sanatoriums were built near the lake, which are still in operation. The city became a resort and even more: saying "Saki" every Soviet person meant mud treatment. Today, you can come here as a sanatorium and take useful procedures under the supervision of doctors, and independently extract dirt from the bottom and conduct procedures.

• Chokrak Lake

  Chokrak Lake on the map.

  This lake is considered the second most useful property on the peninsula, but at the same time much less popular and practically not equipped. It, as well as the Saka, is officially considered therapeutic. It is located on the Kerch Peninsula near the tiny village of Kurortnoye (do not confuse it with the village of Kurortnoye in Bolshaya Feodosia). There are no specialized sanatoriums with medical staff, and therefore the use of the wonderful properties of this lake is usually carried out by vacationers on their own. The mud here is black, saturated with hydrogen sulfide.

• Oibur and Ajibachik lakes

  Oibur Lake on the map and Ajibachik Lake on the map.

  There is a large mud deposit near Yevpatoria between the villages Popovka and Stormovoe. The first on the map of the peninsula looks more than impressive. The second, located at a distance of 50 meters, is much smaller in size and differs in the composition of brine. Both lakes communicate with each other by underground currents, but differ in the composition of silty mud. Oyburskoe contains blue clay, and Aji-iodide-bromine black mud. According to the effectiveness exerted on the human body, these mud have no analogues in the world. During the war, they were even taken to the best Bavarian resorts, and German scientists seriously studied the miraculous properties of these natural ointments.

• Jarylgach Lake

  Dzharylgach on the map.

  Around the lake there is no infrastructure for qualified use of mud under the supervision of doctors. At the same time, mud, although not among the most active, can be used for medical, cosmetic and health purposes. Dzharylgach is officially recognized as curative.

• Moynak Lake

  Moynak Lake on the map.

  It is located on the outskirts of Yevpatoria and it was the first healing lake that made the resort famous for its black mud. Unfortunately, today, due to the influence of Man and nature, the lake has become more fresh and has significantly lost its healing properties. But locals and tourists are still happy to get dirt from the bottom and smeared with them, especially since it is difficult to harm health, because their therapeutic effect is insignificant.

• Uzunlar Lake

  Uzunlar Lake on the map.

  This lake also did not escape desalination and lost its healing properties, although there is still mud in large quantities. It is considered officially curative.

• Tobechik Lake

  Tobechik Lake on the map.

  In the eastern part of the lake (the side closer to the sea) there are large reserves of black mud of volcanic origin, squeezed up by mud volcanoes located at the bottom of the lake. Similar in composition to the therapeutic mud of Lake Chokrak, and is also officially considered curative.

• Lake Sivash

  Siwash Lake on the map.

  This huge lake or bay is separated from the Sea of Azov by Arabatskaya Strelka. Its therapeutic mud has a weakly expressed therapeutic effect, therefore it can be used for self-treatment, of course, in compliance with all the maximum terms for the use of black mud.

• Sasyk-Sivash Lake

  Sasyk-Sivash Lake on the map.

  This is the largest lake in the Crimea, except for Lake Sivash along the Arabat arrow (plat), which is actually correctly considered a Bay. Sasyk-Sivash is better known to tourists as a picturesque pink lake, but there are plenty of healing black mud here too. Although it is located near the city of Saki and Evpatoria, there are no medical institutions on its shores, and only independent treatment remains. Convenient beaches for self-treatment are located near the village Pribrezhnoe. It is considered officially curative.

  This lake also has a northern freshwater portion that is separated from the saltwater by a narrow causeway. The ingress of fresh water into the salty part threatens the loss of medicinal properties.

• Popovskoe Lake

  Popovskoe Lake on the map.

  This small estuary-type Lake on the outskirts of Popovka is not officially curative, but locals and tourists are happy to extract black mud from the bottom for open-air procedures. The lake is very shallow, you can cross it almost knee-deep in water.

• Cape Chameleon

  Cape chameleon on the map.

  This cape is near The Tihaya Buhta (quiet bay) in Koktebel consists almost entirely of blue clay deposits.

• Kurortnoye Settlement

  Mud in the Village Resort on the map.

  On the shores of the village of kurortnoye there are several places with blue clay. Quite a lot of volcanic clay is conveniently mined on the way along the coast from the village to the beach of Fox Bay and further along the Bay at the foot of Mount Echki-Dag.

• Theodosius

  Mud in Feodosia on the map.

  On the outskirts of Feodosia there is a wild beach at Cape Chumka. The healing properties of volcanic mud on this beach have not been proven, but the locals have long used it for medicinal and cosmetic purposes.

• Sudak

  Sudak on the map.

  At the foot of fortresses of Sudak there are deposits of blue clay.

Map of therapeutic mud of Crimea

Tourist map of therapeutic mud of Crimea in full view