mustard plaster

American  

noun

1. a black mixture of mustard and rubber placed on a cloth and applied to the skin as a counterirritant.

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mustard plaster British  

noun

1. med a mixture of powdered black mustard seeds and an adhesive agent applied to the skin for its relaxing, stimulating, or counterirritant effects

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Etymology

Origin of mustard plaster

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

She didn’t seek treatment, because “me and hospitals just don’t agree,” but made an old-fashioned mustard plaster the way her grandmother taught her and wore it on her chest for two days.

From Washington Post

She grabbed for the nearest piece of cloth to shoo them away and her heart froze with terror as she connected her daughter's evening baths with the mustard plasters that rolled onto the floor.

From Literature

Those with rheumy lungs favored her simple but pungent mustard plaster.

From Literature

Using a diaper, the midwife smeared a mustard plaster on the newborn’s chest - a risky procedure that can burn such tender skin rather quickly.

From Washington Times

Soldiers soon arrive from the hospital with hot water, brandy, blankets, and materials to make a mustard plaster.

From Literature