Does it really work?
Leading Rheumatologist: "Tree Pulp Remedy" From The 1960s Is The Best Method To Beat Joint Pain & Inflammation
Since the 60s, only equestrians, vets, and certain athletes have known about this hidden joint pain remedy today. The last generation who knows about it are those from the 90s, and will might fade into extinction as painkillers take over.
By Dr. Simon T. in Rheumatology •
In partnership with
Outfield Organics
Partner Review
I'm a rheumatologist. I've treated joint pain and arthritis my whole career, and I'll be honest about something.
For most of that career, nobody taught me about this.
Not in medical school. Not in my residency. Not at a single conference. I had to stumble onto it the way most of my patients do, by accident.
It started with one patient.
It Started With One Patient
She was a woman in her 70s with osteoarthritis in both knees, the kind of case I'd seen a thousand times. Cortisone every few weeks, NSAIDs in between, the slow march toward a joint replacement we both knew was coming.
Then one visit, she walked in moving better than she had in years.
No new prescription. No procedure. But it held. Visit after visit, her stiffness was down, her sleep was better, her painkiller use was dropping, and it wasn't anything I'd done.
When I asked, she got sheepish. She'd been rubbing a clear liquid on her knees. Something her brother used on his racehorses, called DMSO.
My first instinct was to dismiss it. But she was walking. So I went and read everything I could find.
What I Found About DMSO Shocked Me
DMSO turned out to be one of the most studied compounds in medical history. Over 11,000 published scientific articles.
It traces back to Dr. Stanley Jacob at the University of Oregon, who began studying it in 1961. He applied this tree-pulp-derived liquid over patients' joints. Within minutes it was measurable in the joint fluid. Within days, bedridden arthritis patients were walking.
Word spread fast. The New York Times covered it. 60 Minutes aired a segment. Surgeons, athletes and veterinarians all used it.
And then, in 1965, it stopped.
Not because it failed. Because it worked too well, and the wrong people noticed.
Why The DMSO Remedies Were Buried
DMSO is a natural byproduct of wood pulping, discovered almost by accident in a paper mill. And it was dirt cheap. Nobody could patent it. Nobody could own it. Nobody could build a billion-dollar product around it.
So it was buried.
The official reason? Eye damage in dogs given 100 to 500 times any human dose. On that basis the FDA halted clinical use in 1965, and it vanished from the textbooks I'd later train on.
To this day it sits at Tractor Supply stamped "for veterinary use only," while 125 countries prescribe it openly for arthritis. Their doctors are trained to use it. Ours were trained that it doesn't exist.
I never learned about it not because it didn't work, but because there was no money in teaching it.
So, What Actually Is DMSO?
DMSO is rich mineral sulfur, derived from tree pulp. It was found that when DMSO is absorbed into the body, it immensely reduced pain and soothed inflammation, and it is used for horses and animals as a painkiller.
Over 10,000 articles were published on its effects.
However, when I researched it, DMSO carried a lot of side effects. And in practice, many of my patients who once tried it reported:
🔴 Garlic or oyster-like stench on your breath and skin, often lasting a day or more
🔴 The carrying effect: it drags whatever is on your skin (dirt, lotion, pesticides, dyes) straight into your bloodstream
🔴 Skin irritation, redness, burning or itching at the application site
🔴 Must be diluted carefully and applied to spotless skin, or it can irritate and burn
🔴 Can leach chemicals from gloves, clothing dyes, or plastic if they touch the area
Firstly, Why Does DMSO Work?
When DMSO enters your skin, your body absorbs it rapidly and produces TWO substances from it:
Essentially, there was no way to get the relief of DMSO without all the risks and the awful stench.
Then The Godfather of DMSO Found Out... How You Can Use DMSO, Without The Downsides
For years, Dr. Stanley Jacob was clawing for ways to prevent the horrible odor that DMSO produced.
In The Miracle of MSM, published after his DMSO research clinic was shut down, he laid out his newfound discoveries.
Now, it was possible to isolate the beneficial MSM mineral from the DMSO. Robert Herschler was granted the first patents for MSM in 1981.
This meant people could now use DMSO without having to suffer the odor of the pungent DMS gas.
At first glance, MSM had all the same benefits that made DMSO so beneficial for joint pain. Like DMSO, topical MSM is a free radical scavenger and an effective anti-inflammatory agent for joint pain.
🦴 Replenishes the sulfur deficit in arthritic joints, which have as little as ONE THIRD the sulfur of healthy joints
🔥 Regulates and suppresses the inflammatory response inside the joint itself
💧 Helps joint tissue retain water, keeping cartilage spongy, dynamic and resilient
🩹 Accelerates recovery and repair of damaged joint tissue
How Does MSM Compare With DMSO?
Firstly, while DMSO lasts 120 hours, MSM lasts 4 times longer — 480 hours in the body. This means MSM provides sustained mineral sulfur replenishment long after DMSO would have cleared. For chronic joint conditions that require consistent, daily mineral restoration, this duration matters enormously.
Secondly, unlike DMSO, MSM doesn't carry unwanted compounds through the skin.
This means combination therapies and remedies can be applied alongside it, without the same worry that made DMSO potentially irritating or dangerous.
The most popular ones already used by many in the form of gels, or essential oils, are:
Combined with MSM as a transdermal carrier, magnesium, arnica and frankincense reach the joint tissue directly — not just the skin surface.
🔬 A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published on PubMed confirmed MSM improved knee quality of life in patients with mild knee pain
🧪 A Japanese research team confirmed it suppressed the cellular process that causes joint cells to die
🟢 Its ability to inhibit inflammatory enzymes inside joint cells became one of the most documented mechanisms in topical joint research
"Thousands are switching from DMSO to MSM. Many of my patients who are afraid of DMSO, or never heard of it before, are able to pick up MSM and get all the benefits of DMSO without the side effects."
Partner Content
What Happens When You Use It Consistently
Most people notice the nights first. The 3am wake-up from the aching starts to settle within the first week. Not gone. But quieter.
By week two, the mornings change. The stiffness that used to take an hour to work through starts clearing in ten minutes. You start getting out of bed without the ritual.
By month one, the magnesium and MSM have had time to begin replenishing what years of depletion have taken. Because this isn't just pain relief. It's a topical supplement that replenishes the sulfur and magnesium stores in your body over time. Morning stiffness is measurably reduced. Most people have already reduced their painkiller use without consciously trying.
By month two, flexibility improves. Sleep is consistently better. The joint that used to announce itself with every step goes quiet.
By month three, it compounds. Three months of consistent mineral replenishment. Most people at this point have either significantly reduced or completely stopped their daily painkiller use.
Consistent nightly application, ideally after a warm shower when pores are most open, is what allows the minerals to build up in joint tissue over time.
What People Are Saying
"I was facing a cortisone injection every eight weeks just to walk. After two weeks on the cream my doctor cancelled the next one. It gave me my life back." — David T., 64
"The throbbing in my hands was so bad I couldn't cook or knit. I thought I was heading for wrist fusion surgery. The cream eliminated the swelling. I feel 20 years younger." — Margaret S., 59
"I was taking four Advil every morning. My doctor warned me about my liver. This cream is the only thing that actually melts the stiffness. I stopped the pills and I'm walking two miles a day." — Linda P., 71
How to Use It
Apply a small amount directly over the affected joint morning and night, ideally after a warm shower when your pores are most open and absorption is most efficient. Massage in until absorbed and let it air dry before dressing.
Because it's a topical supplement, consistency is the mechanism. It builds up in your joints over time, the same way a nutritional deficiency isn't corrected overnight.
If you're still using ibuprofen, taper slowly rather than stopping cold turkey. The cream works alongside whatever you're currently doing.
What to Look For, and What to Avoid
Don't buy ingredients separately from Amazon, which will cost upwards of $50–60 a month. And watch the label closely: find Dimethyl Sulfone (MSM) and Deep Sea Magnesium near the top — not buried at the bottom where concentrations are negligible.
Outfield Organics Deep Sea Magnesium & MSM True Joint Cream contains all of the above: MSM, Deep Sea Magnesium Chloride, Arnica, Indian Frankincense, and Lavender — all positioned where they belong on the label.
Partner Content
The Bottom Line
The topical mineral revolution of the 1970s was suppressed before it could reach the mainstream. In 2026, the science has caught up. MSM, Deep Sea Magnesium, Arnica and Frankincense applied consistently, directly over the joint, is the most rational and evidence-backed approach to long-term joint health available without a prescription.
Buy 2 Get 1 Free — from $26/jar
90-day money-back guarantee · If nothing shifts, full refund, no questions asked.
Get Offer → 90-Day GuaranteeSave 33% · 1,491 verified reviews at 4.7★ · 168,000+ customers