Yesterday I was running with a couple friends early in the morning, before the sun rose. We were running down a main road rutted with potholes and other obstacles. And I fell victim to it. The road lick me, as a Jamaican might say. I stumbled in a sizeable hole right up against the sidewalk but did not fall. Nothing hurt at the time, but a bit later in the day, my left ankle began to protest. It swelled up and I could barely walk.
Mrs. Denton, our office manager, suggested a “country” remedy: Canadian Healing Oil, custard apple leaves and marl. A nurse friend of mine also suggested this oil, so I thought I might supplement my usual regime of ice and elevation with this mysterious product.
I tried to get the latter two ingredients, but only managed to locate the CHO. I had seen it in the pharmacy several times and wondered ‘what about it makes it Canadian?’ and ‘what is it for?’ Well, now I know. It is a liniment that heals apparently most common ailments. The two main ingredients are turpentine oil and birch oil, curiously. And it is made in Guyana, so I still don’t know what the Canadian link is. All I could find on it was this article. I opened the small bottle at home and was immediately struck by the smell (like a campfire) and the colour (dark brown).
And I can report that it works! Or maybe the effect was psychosomatic, or the ice did the trick. In any case, I am now back to normal and ready to run (and probably fall) again. Enjoy your day!
Jamaican Journal 
When I was much younger and living in the country I would come down with boils that was when the CHO comes into play. Mama would get the healing oil,1 pepper leaf and a piece of washing soap aka cake soap. She would heat the pepper leaf over the fire we would say back then she quail the pepper leaf then she scape a little bit of the soap put on the leaf and then she applied a little healing oil that was then used to cover the boil which was tied with a piece of cloth. The next day everything in that boil is pulled to the surface so when it was being squeezed it was not too painful and the gut or root as we called it was easily expelled.
The story is just yesterday I had to buy one to use on a bump that was located right at frontal part of my husband’s ear that area where the hair line comes down from the head, it had been there for some years now until it started getting bigger I told him it seems as if it was one of those hair bumps but like a curious child he started interfering with it even started using hot water on it and you know what next out of the blue there comes a mouth. To tell the truth I kinda panic when my daughter pointed it out to me to look at his ear because he is badly diabetic plus he has bad circulation problems so I try for him not to have any wound as much as possible, right then and there I get down to business I cleaned the area with some warm water and did a little squeeze to get rid of what was already coming out then I went to a close by supermarket to get the healing oil I didn’t have the cake soap but I got the pepper leaf heated it and applied the CHO then I plastered it on the area for over night. This morning when my phone alarmed six o’clock I got to work and man you should see how everything came up and out with no excess pressure. I applied a little squeeze in the second round and that was when the root came out all hairy. It goes to show that liniment still works for other ailments than those mentioned on the box. Thanks to the knowledge of our fore parents.
I knew there was something familiar about it when I saw it at the pharmacy……I must have remembered it from growing up in JA! I’ll be sure to get a bottle…..JUST IN CASE!
As a West Indian child growing up our parents use to give us this if I’m not mistaken . They’d take a spoon with sugar on it and put some of it on the spoon when we’d be sick with a cold if I remember correctly. Don’t try this if your not sure. All eight of us children grew up very healthy wise and strong. Thanks be to God above. And maybe someone from Canada was the one who made, Canadian Healing Oil.
Growing up In the Caribbean CHO was literal staple in every home, but not only for external use but our parents used to give it to us to get rid of cold in the body.
We would be given about two drops in a teaspoon of sugar and we had to hold it on our mouth until the sugar melted before swallowing. Soon after, all the difficult cold on the chest would be expelled.
I recently bought a bottle and when I read the ingredients I was awed that we ever consumed something like that, maybe back then it contained the seal oil which was responsible for dislodging the cold.
I would not try it now.
The best pain remedy ever made.unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to exist anymore.
As a child growing up in Jamaica, this IS one if the remedies thay my grandmother always kept handy. I personally never realized the great benefits of this tool until I took a fall playing sword fight on and slick floor with a five year old. The floor won and I was left with a swollen ankle for over a month. Relief came after using the Canadian healing oil. Am still amazed at how quickly the swelling and just disappeared!
The Canadian connection is that it originated in Canada and one more thing it used to contain seal oil.
Thanks so much for clarifying!
THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION ON CANADIAN HEALING OIL. IT WAS RECOMMENDED TO ME, MY KNEE HURTS A LOT, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHTS AND WHEN I SIT FOR AWHILE AND TRY TO STAND UP. I AM TRYING TO FIND THE OIL IN CANADA AND TO DATE NO LUCK. WOULD YOU KNOW WHERE IN CANADA?
indeed it seems to be the best, however it is still on the market in the pharmacy
specifically shoppers drug mart
Did you notice that the article on CHO was published in Sydney, Australia?!!
yes, I noticed that!:)