Mud baths are certainly not among the most impressive healing therapies, but they are some of the oldest in the world. The benefits of healing mud were discovered by the ancient Egyptians and Romans, who used it for a variety of ailments as well as cosmetic treatments.

Therapeutic mud is a natural product that forms at the bottom of various large bodies of water – seas, salt lakes, around areas with oil fields, etc. It is rich in various minerals, vitamins and beneficial microorganisms, hence its healing properties. It is used not only for beauty treatments, but also for the treatment of various ailments, including psoriasis, arthritis, mobility problems, hormonal imbalances, and for recovery after surgery.

It is also part of the therapies used in sports medicine to restore muscles, as well as cosmetic procedures to treat dry hair and reduce cellulite. It is thermophysical, biochemical, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying. Because of the latter, it is often part of various cosmetic products as well as the composition of natural antibiotics.

What is mud therapy?

Calotherapy, as its name suggests, is a healing therapy. It has anti-inflammatory, tonic, analgesic effects, improves blood circulation and stimulates metabolism in the body.

Its main uses are three – in the form of mud baths for the whole body, by application to specific parts of the body and through masks, which are usually used for the face.

The therapeutic mud itself, which is used, is divided into liman, mineral spring, peat (bog), sapropel and mud volcanoes. The most used of these are peat, lime and mineral spring mud, and in Bulgaria – mainly lime mud.

One of the oldest methods of mud treatment is the so-called Egyptian method. In it, mud is used, directly from the place where it is formed. It is necessary to pre-heat the body in the sun for half – one hour to open the pores. Then the whole body is smeared well and waited in the sun until it dries completely. This is followed by washing with warm, in most cases sea water.

Another method of mud treatment are the so-called applications. In these, the mud is heated to a certain temperature of about 40 degrees and placed on a specific part of the body, if a stronger effect is sought right there, or even on the whole body. The areas that have been smeared with mud are then wrapped with foil and a blanket is placed on top so that it can heat up – just as the sun does in the so-called Egyptian method. Treatments last 20-30 minutes.

Next are the mud baths, where the healing mud is diluted with mineral, sea, river, or even ordinary water. The procedure afterwards is the same as with a regular bath, but here its duration cannot be more than 20 minutes.

Although it is a natural product, however, care must be taken with mud. There is a certain duration for each therapy and it must be respected. It is also mandatory to leave certain days for rest between therapies. Consultation with a specialist is recommended, especially if one is starting such therapy for the first time.

What is his story?

As already mentioned, mud therapy has quite a long history. Some of the first evidence of it dates back to the ancient Egyptians living along the Nile, who used mud to soothe their aching joints. Women, on the other hand, anointed themselves with river silt to preserve their youth and beauty.

The Romans were also aware of the properties of this unique natural gift and special pools with sea mud were made for the imperial soldiers, where they recovered and healed their wounds. It is this mud from the sea estuaries that is considered the most healing as it contains a wide variety of trace elements.

Nowadays in Europe, mud therapy gained widespread popularity around the 17th century. In Bulgaria the method began to be applied in 1905 by prof. Paraskev Stoyanov in the Varna sea sanatorium.

What is the scientific evidence of its impact?

If the Egyptians and Romans discovered the effect of healing mud without knowing exactly how it affects, then the development of science has managed to answer this very question. After a number of studies and tracing the effect of mud on the body, it has been proven that it contains microparticles that penetrate the skin and exert a slight pressure on the tissues by a nerve-reflective pathway. This is how the circulation processes in the cell are stimulated and blood circulation is improved, which supports other processes such as detoxification, i.e. the removal of harmful substances from the body, for example. The increased circulation itself boosts the immune system, metabolism and reduces sugar and cholesterol levels.

During therapies with healing mud, the body is constantly enriched with phosphorus, calcium, sulfate ions, carbon dioxide, sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, enzymes and other useful substances.

Sulfur as well as the presence of mucopolysaccharides accumulate in the articular cartilage and protect it. In addition to these, the presence of hormone-like substances, including estrogen, has also been detected in mud. These improve the function of the gonads and enhance ovulation and spermatogenesis.

In what cases is it recommended?

We have already mentioned quite a few of the conditions that are well affected by healing mud, but here is the full list:

• diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including joints – rheumatism, arthritis, coxarthrosis, gonarthrosis, etc.
• neurological diseases, including plexitis, neuritis, poliomyelitis, radiculitis, etc.
• skin diseases such as psoriasis, various types of dermatitis, scleroderma, rosacea, etc.
• diseases of the digestive system
• bone tissue abnormalities – for example, osteomyelitis
• diseases of the genitourinary system, as well as infertility
• pathologies of the gallbladder
• metabolic diseases

In what cases is it not recommended?

Despite the proven only positive effects of healing mud, there are conditions for which mud baths are not recommended. These are:

• ulcer
• in anaemia
• acute infectious diseases
• more severe lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and abscess
• cardiovascular disease, especially after a heart attack or stroke
• venereal diseases
• mental illness
• pregnancy, especially in the last months
• frequent bleeding
• malignancies
• conditions in the acute stage

Where in Bulgaria is it available?

Pomorie is one of the most popular places for mud baths in Bulgaria. The deposits of healing mud and lye around Pomorie and Lake Athanasov are not only one of the largest, but are also unparalleled in the world in quality and composition. Lye can be extracted from both, but mud only from Pomorie Lake.

In Bulgaria there are three types of deposits of healing mud – limestone, peat and spring. The largest deposits of limanic mud are in Pomorie and Burgas. After them, there are such deposits near Shabla, Balchik Tuzla, Varna Lake, Mandra Lake.

Peat mud forms near Baikal and Dobri dol. And the known deposits of spring mud are in Marikostinovo, the town of Banya in the Karlovo region and the village of Stransko near Haskovo.