horse balsam
- noun
:
bálsamo de castaño de indias
- Many athletes use horse balsam for muscle recovery after intense exercise.
Examples
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Applying horse balsam to my knee helped reduce the swelling after a long hike.
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She prefers natural remedies like horse balsam to treat minor joint pains.
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I applied horse balsam to my sore muscles.
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Have you tried horse balsam for your back pain?
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Many athletes use horse balsam for muscle recovery after intense exercise.
-
Applying horse balsam to my knee helped reduce the swelling after a long hike.
-
She prefers natural remedies like horse balsam to treat minor joint pains.
Synonyms
2
7.7
A sticky fragrant gum from some trees used for medicine and perfumes
A cream made from horse chestnut that eases muscle and joint pain
A cream made from horse chestnut that reduces muscle and joint pain
How Soothing
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'balsam' signals an ointment or resinous medicinal preparation, so learners will likely infer it's a kind of balm; however the function of 'horse' is ambiguous (could mean for horses, relating to horse-chestnut, or metaphorical), so the precise sense 'ointment containing horse‑chestnut extract for muscle pain' is not fully predictable. Because the general category is clear but the specific source/purpose is uncertain, the MWE is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Horse balsam may come from old animal medicine: balsam means a healing ointment and horse shows it was first used on horses or was strong enough for them. That's why today horse balsam means a strong ointment used 'to relieve muscle pain and joint pain'.