Botanical Biohacking: Which Formula is Right for You?
A practitioner’s guide to the whole Botanical Biohacking line — the three-terrain idea the catalog is
Willard Sheppy is a licensed acupuncturist (LAc) and Founder of Valley Health Clinic specializing in using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat acute injuries and chronic conditions, and to improve sports performance and rehabilitation.
This question comes up in the clinic almost every week, usually from someone who has already tried three things that did not work. They have burning feet, or hands that buzz at night, or a foot that has gone quiet and unreliable, and someone told them to try Evil Bone Water.
The honest answer is yes and no.
Neuropathy is not one condition. It is a word that describes an irritated or damaged nerve, and nerves get irritated for very different reasons. Evil Bone Water is excellent at some of those reasons and close to useless for others. Here is how I sort it out before I hand someone a bottle.
Evil Bone Water can help neuropathy when the nerve irritation is coming from injury, swelling, or inflammation, such as a strain, a compressed nerve, or plantar fasciitis. It is much less helpful for neuropathy caused by diabetes or by cancer treatment. The other question that matters is what you are chasing: for pain, burning, and pins and needles, it can settle things down. For numbness and lost sensation, foot soaks and Corydalis Relief Salve are the better tools. Evil Bone Water is for external use only and will sting on broken skin.
People use “neuropathy” to mean one thing, but in the clinic it covers a lot of ground. A nerve pinched by a swollen ankle, a nerve irritated by years of high blood sugar, and a nerve damaged by chemotherapy all produce burning, tingling, and numbness. They feel similar to the person living with them. They are not the same problem.
That matters because Evil Bone Water works by moving blood, easing inflammation, and calming irritated tissue near the surface. When the nerve is unhappy because of what is happening around it, that is a real fix. When the nerve fiber itself has been damaged from the inside, moving blood at the skin does not undo the damage.
So before you decide whether to use it, answer two questions: what caused this, and what am I actually trying to change?
This is the group I reach for it with. If the nerve symptoms started with an injury, or they travel with swelling and inflammation, Evil Bone Water is a reasonable first thing to try at home.
Depth is the quiet variable here. The more superficial the problem, the better any topical performs. Carpal tunnel at the wrist and irritation around the ankle sit close to the skin. A nerve being compressed deep in the hip is a much longer trip for the medicine, and results drop off accordingly.
I would rather tell someone the truth than sell them a bottle that disappoints them. If the neuropathy is coming from diabetes or from cancer treatment, Evil Bone Water is not what I would start with. The nerve damage there is metabolic and systemic, not a local inflammation problem, and a fast-drying alcohol liniment is aimed at the wrong target.
Even after you sort out the cause, there is a second question that decides everything, and most people have never been asked it: what would success look like?
If the goal is less pain, less burning, and fewer pins and needles, we are trying to calm an overactive nerve down. Evil Bone Water is good at that. Its natural menthol and camphor give the nerve something else to pay attention to while the circulation improves underneath.
If the goal is to feel your feet again, we are trying to do the opposite: rebuild sensation in a nerve that has gone quiet. That is slower work, it happens through circulation and nourishment over months, and a topical liniment is not the lever that moves it.
If the goal is to calm an angry nerve down, Evil Bone Water can help. If the goal is to bring sensation back, it is the wrong tool.
— Will Sheppy, L.Ac.
For the numb, quiet, diabetic or post-chemotherapy foot, this is the direction I go instead. The strategy is circulation first, comfort second, and patience throughout.
Those first two are packaged together as the Neuropathy Relief Combo, which is simply the pairing I kept recommending until it made sense to sell it as one thing. There is more detail in my write-up on the best natural treatment for foot neuropathies.
If your picture is mixed — some burning, some numbness, an old injury underneath it all — you do not have to choose one product. Layer them in order of how fast they absorb.
If your skin gets dry or irritated, you are using too much. Back off rather than pushing through it.
Numbness is worth respecting. It is your body telling you a signal is not getting through, and a few situations need a professional set of eyes rather than a bottle from the shelf.
This article is a starting point for sorting out which tool fits your situation, not a diagnosis. If you are in the Albany area and want help figuring out which kind of neuropathy you are dealing with, call the clinic at (541) 760-9670.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For external use only.
Best Natural Treatment for Foot Neuropathies — foot soaks and Corydalis, step by step.
Personal Experience with Corydalis for Cancer Neuropathy — one patient’s story with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tibetan Herbal Foot Soaks
Evil Bone Water (Zheng Gu Shui) Side Effects & FAQ — safety, application methods, and depth of injury.
Not as much as people hope. Diabetic neuropathy is driven by blood sugar and circulation rather than local inflammation, so a topical liniment is aimed at the wrong target. Warm foot soaks, Corydalis Relief Salve, and consistent blood sugar management are a better fit.
Often, yes — especially if the irritation traces back to an injury, swelling, or something like plantar fasciitis. Evil Bone Water is better at calming an overactive nerve than at restoring sensation in a numb one.
That is not what it does. Rebuilding sensation is slow work that depends on circulation and nourishment over months. Foot soaks, Corydalis Relief Salve, and acupuncture are the better direction for numbness.
Yes, and for mixed pain that is usually what I recommend. Apply Evil Bone Water first because the alcohol base absorbs fastest, let it dry fully, then layer Corydalis Relief Salve on top for longer-lasting nerve relief.
For intact skin, yes, applied twice daily. Do not use it on open wounds, cracks, or broken skin — it is alcohol based and it stings. If you are diabetic, check your feet daily and be cautious with hot water, since a foot that cannot feel temperature can be burned without you knowing.
A practitioner’s guide to the whole Botanical Biohacking line — the three-terrain idea the catalog is
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