try rubbing neatsfoot oil on any aching joint. I reckon on twice a day for a week. It is a palliative not a miracle cure. Leave enough time for the stuff to soak in and wipe your hands before playing. I have seen a lass whos fingers are gnarled play for the first time in 18 months. If it is is a placebo it is a rather good one. Get it from an equestrian shop - it smells much better.

When I first bought some for my bodhran the pharmacist told me the old "black country" (mid UK) folk remedy. I didn't use it on bodhrans after it ruined the first one. AND I shouldn't have bought it from the chemist - it smelled rank.