Footbinding had an olfactory and medicinal component– women would dust alum powder, an astringent, between their toes before wrapping their feet in handwoven cloth binders. They would also dust the binding cloth and shoe lining with fragrant powder. Women also used powdered herbal tonics with formulas passed down intergenerationally to soften their bones or speed up the healing process. These medicinal powders were especially common to use for girls commencing the foot binding process.
