From reader Dragon:
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DMSO has a reputation for tasting and smelling bad. The active ingredient in DMSO is sulphur. If you go to your local farm supply store, you can find a product labeled for use on horses, MSM.
MSM is short for methyl-sulphonyl-methane. Sounds frighteningly chemical, but it's not. It's just a name. MSM is used as a supplement for horses to prevent or ease muscle strain. It's safe for humans. I've used it for years.

A bit of MSM in a glass of water will taste like weak lemonade, if any taste is noticed at all.

What you'll get from the farm store is pharmaceutical grade. No one is going to put a horse valued at five figures or more at risk by using something that is not pure.

It will ease muscle strain and accelerate the growth of your fingernails! Good stuff.
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MrF says:
I actually take 3 grams of MSM a day in water. I can't taste it at all.

MSM is similar to DMSO, having a second oxygen attached to the sulfur atom. DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide, is a liquid, though it freezes around 62 degrees F if pure. MSM is a crystalline powder; it also called dimethyl sulfone, or DMSO2.

DMSO is used by applying directly to a painful joint, to provide rapid relief. It is often used full strength, or as a 70:30 mixture with water, which is how it is sold in Swiss pharmacies (at least it used to be). In the case of gout, it is believed to dissolve the sodium urate crystals which form in the toe joint and cause inflamation. (I don't know if it also works on pseudo-gout, which is caused by calcium pyrophosphate crystals, and most often occurs in the knee.)

It is true that topical application of DMSO causes a funny taste in the mouth, and bad breath, which can last several hours. But when you need it, you need it.

MSM is taken orally, in gram quantities. I don't think that would be effective on gout. I don't know if applying a concentrated water solution of MSM to a gouty toe would be effective. I don't know of anyone ever trying that.

You can see an older post of mine which describes my personal experience with another use of DMSO, mixed 2:1 with 30 ppm nanosilver solution, to treat incipient gangrene in the leg of our dog:

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive2.cgi/read/47275