Yes that’s what I thought before I tried it, but I squeeze about...

Yes that’s what I thought before I tried it, but I squeeze about 10 grams onto my knee, add a bit of alcohol, and after I rub it in for a few minutes it’s all gone, so some of it at least must be getting through the epidermis and into the bloodstream.
Seemed to give me quite a bit of relief, and visibly reduced the swelling, but maybe it was just the old placebo effect.
Tinctures of beech bark have been used in folk medicine for centuries - presumably Dr. Bene didn’t just choose beech trees randomly for his initial research.
Best of luck anyway - not much to lose.