No-one likes pain as it can make life miserable. So it is important to be able to manage your pain fast and effectively. Interestingly, pain is often the leading reason people turn to natural remedies.
If this is you, it is no doubt due one of the following reasons.
to use something you already have in their home.
a financial need because prescription medicine and doctor visits are too costly.
a desire to avoid putting chemicals into your body and instead use a simple, natural solution for your pain.
Regardless of the reason, the key aspect of pain and natural medicine is to find the right herb. This is one that is readily available or easy to grow and has high potency equal to that of over
the counter pain medications.
Here are four of herbal options that fit all those criteria.
White Willow Bark
White willow bark is an easy to find herbal supplement both online and in local stores.
This herb comes as a ground up brown colored powder. It is available in most health food stores either in capsule form or as the powder itself.
Use white willow bark can in teas, tinctures, and vegan capsules. You can also add it to foods and drinks.
White willow bark is actually the precursor to some of the most popular and widely used pain medications on the market today. The salicylates in white willow bark provide pain relief and are the basis of these medications.
When you buy this herb to help your pain, you need to consider the potency of the herb in the form you are using. For example a powdered processed herb may not have the potency of a tincture of the same herb.
If you want the most potency for your pain, go with a tincture that will absorb quickly. You also want one that is not mixed with other herbs. This may reduce the potency of the white willow bark, which is actually for the pain and not a filler.
Valerian Root
When people hear the term valerian root, they generally think of sleep. But, valerian root is used for managing a variety of pains. This includes body aches and headaches caused by stress and inflammation.
For managing or reducing pain, valerian root should be taken on its own in the form of a tea or tincture.
If you are using it for overnight pain or inflammation, then you will need to use a capsule form. The capsule is not just to help deliver the root easily to the body. It also helps to form a time release of sorts to increase the potency of the root over a longer period of time.
Capsaicin
Heat is often used as an application for topical pain. For example, if you have sore muscles or bruising that is causing pain then heat packs and applying heat may help. This helps to reduce the pain in the area and helps the muscles in the surrounding area to relax.
One way to get natural heat to the area for a longer period of time than heat packs can provide is to use capsaicin. This is the very thing that gives peppers their heat.
Keep in mind, if you are using capsaicin for heat, you will need to use a carrier for it. Even in over the counter versions of this herbal treatment, the capsaicin is mixed with different carriers. Using carriers helps to reduce the heat and chance of burning the skin.
One popular method of using capsaicin is to mix it into a salve. Apply the salve to the affected allowing the heat to work until it has worn off.
Clove
You can’t mention pain and herbal pain management without touching on face and mouth pain. One of the easiest to find sources of oral pain relief is clove.
You can use whole cloves that have been ground up in a herb or coffee grinder, a tincture made of cloves, or clove oil.
Whichever way you use the clove, apply it directly to the affected area. It will numb the area for several minutes to several hours depending on the potency of the clove.
Keep in mind, clove can burn so you will need a carrier oil of some kind. Coconut oil and olive oil are two good carrier methods.
These are just a few of the most common herbs for pain. You can find most of them in whole form or dried form at herbal shops in your local area.
If you find these methods work for you, buy them in larger amounts and store them. You can also create your own tinctures for later use.
