If you clicked on this article, you’re most probably struggling with chronic pain. You’ve tried to ease it using different conventional remedies but nothing appears to help. Well, prescription drugs and over-the-counters medications may not be the only way you can relieve pain. More and more people are using natural herbal pain relievers to control pain too.
Including pain relief herbs and techniques in your regimen can help you better manage your pain and lessen your discomfort. However, it’s worth mentioning that while herbal remedies have numerous health benefits, you have to be especially cautious when using them since they can cause side effects. They may cause allergic reactions as well as affect the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs. For that reason, it is best to consult your doctor before using them so as to determine whether using a certain herbal pain reliever is good for your health.
Anyway, next time you find yourself struggling with chronic pain, before reaching for pills, consider using some natural, homemade remedies to ease your pain. You might be surprised by what herbs may help you kill your pain.
People commonly include cloves in different foods, such as rice dishes, pies, and meat. As a natural herbal remedy, cloves are sold as powder or in capsule. Oil from cloves is made as well.
Cloves have been used as a remedy to help treat various conditions. They can help treat the common cold and alleviate symptoms of nausea. They can also help ease the pain related to toothaches, headaches, and arthritic inflammation.
Eugenol, also known as clove oil, is oil made from cloves that are used to alleviate pain related to toothache. Applying a small amount of eugenol on the gums can ease toothache pain for a limited amount of time and make you feel a little bit better until you get to your dentist. However, be careful not to put too much oil on your gums as it may hurt them. Moreover, clove oil is rarely used to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions.
And those who have bleeding disorders should be extremely cautious when using clove products as they may raise the risk of excessive bleeding.
Applying ice and heat to the place causing pain is one of the most widely used home body pain relief remedies. When you pull a tendon, muscle, or ligament, you can apply ice cubes on it so as to reduce inflammation and swelling. When the inflammation is no longer present, you can apply heat on the same site so as to make the sprained ligament, tendon, or muscle feel less stiff. Similarly, you can place ice cubes or a pack of ice on your forehead so as to ease pain associated with a headache. And if it is arthritis that you’re struggling with, you can place a heat pack on the sore joint.
For hundreds of years, willow bark has been used to reduce inflammation, which is the reason behind many pains. The bark contains the chemical ingredient salicin that has similar properties to Bayer, an ingredient in aspirin. In the beginning, the bark was chewed as it helped people treat fevers and pain. But, nowadays, you can buy the bark like a dried herb with which you can make tea. It can also be found as a capsule or liquid supplement.
Willow bark is known for its ability to relieve low back pain, inflammatory conditions, osteoarthritis, and headache. Nevertheless, using the bark as a natural remedy can cause side effects too. For instance, it can slow down your kidney function, may cause nausea and/or diarrhea, and may extend bleeding. In addition, if you are already taking medications, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or warfarin, avoid using willow bark and consult your physician if you are taking other anticoagulant, pain, or anti-inflammatory medications.
Acupuncture is an ancient traditional Chinese practice that is used to ease pain by creating a balance between the energy pathways in the body. This practice involves penetrating your skin with small, solid needles. Which part of your body will be penetrated depends on the location of your pain. But, a needle can be placed further away from the source of your pain.
The point where a needle is inserted is thought to stimulate the releasing of chemicals in the body, such as serotonin, a chemical that alleviates pain.
A study carried out in 2012 revealed that acupuncture is an effective tool for treating chronic pain (1).
This oil is widely known for its ability to reduce inflammation. In one study, carried out in 2004, 250 patients with back or neck pain were told to consume 1200 milligrams of omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs), that is, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid which are present in fish oil supplements. After 75 days of consuming fish oil, out of 125 participants, 59 percent stopped taking their prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain. 60 percent said that the pain in their joints had improved. 80 percent said that they were content with their pain improvement and that they would keep consuming the fish oil was stated by 88 percent of the patients (2).
In one study which examined the impact of mindfulness meditation on chronic pain, 43 of 109 patients were asked to practice mindfulness meditation over two and a half years and 47 patients stayed in the control group. The results showed that those patients who practiced mindfulness meditation had improved psychological health, reduced depression and anxiety, had greater acceptance of pain, and felt having control over the pain (3).
Have you ever wondered why curry sauce has that specific yellow color? Well, that’s because it contains the spice turmeric. People in India have used turmeric as a medicinal herb and spice for many years. Turmeric is probably the strongest natural pain reliever and it is widely known for its ability to treat a lot of health issues, such as:
Lavender oil is one of the most natural ways to relieve headaches. A 2012 study indicated that lavender oil can ease pain related to migraine headaches.47 patients who were diagnosed with migraine headaches were separated into cases that had to inhale lavender oil for 15 minutes and the rest stayed in the control group. The results indicated that headache severity was reduced in patients who inhaled the oil. The study also said that lavender oil has also been used as a sedative, analgesic and antimicrobial agent, and mood stabilizer (4).
However, we advise you not to consume lavender essential oil orally because it may be toxic. And if you apply it on your skin, make sure you use a carrier oil to dilute it.
Resveratrol belongs to one group of polyphenols and it’s found in the skin of grapes, seeds, and red wine. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antitumor properties and it is believed to be a helpful tool for treating and preventing different types of cancer.
Ginger is the last on our list of natural chronic pain relievers. A 2015 review of various trials revealed that ginger may alleviate muscle pain modestly which results from prolonged running and decrease the inflammatory reaction to cardiorespiratory exercise. However, additional research is needed to examine how effective ginger is as an analgesic for other athletic activities (5).
Now, let’s see what natural pain relievers you can use to treat the following 5 conditions:
Besides the above-mentioned willow bark and ginger, other instant home remedies for a headache you can use are:
To alleviate pain associated with arthritis, you can use:
We all get stomach aches from time to time. Diet, stress, and different conditions can all cause stomach pain. Of course, if it’s not a serious type of stomach pain, you can effectively treat it at home. Here are three natural, homemade remedies for stomach pain:
Muscle pain can result from stress, excessive exercising, and minor injuries. You can relieve muscle pain using the following home remedies:
And last but not least, let’s see …
Deep and slow breathing can help reduce pain in the following ways:
