Pain Relieving

Pain Relieving Recipes

An herb that is analgesic is one that reduces pain. There are a number of ways that herbs reduce pain. They can act directly on pain receptors such as kratom or poppy (opioid receptors), they can act as anti-inflammatories such as turmeric, can help move the blood via circulation such as ginger, cinnamon and clove or act as relaxant and antispasmodic herbs such as kava and cramp bark. Finally there are a number off anxiolytic herbs and sedative plants that can be used in conjunction with analgesic herbs to help reduce pain.

Because herbs act in a variety of ways they can be helpful widely different types of pain. This is especially important in light of the strong problems associated with many types of pharmaceutical pain relievers such as NSAIDs and opiates. While NSAIDs can lead to severe hepatic problems, gastric distress and bleeding ulcers, synthetic opiates such as oxycodone and vicodin are implicated in severe addiction issues and overdoses leading to death.

Because of these issues, there is increasing reason to study and integrate herbal pain relievers as part of pain relieving protocols. At the same time, herbs act in different ways and some can be quite potent and addictive in their own right and each herb should be judged on its own merits. Finally, it is key to not address pain just symptomatically but look for underlying causes that could be causing the pain. Some of these issues include injury, disease, obesity, stress and trauma and dietary choices. Here is a list of analgesic herbs with some of the variations mentioned above. There are a great deal of variation in effect and potency in many of these plants so please do not think of them as interchangeable in any way.

Anti-inflammatory: bacopa,bergamot, cats claw, devil’s claw, feverfew, geranium, guduchi, helichrysum, honeysuckle, jasmine, lemongrass, licorice, meadowsweet, willow, st. john’s wort, turmeric

Antispasmodic: anemone, bee balm, betony, black cohosh, blue cohosh, bupleurum, calamus, camphor, cannabis, caraway, cardamom, catnip, chuchuhuasi, clary sage, cramp bark, cumin, graviola, jamaican dogwood, kava, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lobelia, marjoram, mint, mugwort, myrrh, oregano, peony, pedicularis, rose, rosemary, sage, self-heal, skunk cabbage, solomon’s seal, thyme, vervain,

Circulatory stimulants: angelica, cardamom, cayenne, cedar wood, cinnamon, dong quai, ginger, gingko, gotu kola, jyotishmati, turmeric,

Directly targeting pain receptors: akuamma, bleeding-heart, california poppy, cannabis, corydalis, kratom, poppy

Tissue and Bone Healing herbs: Comfrey, horsetail, Solomon’s seal, nutritional herbs such as red clover, burdock, nettles, oatstraw in large doses are helpful for getting needed vitamins and minerals for repair work.

Also- see anxiolytic herbs for assistance with anxiety related to pain.

Click here for recipes for

Pain relieving teas

Pain relieving tinctures

Pain relieving salves

Further Reading:

Herbs for Injuries and Broken Bones by Brigitte Mars

Fibromyalgia Susun Weed

Headaches/Migraine Susun Weed

Restless Leg Syndrome Susun Weed

Choice Injury Herbs Kiva Rose

A few herbs for headaches Kiva Rose