Whether you have chronic pain or pain due to an injury, surgery or illness, certain herbal supplements might help. Some herbs have direct pain-relieving properties, while some have other actions that indirectly treat pain. Before you take any herbal supplement for pain relief, consult your doctor to discuss the correct dosage or application and potential health risks.
Herbs
Many different herbs can help to relieve your pain, including devil’s claw, butterbur, boswellia and white willow, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You might also use cayenne, corydalis, American skullcap, passionflower, phyllanthus, valerian, cat’s claw, bromelain and turmeric to treat various types of pain. Ginger and topical applications of the herbs comfrey, horse chestnut, arnica or peppermint might also help to relieve pain, says the University of Michigan Health System.
Function
Pain-relieving herbs work in various ways, so you might choose an herbal treatment depending on the nature of your pain. For example, some herbs are especially effective at relieving pain related to inflammation, such as white willow bark, ginger, turmeric, cat’s claw, bromelain, horse chestnut and phyllanthus. Eucalyptus and peppermint oils appear to ease pain while increasing blood flow to the affected areas of the body, says the University of Michigan. Cayenne contains the active constituent called capsaicin, which has direct effects on localized pain, while arnica and comfrey promote wound healing while reducing pain. Herbs that may affect the nervous system to reduce pain include valerian, passionflower and American skullcap. Be sure to get your doctor's clearance before you take any of these herbs.
Dosages
You might apply certain herbs topically to the affected areas where you have pain, or you may take some herbs by mouth to ease pain. Comfrey, horse chestnut, arnica, cayenne, eucalyptus oil and peppermint oil are all typically recommended for use in treating pain in the form of topical creams or ointments. You might take 120 to 240 mg of white willow bark extract daily to relieve pain and inflammation or 200 to 800 mg of devil’s claw concentrated extract three times daily to reduce pain, according to the University of Michigan Health System. A typical dose of ginger for reducing inflammation and associated pain is 1 ½ to 3 mL of tincture or 2 to 4 grams of dried powdered root taken two or three times daily. You might take 20 mg of cat’s claw standardized extract or 300 mg of turmeric three times daily for pain and inflammation, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Ask your doctor about the proper dose of any herbal remedy before taking it.
Medical Research
A double-blind clinical trial published in the American Journal of Medicine in 2000 found that taking 240 mg of white willow bark extract effectively relieved lower back pain, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Another double-blind trial discovered that taking turmeric helped to substantially reduce pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis, according to a 1991 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Topical applications of eucalyptus and peppermint oils helped to improve blood flow and relieve pain, notes a preliminary study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in 1991. A 1999 double-blind clinical trial published in the European Journal of Anesthesiology found that taking 200 to 400 mg of devil’s claw extract three times per day reduced chronic lower-back pain. Applying an ointment containing 35 percent comfrey extract four times daily was equally effective as the anti-inflammatory medication diclofenac in treating acute ankle sprains, notes a multi-center study published in Phytomedicine in 2005. No widely accepted medical evidence supports the safety and efficacy of these herbs for treating pain, however.
Health Risks
All herbal remedies have potential health risks, including possible drug interactions and side effects. Topical herbal remedies applied to the skin typically pose the main risk of an allergic skin reaction, but herbs taken internally could pose a host of other dangers. Bromelain and turmeric can reduce your blood platelets’ ability to form clots and increase the effects of “blood-thinning” drugs like aspirin and Coumadin, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Cayenne can cause a temporary burning sensation when applied to the skin and can sting your eyes, mouth and open wounds. Willow bark supplements can pose the same dangers as aspirin, including the risk of Reye’s syndrome in children. Talk to your physician about these and other potential health risks before using any herbs to treat pain.
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