Glenda Lasbury MIIR(Reg'd), MAR, T.A.Th. Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Hopi Ear Candle Consultant Nottingham

Pain Relief

Tripped over and bruised your knee? Arthritic aches and pains? Thumping migraine? Pain management is becoming a priority in our pressurised lives, where hectic schedules don't allow for time out to recuperate gently.

How often do you wish for a swift, effective, natural pain-relieving remedy to replace the drugs in your bathroom cabinet? Potentially, the repeated use of such drugs could damage your stomach lining, your liver and your kidneys.

First place must go to the little known Butterbur, whose Latin handle is Petasites hybridus. Alfred Vogel parcelled this up as Petaforce, which in the UK (and Ireland) is known as Petasites I find this to be one of the most fast acting pain relieving remedies around. Being antispasmodic, Petasites can reduce many cramping, spasm-like pains, such as menstrual pain

Petasites has been shown to have a fantastic effect on migraines. Migraine sufferers taking 50-75mg twice a day found that they had over 50% less migraines after three months. The migraines that they did have were less severe. On top of this, no adverse effects were documented during the trial. This is why herbs so often score over pharmaceutical preparations: they work just as well and they give you no side effects. If you need to take painkillers long term, it is reassuring to know that Petasites will not harm you, and you can't overdose on it. There are potentially harmful alkaloids in Petasites, but these are removed from the Vogel product. It's not just migraine sufferers that can benefit: Petasites will work for lower back pain, slipped discs, gastric pain and others. Twenty to thirty minutes is a good guide for speed of action.

Some migraine sufferers find that an ongoing dose of Feverfew will keep their migraines at bay. Feverfew dilates the blood vessels in the head, reversing the constriction that results from tensing the neck and shoulders when under stress. It can be taken daily to reduce the likelihood of a migraine, or taken at the first signs of a migraine coming on, as a tincture can often get into the bloodstream fast enough to stave it off.

Devil's Claw. This has been used as an anti-inflammatory for many years and has recently been the subject of successful research proving it to be as effective as conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. Again, this is extremely important for those needing long term medication for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. I find the tincture form a delight to work with as it acts fast, especially with the elderly, whose weakened digestion may mean they cannot benefit quickly from a tablet.

 Devil's Claw is mainly used for arthritic and rheumatic pain, but I also excellent for sports injuries, sprains and strains, Repetitive Strain Injury.

What else? Well some may feel that nothing is worse than the nerve pain that characterises conditions such as shingles, sciatica or trapped nerves. These all respond well to Hypercom (St. John’s Wort) The oil or fresh herb tincture can be applied gently to the affected area and the tincture can be taken internally, if you are not on any other medication. Not only does Hypericum calm the nerve pain quickly, but it also cheers you up! For shingles it has the additional benefit of working against the virus that causes this painful condition.

People who are taking any other medicine should always seek professional advice from a doctor or a pharmacist before combining it with St John’s Wort.

It also reduces blood levels of oral contraceptives , increasing the risk of pregnancy and breakthrough bleeding.

This page was last updated on 15.11.2007

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