This months blog party is hosted by Sarah Head over at Tales of a Kitchen Herbwife on the topic of ‘Herbs for Aches and Pains.’
Most of us suffer from aches and pains from time to time and, whether it’s the odd twinge or continuous and debilitating muscle pains, herbs are here to help. Most aches and pains tend to fall into the category of either ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ conditions. A hot condition is likely to be inflamed, red, swollen and sore and could be due to rheumatic problems, strains, sprains or other injuries. Cold conditions might manifest as dull muscular aches that are better for warmth and pressure.
Here are a few of my favourite simple herbal tips for easing you through when these afflictions strike.
Baths- The first port of call for any cold, dull, achy, muscular pains is a good soak in a hot bath. Debs and Elizabeth have already mentioned how great Epsom Salts are for adding to the bath water in their posts and I agree whole heartedly! This is because Epsom salts are rich in magnesium, a vital mineral for aiding muscle relaxation and easing tension. Many of us are deficient in magnesium and stress depletes us further, so its important to make sure we are getting sufficient levels by consuming lots of leafy greens and enjoying nettle nourishing infusions regularly. Here is a great bath blend for driving out the ache;
3 cups epsom salts
1/2 cup mustard powder
3 drops black pepper essential oil
3 drops rosemary essential oil
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and add to a full hot bath. Stay soaking for at least half an hour to get maximum benefit.
If you feel achey at the onset of a cold or flu try sipping a nice cup of Linden blossom tea whilst you bathe.
Oils- A good rub down with a herbal infused oil will do wonders for relieving stiffness and soreness and many infused oils are beneficial for aches and pains. If you’re experiencing a cold, dull ache, then oils that are warming and stimulating to the circulation will help ease the pain and tension. My favourite is a combination of Rosemary and Ginger infused oils but Cayenne is also great as, like ginger, it is anti-inflammatory and pain relieving.
If you have joint pains then a simple salve made of comfrey infused oil may be beneficial.
If there is nerve pain St. John’s Wort is the oil of choice, which it is also well suited to back pain.
Lavender and Chamomile infused oils are soothing and pain relieving for tired and aching muscles.
Poultices and Compresses- If the pain is localised, for example in a knee or the lower back, then this is a good way of delivering the healing properties of the herbs directly to the area.
For a cold, tense ache, a fresh ginger poultice can help. Just grate a good inch or two (depending on the size of the area) of fresh ginger root onto a muslin cloth or stretch bandage. Cover well with a couple off layers of the fabric so that the ginger is not in direct contact with the skin. Apply to the area and keep in place with more bandages. Remove immediately if it starts to irritate.
Hot or inflamed joints can benefit from fresh comfrey poultices or a compress of chamomile tea. The difference between a poultice and a compress is that compresses uses a cloth soaked in liquid, usually herbal infusion or tincture in hot water, whilst a poultice uses fresh plant material, moistened, grated or blended with water and laid on the skin, either directly or covered by light cloths. Horsetail infusion also makes a great compress for sore joints and Maria Treben recommends making a Horsetail poultice by steaming the plant material before laying on the problem area.
Teas and Tinctures- A simple chamomile tea can ease tension and sooth mild pain. The tincture of Crampbark, Viburnum opulus is a great muscle relaxant as it works on the smooth muscle found in the intestines and uterus as well as the striated, or skeletal muscle. I love the marshmallowy feeling Crampbark gives me and it seems to help muscle tension and menstrual pains as soon as I swallow it. You can also mix a few drops of Crampbark with a little comfrey salve to have a wonderfully relaxing and soothing topical effect. Wood Betony, Stachys betonica, is also a lovely nervine and pain soother, usually used for headaches and problems associated with the head but useful for aches and pains in general too.
I hope these are ideas prove useful and everyone is enjoying this fine Spring weather 🙂
Thank you Lucinda,
this is a wonderful post.
I like your description about the different kinds of pain.
The bath with mustard must be wonderful warming and I will try it out next since I could use a little bit heat in our cold season 😉
Because we talked about chamomile lately it made me smile to see how helpful it is in relation to pain 🙂
The lavender chamomile infused oil must smell heavenly if blend together. I sure want to try this out and be on my way to make some oil infusions…
Enjoy the sun!
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Hi lucinda, lovley blog post again! I would be really interested to hear about your skin care practises and skincare recipes that you make!!?
I would like to share a GORGEOUS facial scrub/cleanser with you here:
FAIRY FACE-SCRUB – by Star Khechara ♥ ♥ ♥
– 2 tablespoons ground almonds
– 1 tablespoon fine oatmeal
– 3-5 tsp powdered dried rose petals
– 3-5tsp powdered dried orange peel
– 3-5tsp powdered dried lavender flowers
– 3-5tsp finely grated cocoa butter
– 1 tablespoon mango butter or coconut fat
– 1-3tsp sweet almond oil
* place ground almonds & oatmeal into mixing bowl. run dried flowers and peel through a coffee grinder or use a pestle and mortar to powder. then add powder to bowl. grate chunk of cocoa butter into bowl. stir to mix up. add chopped plant fat and almond oil. mix and rub together until you have a stiff paste! squish mixture into a pretty glass jar!
♥ ♥ ♥
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Ooo that sounds lovely***
I will give it a go soon.
Do you have Star Khechara”s book? I haven’t seen it but heard it was nice.
I use a variety of things, usually with infused oils, essential oils and coconut, shea or cacao. I always put flower remedies in my cosmetics to add a different kind of beauty to them 🙂
I’ll do a few posts soon with some natural beauty recipe’s. Mostly I make cleansers, face and body oils, stuff for the bath, scrubs, toners with herbs infused in witch hazel or apple cider vinegar mixed with floral waters and creams. Is there anything you’re particularly interested in?
If I’m feeling particularly lazy I might just wash my face with honey and rosewater and take mascara off with a bit of coconut oil.
I’ll post some recipe soon anyway xxx
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mmmm interesting! i love talking beauty stuff!! yes well i am interested in cleanser and scrub recipies in particular!!! i have always wanted to find scrub recipies that didnt include refined sugar! its literally in every srub how boring!!
i want to get rid of black heads which i get alot!
i thought kate magics idea of using the dried hemp seed husks for a body scrub after making milks, such a genius idea!
also i would be interested in a natural shampoo for greasy roots! my hair is very long and very thick so most recipies are rubbish!
anyway i would be interested to hear your herbal concoctions dearheart! xxxx
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Hemp seed hulls sound like a great idea! I told Kate I used the pulp from my almond milk when we first met. I mix it with a bit of honey, rosewater and sweet almond oil to wash my face with but its very gentle as the almond pulp is really soft. Hemp husks would make a much scrubier, scrub, so definitely a good idea for black heads.
My skin’s pretty sensitive so I tend to make simple, gentle stuff but I’ll think of some good variations and get a post up some time next week.
love to you xxx
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Excellent articles on pain. I have rather painful knee joints and am going poetry your remedies.Thank you for such interesting tips. Ann
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