Herbs For Back Pain

28 Jul

Posted by Dr John Anne as Herbs

Back pain is a symptom that can arise from many causes. It can range from a dull, annoying ache to absolute agony. Many cases of back pain are caused by stresses on the muscles and ligaments that support the spine. Sedentary jobs and lifestyles may create a vulnerability to this type of stress or damage. Obesity, which increases both the weight on the spine and the pressure on the discs, is another factor. Strenuous sports such as football and gymnastics can also damage the back.

Useful Herbs For Back Pain

Rosemary

Drinking rosemary tea for pain is a remedy used in the contemporary Hispanic folk medicine of Mexico and the Southwest. Its leaf also contains four anti-inflammatory substances—camosol, oleanolic acid, rosmarinic acid, and ursolic acid. Carnosol acts on the same anti-inflammatory pathways as both steroids and aspirin; rosmarinic acid acts through at least two separate anti-inflammatory biochemical pathways; and ursolic acid, which makes up about 4 percent of the plant by weight, has been shown in animal trials to have anti-arthritic effects.

Epsom Salt Baths

Folk traditions call for Epsom salt baths to relieve pain. Epsom salt was reputed to have magical healing properties. Epsom salt is primarily magnesium sulfate and has been used medicinally in Europe for more than three hundred years. The heat of an Epsom salt bath can increase circulation and reduce the swelling of arthritis, and the magnesium can be absorbed through the skin. Magnesium is one of the most important minerals in the body, participating in at least 300 enzyme systems. Magnesium has both anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties.

Turmeric

Turmeric, a common spice used in curries, is grown in Indonesia, India and other parts of the tropics. A member of the ginger family, turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful natural antioxidant that can help protect the body from unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals. However, it is also a natural anti-inflammatory agent and it is this property which helps to ease stiff joints.

White Willow Bark

The herb white willow bark has pain-relieving properties similar to those of aspirin but with fewer side effects, though it is not recommended for people with ulcers as it can occasionally cause stomach irritation. White willow naturally contains salicylic acid that was later synthesised into acetylsalicylic acid and mass-produced as aspirin.

The Chinese were not unique in using herbs, roots, and plants to assist in overcoming physical ailments. The American Indians, Greeks, and Middle Eastern cultures also relied heavily on natural remedies. In modern day India, much like Oriental medicine in China or Japan, the practice of Ayurvedic Medicine and herb therapy prevails over Western medicine.

What makes Chinese herb therapy special is the advances made in combining herbs available to make a cocktail or tonic specific not to the condition of back pain but specific to the individual or patient. It is in this way that Chinese herb therapy can treat the cause of back pain and not just the symptoms.