Four surprising ways to relieve joint pain
2
Naturopath Kate Ferguson shows you how four natural, plant-based remedies may help to relieve your joint pain.
- Health hub/
- Arthritis, joint, bone & muscle/
- Four surprising ways to relieve joint pain
Glucosamine and fish oil are probably the most common natural remedies that come to mind for the relief of joint pain. But there are many more that nature has to offer.
Willow bark
Salix alba- willow bark has a long history of use for the relief of pain dating back to 500 BC in China and by Hippocrates in 400 BC. It was also used in ancient Greece where reference to its use can be found in De Materia Medica written in the first century C.E.Willow bark contains salicylates which give the herb its anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. Willow bark may help to provide relief from the symptoms of osteo and rheumatoid arthritis and lower back pain.
Bromelain
Bromelain is a proteolytic (protein digesting) enzyme that is found in pineapples. Bromelain is thought to have an anti-inflammatory action and it acts by inhibiting bradykinin, a substance produced in the body that increases blood flow (which may lead to swelling) and causes pain.Bromelain may help to reduce inflammation, relieve pain and help to shorten the healing time of bruising. Bromelain may help with relief from arthritic pain and one study suggested that it may also help to relieve mild knee pain in otherwise healthy adults.
Ginger
Zingiber officinale- ginger, like willow bark, has long been used as a therapeutic agent and its use is recorded in texts from ancient Chinese, Greek, Arabic and Roman times. It is also a commonly used remedy in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine.While its most popular use tends to be as a remedy for nausea, ginger may also have anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. Ginger may help to decrease the production of inflammatory prostaglandins and may help to relieve pain associated with arthritis.
Corydalis
Corydalis ambigua- corydalis is a herbal remedy that comes from the system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) where it is known by the name Yan Hu Suo and is widely used for pain relief. Corydalis is traditionally used as a blood stimulant and analgesic for the relief of pain from injury.If you’re unsure of which herbal remedy is right for you, chat to a Blackmores naturopath for free – http://www.blackmores.com.au/ask-a-naturopath
References available on request
We accept
