We all experience pain and do our best to get by, but over time, pain often becomes too uncomfortable and we aren’t able to carry on with regular activity without some kind of relief. When pain-relieving exercise and getting enough sleep don’t cut it, natural pain relievers or natural ingredients may be able to help with that occasional nagging pain so you find some comfort and relax at the end of the day.
Natural pain relievers are also generally able to offer other holistic benefits as well, so let's take a deep dive into the natural pain relief ingredients that actually work.
What Kind of Pain Relief Are You Looking For?
Before going after one or more pain relievers, you should remember that different natural ingredients and foods are better for different types of pain relief. Pain can be broadly separated into two major categories.
Chronic
Chronic pain is something that many of us live with every day. As the term “chronic” suggests, this type of pain sticks around and never seems to let up. If it ever does stop, it’s only for a brief time before it returns and flares up to cause discomfort again.
Chronic pain is usually caused by an underlying condition, such as a disease, allergic reaction, or injury. However, chronic pain can also become pervasive throughout your body if you are generally stressed or fatigued, and if you aren’t able to get away from that stress over time.
Examples of chronic pain include:
- Backaches
- Muscle soreness
- Headaches
- Arthritis
Targeted
Targeted pain is any discomfort you feel in a particular spot on your body and from a particular cause. For instance, regular injuries, like cuts or bruises, count as targeted pain.
You should always distinguish what kind of pain you’re experiencing since different remedies provide different benefits.
Targeted pain relief remedies and ingredients will often include soothing elements or vitamins and minerals known to alleviate swelling.
Chronic pain relief remedies may provide extra vitamins and minerals to help the body heal from whatever condition is causing the pain in the first place, or they may come with extra cooling and soothing ingredients for stronger symptom relief.
Natural Pain Relief Remedies
Whatever kind of pain you happen to be experiencing, there’s good news; natural pain relief remedies await you! Let’s break down some of the best you can find.
Essential Oils
Part of the benefit of essential oils is that they can be applied and enjoyed in multiple ways. You will often find essential oils as ingredients in a variety of your all natural remedies, ranging from salves to beauty products to candles, all providing natural scents that can provide relaxing and soothing effects. If you decide to apply essential oils to your skin, be sure to purchase the essential oil as part of a natural pain relief product with a diluted form of the oil. This just means that the essential oil has a carrier oil to mitigate its intensity – otherwise, it can damage or irritate your skin.
As we mentioned, you can also use essential oils for aromatherapy. Basically, aromatherapy involves heating up and diffusing the essential oil, breathing in the fragrant fumes to instill different moods and general relaxing effects. Remember to never ingest an essential oil by swallowing or eating it, except in very specific circumstances for very specific oils.
Foods and Ingredients
Many of the foods we eat and enjoy contain natural ingredients that can relieve pain or otherwise help our body’s healing processes.
- Cloves are a well-known natural pain reliever, especially for toothaches. You can find topical clove gels and apply them to the gums or teeth to help alleviate pain associated with sores or occasional aches.
- Capsaicin, which is an ingredient you can find in chili peppers, is an excellent natural pain relief ingredient. It does cause a mild burning or tingling sensation whenever you apply it topically, so it may not be the best choice for everyone. The theory goes that capsaicin can relieve pain by reducing your skin’s sensitivity overall, essentially drowning out whatever pain you might be feeling at the moment.
- Ginger is a type of fruit that's often used in cooking, but it can also be used for mild pain relief. You can ingest up to 2 g of ginger per day to help alleviate muscle pain, particularly the soreness you get from over-exercising. You can also add ginger to other foods and drinks, like tea and soups.
- Turmeric, which contains the active ingredient curcumin, can be excellent for relieving pain that arises from swelling and overexertion. Including turmeric in your smoothies or juices is relatively easy, and many people also use it in curries for flavoring!
- Willow bark is an old natural ingredient that can soothe frequent aches and sores. This is because willow bark contains a chemical called salicin. Salicin is very close in structure to the main ingredient in over-the-counter aspirin, so scientists believe that it provides benefits for similar reasons. Willow bark can be added to teas, purchased as a liquid supplement, or chewed.
- Arnica is a type of mountain flower used as a common herb for centuries. The flower contains a variety of essential oils and fatty acids that give it excellent topical pain alleviating benefits. As an external analgesic, you can find it in a variety of topical pain creams and salves!
- Cinnamon contains plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. As an added bonus, it supports skin health, helping your skin feel great to the touch and a lot less irritated.
- St. John's Worts is a flowering plant that may be used as a pain relief remedy. It has a rich composition including, antioxidants, vitamins, flavonoids, tannins, fatty acids, and essential oils. It is moisturizing, soothing, nourishing, cleansing, and pain relieving.
What About Other Topical Treatments?
Natural pain relief ingredients by themselves can be effective, but you’re better off to combine their benefits together via a more complete treatment like a salve or cream. Such solutions, so long as they are made with natural ingredients, can be very worthwhile!
Green Goo’s Pain Relief Salve is a perfect example. Pain from arthritis, bruises, and sore muscles can all be temporarily alleviated through direct application of this salve.
When using a topical pain reliever, try to avoid products that use lots of synthetic chemicals or ingredients.
Conclusion
Pain relief is an ever-evolving field and scientists are still discovering how many of the ancient and natural pain relief remedies our ancestors used actually work. It’s never too late to find a natural pain reliever that you can add to your healer’s repertoire, but not all products are created equal so it’s important to get informed about the products and go with a trusted brand like Green Goo to help guide you through the most effective natural pain relief remedies!
Sources: