Pain

Pain

The worst pain I ever had was caused by a slipped disk. It was just like the pain I'd experienced from time to time with gout--unbearable. My doctor did what doctors do: He gave me potentially addictive pain pills and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. I took more drugs for that slipped disk than I'd ever taken in my life. I also took more herbs than I'd ever previously taken, trying to minimize the side effects of the pharmaceuticals.

Doctors recognize two kinds of pain, acute and chronic. Acute pain comes on suddenly, typically subsides with time and usually is alleviated with common pain relievers. Examples would be a headache or the pain of an injury. Chronic pain may begin as acute pain, but it lasts much longer--months or even years--and often cannot be relieved using standard therapies. Those with chronic pain often wind up in a personal hell. Their pain can make them depressed, and with depression the pain may become worse and be more
difficult to treat.

If you have persistent pain, see a doctor for a diagnosis. Once the cause has been figured out, rational treatment becomes possible. But if, like many people who have chronic pain, you don't get a clear diagnosis and your pain goes on and on, I'd suggest consulting a pain clinic. These medical clinics, which are relative newcomers to the health-care scene, use a variety of drugs and alternative approaches to help you control your pain even if you can't completely eliminate it. Among the alternative approaches used in some pain clinics are exercise, meditation and biofeedback.

Green Pharmacy for Pain

There are also a number of herbs that can help.

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum). Dentists around the country recommend clove oil as first aid for toothache, and in fact, it's what my mother used to give me for toothache. It works, and its use is endorsed by Commission E, the group that advises the German gonvernment on herbal medicine. You apply this oil directly to the painful tooth.

Red pepper (Capsicum, various species). Red pepper contains pain-relieving salicylates, chemicals that are similar to salicin, the herbal equivalent of aspirin. In fact, red pepper once ranked as the best food-grade source of salicylates, although a new study has downgraded it considerably. This herb also contains capsaicin, a compound that stimulates the release of the body's natural painkillers, called endorphins.

Some folks like the spicy taste of red pepper. I know I do. I suggest using more of this wonderful spice in your cooking.

Capsaicin also works when used externally by interfering with substance P, a pain transmitter in the skin. So many studies have shown benefits from applying capsaicin externally that the Food and Drug Administration approved pain-relieving skin creams containing 0.025 percent capsaicin (Zostrix, Capzasin-P) for the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism. (If you use a capsaicin cream, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterward: You don't want to get it in your eyes. Also, since some people are quite sensitive to this compound, you should test it on a small area of skin to make sure that it's okay for you to use before using it on a larger area. If it seems to irritate your skin, discontinue use.)

Willow (Salix, various species). Willow bark contains salicin. In fact, most plants contain some salicin or related salicylates. Just 100 years ago, aspirin was derived from several plants that contain more of these compounds than most: willow, meadowsweet and wintergreen. When medicines have been in short supply during wartime, doctors in some countries have successfully gone back to using willow bark for pain relief.

Commission E recognizes willow bark as an effective pain reliever for everything from headache to arthritis.

For many kinds of pain relief, I'd start with about a half-teaspoon of salicin-rich willow bark or up to as much as five teaspoons of white willow (S. alba), which has a lower salicin concentration. Of course, not everyone knows which species they have, and salicin content varies from species to species. So I'd suggest starting with a low-dose tea and working your way up to a dose that provides effective pain relief.

If you're allergic to aspirin, you probably shouldn't take aspirin-like herbs, either. Also, you should not give either aspirin or its natural herbal alternatives to children who have pain with viral infections such as colds or flu. There's a chance that they might develop Reye's syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that damages the liver and brain.

Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis). This herb is one of our best sources of the amino acid tryptophan. In studies, tryptophan supplements have reduced pain caused by acute and chronic illness and also increased people's ability to tolerate pain. Naturopaths often recommend taking one gram of evening primrose oil four times a day to relieve the pain and nerve damage of diabetic neuropathy, a particularly painful condition that sometimes develops in people with diabetes. I'd suggest taking powdered seeds instead, because evening primrose loses much of its tryptophan in the oil-extraction process.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). Few people think of ginger as a pain reliever, but it is. In one study, researchers recruited 56 people--28 with rheumatoid arthritis, 18 with osteoarthritis and 10 with the painful muscle condition fibromyalgia--and gave them two to four teaspoons of powdered ginger a day. After three months, more than 75 percent reported significant pain relief with no side effects.

You can also use ginger externally. Hot ginger compresses seem to help relieve abdominal cramps, headache and joint stiffness. I'd suggest adding hot pepper to these compresses.

Kava kava (Piper methysticum). This tropical herb contains two pain-relieving chemicals, dihydrokavain and dihydromethysticin, which have analgesic effectiveness comparable to that of aspirin. Although kava kava has been described as a narcotic, it is nonaddictive. When you chew the leaf, your mouth goes numb. As a result, this plant might be used to relieve the painful symptoms of sore throat, sore gums, canker sores or even toothache.

Lavender (Lavandula, various species). Lavender oil is aromatherapy's top treatment for pain, and in fact, this oil was in on the ground floor of aromatherapy's beginnings. In the 1920s, aromatherapy's founder, French perfume chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé, happened to burn his hand in a laboratory accident. Plunging his hand into the nearest cool liquid, lavender oil, Gattefossé experienced rapid relief. Since then, researchers have discovered that some essential oils reduce the flow of nerve impulses, including those that transmit pain. In lavender oil, the key constituents appear to be linalool and linalyl aldehyde.

You can mix a few drops of lavender oil in a tablespoon of vegetable oil and massage it into the painful area.

Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum). This herb is high in pulegone, a chemical similar to capsaicin that also has pain-relieving effects. I suggest making a tasty tea, then using the spent leaves (or fresh ones) as a poultice on painful areas. (Don't use this treatment if you are pregnant, however.)

Peppermint (Mentha piperita). Menthol, the active constituent in peppermint, has anesthetic effects. In one study, scientists asked 32 people who had headaches to massage tincture of peppermint oil on their temples. This had significant pain-relieving effects. But if you try peppermint oil, be sure to dilute it by adding a few drops to a couple of tablespoons of any vegetable oil. Pure peppermint oil can be irritating to the skin. And never ingest the oil; a very small amount can be toxic.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Sunflower seeds are among the best sources of phenylalanine, a chemical involved in pain control. Studies suggest that phenylalanine helps reduce pain by inhibiting the breakdown of enkephalins, chemicals involved in pain perception. In studies with both humans and animals, phenylalanine makes acupuncture more effective at reducing pain. In laboratory rats, the chemical enhanced the effect of morphine and made it last longer.

If I were in pain, I'd eat a handful of sunflower seeds--I'm a habitual seed muncher anyhow--and use ground seeds in a poultice on painful areas.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa). Many clinical studies agree that the curcumin in turmeric has anti-inflammatory effects, including a significant beneficial effect in relieving rheumatoid arthritis. But it takes more than a shake of the spice jar to gain this benefit. The dose naturopaths recommend is 400 milligrams three times a day. To get that much, you'd have to consume at least one-third of an ounce of this herb. So if you'd like to try turmeric for pain, I'd suggest taking capsules, even if you have to make your own. (Empty gelatin capsules can be purchased at health food stores.)

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus). Aromatherapists often suggest adding eucalyptus oil to the pain-relieving essential oils of lavender and peppermint. The compound cineole, which is found in eucalyptus, speeds absorption of the other aromatic pain relievers through the skin. Remember, though, that these oils are best reserved for external use only.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Commission E recommends using two to three teaspoons of dried rosemary to make a cup of pain-relieving tea. For a bath that will certainly relax you and may provide pain relief, fill a cloth bag with two ounces of rosemary and toss it into your bathwater.