Inflammation and Pain
Inflammation can happen anywhere in the body—the digestive system, the brain, the skin, and in the connective tissues and joints. Many of my clients want to address arthritic and rheumatic complaints in addition to other issues (or sometimes as the main issue) and often a topical application is part of the solution.
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to a variety of triggers, such as toxins in the food, a physical wound or injury, or in less frequent cases, an apparently allergic reaction to the body’s own tissues (such as in rheumatoid arthritis). In this chapter we’ll address inflammation as it relates to muscles, nerves, and injuries, as well as the pain that often accompanies swelling and mobility restriction.
In a 4-tier formula, focus is given to nourishing herbs that alleviate nervous tension (nervine tonics) and to corollary herbs that support the digestive/elimination system since the body’s production of proteins in response to (especially autoimmune) inflammation is a potential source of pain. Making sure the body can process and quickly eliminate these proteins is part of an overall strategy for reducing inflammation. Also, hepatics (liver-supporting herbs) are good tier 3 herbs so the body’s efforts at processing spent proteins, hormones, and other biochemicals is efficient, and circulatory herbs get the blood moving through areas of the body that seem “stagnant” due to inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory herbs are the tier 2 Specifics that address the core of the problem. These vary from culture to culture, with a wide range of botanical species providing chemical constituents that reduce swelling in human tissue. Among these are:
Topical Applications
Also, certain herbs can be used topically as especially warming and soothing external remedies. Formulations called compresses (fomentations), poultices, salves, liniments, and ointments use the following herbs to best effect, making sure they are used exclusively externally and in a dilution of water, witch hazel, or oil. These include:
As these are warming and stimulating, use caution in their application, and avoid soft delicate tissues (such as the eyes and the vagina) and open wounds.
Tier 1 tonics for rheumatic complaints include many of the nourishing herbs previously mentioned, such as the mineral-rich herb oatstraw or oats milky tops, vervain, chamomile, eleuthero, rhodiola, holy basil, and lemon balm.
Topical Inflammation and Pain Formulas
A Formula for Arthritis (as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
A Formula for Arthritis (as a topical liniment or salve)
A Formula for Arthritis with Insomnia
(as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
Another Formula for Arthritis with Insomnia
(as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
A Formula for Arthritis with Insomnia
(as a topical liniment or salve)
Another Formula for Arthritis with Insomnia
(as a topical liniment or salve)
Internal Inflammation
We’ve discussed topical or sub-topical inflammation such as arthritis, rheumatism, and pain in the musculoskeletal system or on the skin. Let’s turn our attention to internal instances of inflammation that can cause pain or secondary illness to the body’s organs.
Many illnesses cause internal inflammation: everything from indigestion to chronic Lupus will result in inflammation of an organ or organ system. Like topical inflammation, internal inflammation is often accompanied by pain, but vague internal pain can be particularly worrisome and can bring on anxiety and frustration. In addition to the herbs outlined here, consider a person’s mental state of mind and use cooling or soothing herbs as needed in addition to the anti-inflammatory tier 2 Specifics. Because internal inflammation can be triggered by such a wide range of causes, we will focus on one in particular as an example of herbal formulary for such instances: chronic pelvic pain.
Chronic Pelvic Pain
Long-term pain experienced in the uterine region can signal any number of diseases, which is why pain that lasts more than a few months and is not cyclic (linked to the menstrual cycle) must be shared with your health care provider. Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) can be indicative of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), adhesions, fibroids, endometriosis, cystitis, dysmenorrhea, and even autoimmune diseases. Typical symptoms include constipation or diarrhea, dysmenorrhea, leg pain, lower back pain, abdominal “heaviness,” and vaginal/uterine spasms. Cardiovascular issues must be considered and personal history of abuse and current relationships should be evaluated to rule out a psychogenic cause. Once a skilled diagnosis has been made, herbs may be considered for symptom reduction and nourishment filling every tier of the formula. In addition to the tier 2 Specifics already mentioned for external inflammation, such as cramp bark, consider:
Chronic Pelvic Pain Formulas
A Formula for Chronic Pelvic Pain
Another Formula for Chronic Pelvic Pain
The herbal repertoire abounds in herbs that relieve inflammation (anti-inflammatories) and ease pain (analgesic or anodyne). Using these as tier 2 Specifics allows us to place other herbs in other tiers, including nervous system support herbs as tier 1 tonics; digestive, carminative, and bitter herbs as tier 3 corollary; warming and circulatory tonics as tier 3 corollary; and digestive or uterine herbs as tier 4 Vehicle, where needed. Keep in mind that internal inflammation can also be eased using external remedies such as compresses.