With the recent Tylenol, etc recalls, maybe it's time to start rethinking plants and herbs for pain relief. Before you hit the medicine cabinet next time, give one of these remedies a try.
Ginger
Ginger has been used for centuries for various ailments. There's no reason to stop using it now. Ginger is great for Ovarian and Colon Cancer treatment, motion and morning sickness, pain and inflammation, heartburn, migraines,
cold and flu, even menstrual cramping. How many times have you had Ginger Ale when you weren't feeling well?!
You can add ginger when you're cooking or make a tea. Steep a bit of ginger in hot water, add honey and lemon to taste. My son was miserable one night from seasonal allergies. He was in the midst of a panic attack because he just could not breathe well enough. We made ginger tea for him and it worked almost instantly.
Arnica
Arnica is a plant best used externally. It's great for sprains, bruises, wounds, but can be irritating to the stomach. It's fairly easy to find an Arnica based cream at local health food store. I recently used arnica after falling on ice and spraining my wrist.
Capsaicin
Oh how we love capsaicin! Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers and believe it or not, is a great pain reliever. Capsaicin i
s available as a cream or gel that you can use externally. Or, our favorite is a nasal spray. The spray is excellent for relief of allergies and migraines. Capsaicin can knock out a migraine in minutes. I highly recommend Sinol nasal spray.
Aloe
Not to be left out is aloe. We all know that aloe is the best remedy for a sunburn, but what about scrapes and cuts? It's perfect for that as well as mosquito bites and other ailments. Aloe is available in many forms from capsules to lotion and juice. The best and cheapest way to use aloe is directly from the plant. Aloe is one of the easiest to grow plants and it's always there when you need it. Just break off a bit of one of the leaves and apply to the skin.