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Pain can be sharp and fleeting or dull and persistent, but it always demands respect. Herbal approaches to pain relief look for the underlying signals rather than masking them. This tag gathers posts about easing pain through anti-inflammatory foods, circulatory herbs, and lifestyle rhythms that lower the body’s stress chemistry. Willow bark and meadowsweet contain salicylates that ease discomfort. Ginger improves circulation to tense muscles. Turmeric, boswellia and corydalis have shown promise in research for joint and nerve pain. I also write about the link between digestion and pain sensitivity, since the gut and brain continually exchange chemical messages.
Mini-guide: start with warmth and movement within comfort. Gentle stretching, hot compresses and herbal teas can relax tissues. For recurring pain, combine anti-inflammatory foods with herbs that improve blood flow and muscle tone. Rotate what you use — alternating ginger and turmeric teas, or switching from topical arnica to warming oils as you heal. If you take pain medicines or anticoagulants, check for interactions before adding herbal extracts. The posts below share blends, topical recipes and ways to build a more comfortable baseline day to day.
Haemorrhoids become more common in perimenopause, and many women in their 40s and 50s notice them for the first time. This article looks at why they can happen during the perimenopausal transition and how hormonal changes affect your blood vessels, gut, and liver. It...
Menopause can affect your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones all at once, not just because of ageing, but because oestrogen levels change and then drop. This can lead to stiffness, aches, tendon flare-ups, slower recovery after activity, and sometimes...
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and fibromyalgia often show up together because they share key biological links between the gut, immune system and brain. When gut bacteria are out of balance or the gut lining weakens, it can trigger immune reactions and nerve changes...
Many people with joint hypermobility, often referred to as being “double-jointed,” also suffer from unexplained gut issues. This isn’t a coincidence. Both symptoms can stem from the same underlying connective tissue differences. Understanding how hypermobility affects...
People take digestive enzyme supplements to break down food and support digestion, when taken with meals. But, some enzymes, when taken between meals, might offer extra benefits like reducing inflammation, improving gut health, and aiding recovery from injuries. While...
Fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome overlap far more than chance would explain, and they share more than pain. Both involve an oversensitive nervous system, a busy conversation between your gut and your brain, and the effects of stress over time. This post...
If you've ever wondered why your gut seems to have a mind of its own, that's not far from the truth. Maybe it's the cramping after meals, the urgent dashes to the bathroom, or the days when you're so bloated you can't button your jeans. Irritable bowel syndrome is one...
Migraine headaches are a common, often chronic and recurring condition. Though I have only ever had one migraine headache myself, I remember how bad it felt and so I can understand how devastating recurring migraine headaches could be. In my post Can a leaky gut cause...
Migraine headaches are very common and affect around 14% of people. With recurrent, moderate to severe headaches that last between 4 to 72 hours each time this health problem can have a devastating effect on quality of life. But it is not just the headache that...
NSAIDs are back in the news. A British Medical Journal article says all NSAIDs increase heart attack risk. The report also states that the risk is highest in the first month of use and with higher doses. Of course, the danger for an individual may be small. Yet it is...
This is the second post in a series of posts about the potential benefits of complementary therapies for people living with chronic pain. In case you missed it, you can find the first post here. This post focuses on research related to several complementary therapies...
This is the third article in a series of posts about complementary therapies for chronic pain conditions. See the research in this review in the British Medical Journal. Read the first two posts of the series here: Which therapies for chronic pain? Which therapy -...
This is the fourth and last article in this series of articles about complementary therapies for chronic pain. The series is mostly based on the British Medical Journal article that discusses the available scientific evidence for various therapies including...
Medicines made from plant material have been in use for thousands of years. In fact, in many parts of the world, herbal medicines are still the primary source of medicine. One of these traditional remedies still popular today is feverfew for migraine prevention....
Meniere’s disease is an uncommon, chronic condition of the inner ear. The part of the ear that helps to control balance. It can be a frightening disease with a serious impact on wellbeing and quality of life. The disease often starts between the ages of 40 and 50....
An estimated 15% of the population suffer from migraine headaches at least once. With more women than men affected. Those affected tend to need long term medication. But, prescribed medicines tend to be only partially effective, and have side effects. This leaves many...
The knee is the joint most often affected by osteoarthritis, and the one where herbs have been studied most closely. This post goes through what the research shows for black seed oil, Boswellia, turmeric, rosehip and ginger, and how strong that evidence really is. All...
A daily low dose aspirin was, for years, a routine suggestion for healthy people over 70. Aspirin does have a clear role in preventing recurrent heart attacks and stroke, and studies support that use. The question the ASPREE trial (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the...
Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical that has many effects in the human body, including an important role in allergies. In a person with an allergy, the immune system responds to their allergen by releasing histamine, which causes various symptoms depending on...
According to a recent review, an estimated 43% of the UK general population live with chronic pain. That’s around 28 million people. What’s more, chronic pain may affect up to 62% of people aged 75 or over. Yet, the research shows that more than 20% of people with...
Fibromyalgia brings pain and a deep tiredness that ordinary rest doesn't fix. One thread researchers keep returning to is coenzyme Q10, a compound your cells use to make energy. Levels often run low in fibromyalgia, and some trials suggest topping it up may ease pain...
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese system of medicine. With a documented history of effective use for over two thousand years. And a well-defined theory to describe and explain its use in Chinese medicine. But Chinese medicine theory, while fascinating, is very...
Most people who come to me having tried the low FODMAP diet have done half of it. They cut out the foods, felt better, and then stayed there. Months later they're eating a narrow diet and still not quite right. They're no clearer about what caused the trouble. It's...
Digestion is a complex process. It involves a number of stages, requiring the action of different digestive juices, acid, enzymes and hormones. It is a sequence of co-ordinated events designed to efficiently extract nutrients from our food. Unfortunately, things can...