No matter how healthy their lifestyles sooner or later most people have some experience of muscular aches and pains: it could be a pulled muscle or ligament due to accidental injury, the wear and tear of osteoarthritis or even that new ill of the 20th century, repetitive strain injury. Or it could be a less localised problem — a systemic disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis or, more commonly, a nagging backache which seems to have no obvious cause.

Orthodox treatment usually focuses on “painkillers”, but pain is only a symptom, there to remind us that the body is out of balance and in need of rest and repair. Sometimes the pain and the cause are closely associated — slipped discs cause back pain, fractured wrists hurt — but it is not always the case. In traditional Chinese medicine five-element theory the liver is associated with the tendons, the kidney with the bones, and the muscles or flesh with the spleen. Unexplained joint or muscle problems can therefore suggest a primary weakness in one or other of these organs. This is often seen with knee pain and liver disharmony. The knees contain rather a lot of tendons, so if these tissues are showing signs of weakness, the knees can be the first joints affected. A typical result of liver abuse — in the form of too much alcohol or rich food — can often be aching knees the next morning.

Herbal BeautyThe same applies to those vague backaches: often they can be related to energy imbalances elsewhere in the body and can be significant signs of these disorders. Kidney weakness, for example, can be accompanied by low-back pain or the ache could be related to a gynaecological problem.

The sorts of aches and pains that respond well to home remedies include sprains, strains, traumatic injuries including bruises, and those occasional twinges caused by old injuries — usually when the weather changes — that can lead to osteoarthritis in later life: all the sort of ailments, in fact, that the orthodox firstaider would treat with aspirin or painkilling sprays.

First choice in herbal remedies often lies with the essential oils. These are the “magic bullets” of the herbal repertoire: quick-acting, entering the blood stream almost immediately when applied to the skin, and — having bypassed the liver — quickly unleashing potent chemicals into the circulation. Essential oils are expensive and can be subject to adulteration by the unscrupulous, with synthetic chemicals added on a massive and hazardous scale. For home use choose branded products offering some sort of quality guarantee and always dilute in a carrying medium, such as sweet almond oil or water; before use .

Sprains and pulled muscles

Pulled muscles and twisted joints can be acutely painful and if they result from some accidental, traumatic injury, an X-ray is often necessary to identify fractures or cracked bones. Strains involve a slight tearing of a muscle or the tendon attaching it to a bone and are generally caused by over-stretching. Sprains are a tear in the joint capsule or associated ligaments caused by twisting.

Comfrey and arnica are ideal for treating any damaged tissue: apply a little cream, ointment or infused oil and rest the injured area as much as possible. Arnica can be particularly useful for relieving pain, while comfrey increases cell growth and so speeds healing. Avoid using both ointments if the skin is broken: arnica can be irritant, while comfrey is under suspicion for containing toxic alkaloids and it can also speed healing to such an extent that dirt may be trapped in cuts and grazes leading to abscesses.

Twisted or strained muscles often respond well to herbal rubs. Massage oils containing eucalyptus, lavender; thyme or rosemary can also be effective.

For accidental sprains and pulled muscles a useful massage oil can be made from 10 drops each of essential oils of rosemary and lavender with 5 drops each of essential oil of thyme and eucalyptus, all in 20 ml of good quality carrier oil, such as sweet almond or wheatgerm oil, or infused comfrey oil. Massage the mixture gently and frequently into the affected area for 24-36 hours to provide pain relief and encourage repair.

A useful alternative is simply to apply a cabbage poultice — crush a leaf with a vegetable mallet and wrap it around the injured limb, securing with a loose bandage. Fresh comfrey leaf, crushed daisies or hot mashed potato can be used in the same way.

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Muscular Aches and Pains such as Arthritis, Backache: First choice in Herbal Remedies (Sprains and pulled muscles)