Nature’s Aspirin
This post contains direct shopping links to the herbs Remedium Vitalis carries & affiliate links to Mountain Rose Herbs for the herbs that we do not currently sell on our site. Hexe has been an affiliate of MRH since 2022 and a customer of theirs since 2016.
The normal amount of pain is none
…say it with me out loud this time…The NORMAL amount of pain a human is supposed to experience daily is ZERO! Inflammation is one of the leading causes of pain in our bodies by far. Be it from an age, an old injury, an infection, or an autoimmune issue. Inflammation causes pain; when we are always in pain, we aren’t our best selves…
Nature’s Aspirin Dry Herb Blend
What is Inflammation?
When your body encounters an offending agent (like viruses, bacteria or toxic chemicals) or suffers an injury, it activates your immune system. Your immune system sends out its first responders: inflammatory cells and cytokines (substances that stimulate more inflammatory cells).
These cells begin an inflammatory response to trap bacteria and other offending agents or start healing injured tissue. The result can be pain, swelling, bruising or redness. But inflammation also affects body systems you can’t see.
What is the difference between acute inflammation and chronic inflammation?
There are two types of inflammation:
Acute inflammation: The response to sudden body damage, such as cutting your finger. To heal the cut, your body sends inflammatory cells to the injury. These cells start the healing process.
Chronic inflammation: Your body continues sending inflammatory cells even when there is no outside danger. For example, in rheumatoid arthritis inflammatory cells and substances attack joint tissues leading to an inflammation that comes and goes and can cause severe damage to joints with pain and deformities.
What are the most common causes of inflammation?
The most common reasons for chronic inflammation include:
Autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, where your body attacks healthy tissue.
Exposure to toxins, like pollution or industrial chemicals.
Untreated acute inflammation, such as from an infection or injury.
Some lifestyle factors also contribute to inflammation in the body. You may be more likely to develop chronic inflammation if you:
Drink alcohol in excess.
Have a high body mass index (BMI) that falls within the ranges for obesity, unless that is a result of being very muscular.
Exercise at your maximum intensity too frequently, or you don’t exercise enough.
Experience chronic stress.
How is inflammation treated?
Inflammation does not always require treatment. For acute inflammation, rest, ice and good wound care often relieve the discomfort in a few days.
But for the more naturally inclined (…You Reading this Blog…) I took an old recipe from a former job and reformulated it to target inflammation more effectively. The old recipe was fine, I guess, I had already reformulated the original recipe to help boost its effectiveness. But after re-studying all the herbs and a year or so of more herbal studies, I found quite a few weak spots, so I beefed it up yet again.
I focused way more on the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving aspects of the blend and the result is a spicy yet pleasant aroma! Now let’s walk through the ingredients and how to put together your own batch.
Ingredients
White Willow Bark
Arnica Flower
Agrimony
Sage Leaf
Comfrey
Lavender
Clove
Slippery Elm
Thyme
Stinging Nettle
Bay Laurel Leaf
St. John’s Wort Powder
Epsom Salt
Now 13 ingredients may seem like a lot but this dry herb blend (sans the Salts) can be used in a variety of ways. As a Bath Brew, an Oil for topical applications, and as a Liniment. All of the herbs Hexe chose have been used for pain and inflammation relief in one way or another throughout history. Now let’s take a deeper look into each one:
White Willow Bark- An excellent remedy for arthritic & rheumatic pain. In combination with other herbs, it encourages relief from inflammation & swelling and helps improve mobility in painful or creaky joints.
Arnica Flower- Best known as an effective ointment & compress for bruises, sprains, and muscle pain, Arnica improves the local blood supply which can help accelerate healing.
Agrimony- An important feature of this plant is its action to reduce uric acid in the body. It reduces inflammation in the body and acts as an inhibitor of edema and pain from rheumatism and arthritis.
Sage Leaf- A wonderful herb with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Great for conditions such as arthritis, gout, and other general inflammation.
Comfrey- This herb contains allantoin, a substance that helps new skin cells grow, along with other substances that reduce inflammation and keep our skin healthy.
Lavender- well known for soothing and calming the nervous system. This herb helps relieve muscle tension, tones the nervous system and, if you are using this blend for the bath, encourages sleep.
Clove- The anti-spasmodic properties of this flower bud lends its hand to relieve muscle spasms. The analgesic properties lend their hand to pain reduction and relief.
Slippery Elm- applied externally this herb softens and helps protect the skin barrier.
Thyme- applied externally to the skin, thyme relieves a variety of conditions. One being rheumatic pain and inflammation.
Stinging Nettle- the key traditional use for Stinging Nettle is as a cleansing, detoxifying herb. It has a diuretic action, possibly due to it’s flavinoids and high potassium content. It helps many skin conditions and arthritic problems.
Bay Laurel- Long used as a treatment for arthritic aches and pains
St. John’s Wort- This herb acts as a restorative and a neuroprotective, helping to restore long-term nervous exhaustion and lowered mood. This herb can also be used topically to help relief neuralgia.
For the recipes down below you will need a food scale. If you are making any herbal products at all it is just smart to get one. Amazon and most of your bigger box stores will carry them for less than $20
-
This recipe is perfect for a few uses for a single person. Just add it to a reusable bath bag and toss in a large handful of Epsom salt. Let it soak for at least 10 minutes prior to you getting into the bath. You may double or triple this blend for future uses.
Recipe:
1 oz White Willow Bark
.5 oz Arnica Flower
.5 oz Agrimony
.5 oz Sage Leaf
.25 oz Comfrey
.25 oz Lavender
.25 oz Clove
.25 oz Slippery Elm
.25 oz Thyme
.25 oz St. Johns Wort
10 Bay Laruel Leafs Broken up
-
Mix together the dry herb blend without the Epsom Salts and fill a mason jar with the dry herb blend. Top the jar with your favorite carrier oil (we love live Oil) and let infuse for 4-6 weeks. Strain the mix after that and add topically whenever needed!
-
A liniment is an old-timey medicine that you usually only see in equestrian fields and martial art houses nowadays. But it is a powerful medicine that is extremely fast-acting for almost immediate pain relief. After blending together the dry recipe above add it to a mason jar and fill the jar 3/4ths with a strong alcohol of your choice. It can be rubbing alcohol or a high quality spirit. and fill the rest of the jar with distilled water. The alcohol will break down the cell walls of the herbs and the water will better extract the constituents to bring you an effective medicine.
Let this jar macerate for 4-6 weeks, strain and rebottle to enjoy. Our favorite methods are spray bottle or a hot sauce bottle application as the formula will come out in drops rather than a dropper.