by Karen Stokes, RN

Golfing, gardening, jogging, walking, soccer and baseball are just a few of the physical activities that we can enjoy outdoors. You just can’t help but engage in outdoor activities like these when the lovely summer sun is shining. We do tend to be more active this time of year and with that comes the minor aches and pains that accompany vigorous exercise and sport. Fortunately there are many herbs and essential oils that can be used to promote comfort naturally, with no unhealthy side effects. It’s easy to make simple, natural applications of herbs such as valerian root and essential oils like peppermint. These natural comfort measures include warm baths with beneficial herbs and essential oils, massage lotion and oil blends and teas. Many herbs and essential oil have analgesic properties. Let’s take a closer look at these simple and inexpensive comfort-promoting remedies.

There’s nothing like a nice warm bath to ease muscle and joint aches. The warmth is soothing and relaxing. It promotes circulation and removal of waste products that may by causing the discomfort. Add special salts to the bath to enhance detoxification. Salt is known for its ability to draw out toxins from the skin. People often ask me which salt is best to use for this purpose. I prefer Epsom salt and salt from the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Did you know that all salt is not equal? The mineral content in salt varies from location to location. It’s good to know where salt is harvested from before you use it. Use two or three tablespoons of salt per bath, depending on the size of your tub. I have used up to one cup of salt in the bath for muscle soreness and stiffness. You can also try a combination of various salts. Baking soda is another good addition to a warm bath when you want to ease the discomfort of stiff muscles and joints.

Essential oils can be added to a salt bath for extra pleasure. Lovely scents can increase the sensation of pleasure, which can help to distract you from your aches and pains. Some essential oils actually have analgesic properties, too. Many are anti-inflammatory in nature and some are anti-spasmodic. Add essential oils to your salt in a glass jar and shake well to disperse evenly. Try chamomile essential oil for its anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory actions. Although it’s very expensive, a tiny bit of chamomile goes a long way. You only need about ten drops in three tablespoons of salt. Lavender, juniper, rosemary and black pepper are also effective for minor joint and muscle aches. Marjoram and clary sage are also good choices for comforting bath salts.

While enjoying your comfort bath, why not sip a pleasant tea of pain-relieving herbs. One-teaspoon herb per cup of tea is the usual recipe and St. John’s wort, chamomile, blue vervain and passionflower are effective, but gentle pain-relievers. Wood betony and skullcap tea can also be sipped. Valerian root is also great for muscle strain, backache and joint aches. The active ingredients of this herb do have a rather unusual and pungent odor (kind of like stinky feet), but I have learned to enjoy this scent knowing that relief is on the way. Valerian root is also available in capsule form from the health food store if you just can’t stand this unusual odor. Incidentally, valerian plants can be found at your local garden center and they are very easy to grow. Simply harvest the roots in the fall to make your own remedies from the fresh or dried roots. All of the herbs mentioned above are known as nervines (balancing to the nerve endings). They can help to reduce the sensation of discomfort and promote relaxation. They are much healthier to use than pain-relieving drugs that can cause side effects and dependency. Any of these herbs can be added to the bath. Put a combination of them in a cotton herb bag and enjoy the soothing relief. I like the combination of skullcap, passion flower and chamomile for the bath as well as for tea.

Massage is a great method for alleviating tense muscles that cause discomfort. For a pain relieving massage oil, an herbal oil infusion made of analgesic herbs can be very effective. Dried St. John’s wort aerial parts or Arnica flowers are good herbs for this purpose. These herbs are both known for their pain-relieving actions, as well are for their ability to heal damaged tissue. For this recipe, start with two cups of any vegetable oil in a large glass jar. I use a combination of olive, almond and apricot kernel oils but you can use any vegetable oil that you like. Add two to four ounces (by weight) of dried arnica or St. John’s wort to the oil and combine well. It will be a thick mixture and the oil should be an inch or so above the level of the herbs to allow for swelling of the dried herbs as they absorb the oil. Allow this to infuse for 10 days to 2 weeks shaking the jar twice a day for best extraction of active ingredients. After the mixture has steeped for the correct amount of time, strain it with cheesecloth, squeezing all of the good stuff out of the herbs. Bottle the strained oil in a clean glass container and store in the refrigerator to retain freshness. It should last for several months if stored properly. This analgesic massage oil can also be embellished with some of the essential oils mentioned earlier. I love lavender and chamomile in this infused oil. Relaxing and comforting! Add 20 to 25 drops of a chosen essential oil or try a combination of three or four scents combined in one ounce of the infused oil. Gently massage this blend into the achy areas to alleviate pain and promote comfort.

Speaking of essential oils for relief of aches and pains, peppermint is one that has been researched for pain relief quite extensively. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is actually a natural hybrid of two other mints, spearmint (Mentha spicata) and water mint (Mentha aquatica). It was not recognized for its medicinal qualities until the late seventeenth century. Mints in general have a long history of use for promoting comfort. Ancient Chinese, Greek and Egyptian healers used mints for relief of discomfort. They made potent salves of mint to be applied to the aching back, knees, shoulders, etc. The menthol manufactured by the peppermint plant is very cooling to the skin at first. It stimulates nerve endings that pick up sensations of cold while and suppressing the nerve endings involved in the perception of pain. The cooling sensation gives way to warmth, which increases the circulation. This process is called counter-irritation. Twenty drops of peppermint in one ounce of unscented base oil or lotion makes a soothing application for an aching back or sore feet. My massage therapist uses peppermint essential oil neat (undiluted) on my lower back. It works like magic! Some folks are sensitive to undiluted peppermint oil, so it would be wise to try this on a tiny area prior like the wrist prior to use on larger areas. For headaches a drop of peppermint can be divided between the fingertips and gently massaged into the temples, sinus areas and nape of the neck. Just be careful not to get it in your eyes! Don’t let discomfort keep you from enjoying your favorite summer activities. With simple, inexpensive, healthful remedies you can stay active and on the move all summer long.

Karen Stokes, RN Herbalist is a member of the American Botanical Council and the Michigan Holistic Nurses Association. She can be reached at (248) 515-9863 or karen.stokes@yahoo.com.