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Articles > First Aid, Rehabilitation & Sports: How therapeutic herbs can help

First Aid, Rehabilitation & Sports: How therapeutic herbs can help

The classical healing herbs for aches and pains are Arnica, Comfrey, Willow bark, St John's Wort and Rue. Traditionally these herbs are used for promoting the recovery from impact injuries, bruises, sprains, tendinitis, OOS, inflamed, tender tissue, surgery and scars. They are also very useful in alleviating tight muscles and discomfort in sore necks and backs. Physical trauma and accidents can lead to acute and chronic pain in muscles, tendons, joints and the connective tissue, sometimes lasting for weeks, months and even years. A blended herbal fresh-plant cream with Arnica, Comfrey, St John's Wort and Rue is also an effective and safe combination for babies and children to ease battle wounds they may sustain from exploring the world.

After surgery therapeutic herbs can help to promote mending of cut tissue (e.g. muscles, tendons, connective tissue and nerve fibres), to improve feeling in the area and to reduce pain. Comfrey is often nicknamed the 'scar healer' due to its outstanding tissue mending actions. It is high in minerals and the skin healing active constituent Allantoin that is scientifically proven to stimulate new tissue growth, supporting the healing of skin lesions with little or no scarring. Comfrey is therefore very beneficial in wounds, scars and after surgery. Comfrey combines well with other healing herbs: with Arnica for its anti-inflammatory and pain relieving actions welcomed after tissue trauma, St John's Wort for its nerve regenerating and pain relieving properties and Rue for its anti-spasmotic and ligament mending actions.

A strained musculo-skeletal system can also occur in a body that is overworked from heavy physical or repetitive work (e.g. tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis). Continuous training in sport or lifting of a child or a patient can lead to overworked muscles, strains and injuries. Any injury can become painful, where inflammation irritates the affected nerve fibres. Instead of just suppressing the pain as is commonly done in conventional medicine it is important to nourish the impacted area with specific herbal nutrients that will provide pain relief as well as support the healing of the damaged tissue and prevent further injuries.

Many sports people, including professional players, recognize the therapeutic value of a medicinally active herbal fresh-plant cream containing Arnica, Comfrey, Willow bark, St John's Wort and Rue. This therapeutically active cream can be applied to specific areas before the sportive activity to achieve top performance and to make specific muscle groups more resilient towards injury. As a preventative it also provides essential strengthening nutrients and helps to keep inflammation at bay. Applied after training it eases muscle soreness and accelerates recovery time. If intensive training in sports has provoked overworked muscles and injuries then this herbal fresh-plant cream should be applied on an ongoing basis for swift rehabilitation. In these more serious situations it is essential to support the body's healing capacity further by complementing the external remedy with an internally applied tissue repairing fresh-plant tincture of the same herbs. This provided natural pain relief and significantly speeds up the healing process.

It is also important to note that the first aid and recovery herbal cream with most impact is one that has the therapeutic synergy effect of Arnica blended with the healing properties of fresh Comfrey, St John's Wort and Rue. It is recognised that Arnica on its own is most effective in the first 24-48 hours after the occurrence of injury or bruising. Afterwards it acts more in a supporting role to other therapeutic herbs by promoting circulation in the tissue and providing anti-inflammatory and pain relieving actions. This is why a herbal cream crafted for both first aid and rehabilitation incorporates apart from Arnica the healing herbs Comfrey, St John's Wort and Rue in order to encourage continued, normal healing after the acute phase and in cases where an injury has become chronic. Such an ArnicaPlus cream shows clear superiority compared with a single Arnica cream without these supporting herbs. Also, a therapeutically active herbal cream needs to contain sufficient herbal ingredients in order to be truly active. Fresh-plant creams containing Extra Strength of therapeutically active herbal ingredients are the strongest creams available and are considered professional strength. (See Extra Strength Means Maximum Potency article)

For long term and lasting results in strains, bruises and accidents Traditional Herbal Medicine recommends complementing the external application of a herbal fresh-plant cream by taking an internal herbal fresh-plant tincture of the same healing herbs. This addresses the inflammation and deep-seated pain from inside out with a natural, non-irritant anti-inflammatory and pain relieving remedy that supports the healing process at the same time. The recommended herbal combination of Arnica, Willow bark, Comfrey, St John's Wort and Rue provides essential herbal nutrients for the internal healing of the impacted tissue and needs to be taken for a minimum of 4-6 weeks to enable a platform for recovery. Some people find it beneficial to take a maintenance dose of these herbs long term to prevent relapse of their chronic conditions.

It is my vision that herbal medicine of professional strength and efficacy is widely used in Rehabilitation Centres, Hospitals, Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Chiropractic treatment, Massage Clinics, Sports Centres and Dispensaries as well as in all family medicine chests at home.