Natures Best Pain Killers Right from Your Kitchen!

Photo credit: bigstock

Photo credit: bigstock

Pain just seems to be a fact of life. No matter whom you are or where you live, if you are young or old, rich or poor, you will experience pain at some time in your life. Pain isn’t always a bad thing. Pain is your body’s way of trying to tell you that something is wrong. However, once the message has been received and understood, further pain is counterproductive to healing. Unrelieved pain stresses out the body and it causes a general slippery slope downward on a person’s mental outlook and overall health. Pain management is vital! It prevents additional health complications, helps the body repairs itself, and improves the quality of life.

Although research on many of these substances is still in the early stages, they have been used for hundreds of years in some cases, for pain relief and a decrease in inflammation.

You will find many of these remedies in your very own kitchen.

 

1.  Apple Cider Vinegar

Vinegar comes from fresh, sweet apples are fermented into hard cider. When this hard cider is fermented again, we get vinegar. Apple cider vinegar has more than a dozen minerals, more than 30 important nutrients, assorted vitamins and amino acids, just to name a few!

This is an old folk remedy that really offers some serious pain relief when you need it. Using apple cider vinegar to relieve pain goes all the way back to Hippocrates in about 400 BC. He used to give vinegar to treat pain in his patients. This antibacterial gift from nature is perhaps one of the very first medicines known to man.

Photo credit: bigstock

Photo credit: bigstock

2. Garlic

Sometimes referred to as “the stinking rose”, garlic is used for medicinal properties almost as much as it’s used to season food! Garlic has been used as a medicine, both in its natural state and in a capsule form as a supplement.

Garlic has strong anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve the pain of arthritis and other types of pain. In fact, a study published in 1999 in the Soviet Archives of Internal Medicine, discovered that taking garlic twice a day for six weeks worked just as well for relieving the pain of rheumatoid arthritis as conventional medicines.

Garlic has plenty of other benefits to offer besides pain relief; garlic has anti-cancer, anti-microbial, antioxidant, and anti-blood coagulation compounds.

Photo credit: wikimedia

Photo credit: wikimedia

3. Cissus Quadrangularis

This is a crazy name but this natural vine comes with some serious health benefits. CQ promotes healthy bones and reduces pain, which is why you see so many athletes talking about CQ. You don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy the pain relief that CQ offers.

One study showed that when 29 healthy men took 3mg of CQ daily for an 8 week period, it reduced joint pain by 31 percent. Ok, so maybe you don’t have this vine growing out in your yard or kitchen, but you can find it in capsule form in any health food store online.

Fresh Ginger Root

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4. Ginger

Ginger is another healthy spice that is used in cooking as well as being used medicinally for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine. There has been numerous studies done showing that ginger can provide some serious pain relief.

One study, done at the Odense University in Denmark, subjects with arthritis were given small amounts of ginger every day for a three month period. Almost everyone reported that they had less pain, and significantly less swelling and morning stiffness.

Try some fresh, organic ginger tea each morning and night for pain relief.

Photo credit: bigstock

Photo credit: bigstock

5. Cloves

This spice is actually the dried flower buds from a tree called the Evergreen Clove tree. Cloves and their oil are used for cooking and perfumes.

This spice also has strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compounds that can help to ease the pain caused by an inflammation response in the body. Cloves are also very good for easing mouth pain and gum inflammation.

Photo credit: bigstock

Photo credit: bigstock

6. Tart Cherries

Tart cherries are a fantastic alternative for those with chronic joint pain or those suffering from arthritis. Research shows that tart cherries have powerful antioxidants that stop gout and arthritis pain while protecting the body from certain cancers.

You can eat fresh, tart cherries, or buy organic juice all year long in almost all health food stores. Be sure you are getting organic juice, not just an artificial flavored juice with sugar.

Fresh Turmeric

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7. Turmeric

Every day it seems as if more and more studies are proving what Indian people have known for centuries that turmeric has powerful medicinal qualities, including pain relief.

Research shows that turmeric has strong anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory compounds that improve blood circulation and prevent blood clots. It’s long been used to stop the pain of bruises, joint inflammation, and sprains. It’s also excellent for digestive issues.

Turmeric can be found as supplements, but why not keep a jar of turmeric in your kitchen and use it in place of salt and pepper?

bowl full of oats

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8. Oats

Oats are probably best known for removing cholesterol and helping to prevent colon cancer, but a new study shows that oats might also ease menstrual cramps and relief from the pain of endometriosis.

Oats are full of magnesium, a mineral that stops cramps.

They are also an excellent source of zinc for women, which can stop painful periods.

Pineapple Cross Section

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9. Pineapple

A powerful enzyme found in pineapple, called bromelain, is the ultimate, heavy duty anti-inflammatory compound. So much so that many pharmaceuticals use it as a base for their drugs.

Bromelain has very powerful inflammation fighting power that can really knock out inflammation.

Eat fresh organic pineapple or drink organic pineapple juice daily to knock inflammation to the curb.

Photo credit: bigstock

Photo credit: bigstock

10. Capsaicin

This compound is found in many peppers and it’s what gives them their heat. It’s been used as medicine for centuries and it’s no secret why; it can stop even the worst arthritis pain!

One study showed that subjects who used a capsaicin cream topically for two weeks had an 80 percent reduction in their pain. This worked even on subjects who were already taking other arthritis medications.

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