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Making Your Own Chronic Pain-Relief Products
When you suffer from chronic pain, you are always looking for ways to decrease your pain without increasing your medications. Various herbs have anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing compounds in them and are a much healthier alternative to opioids and other damaging medications. They are anodynes and work by reducing the brain’s sensitivity or nervous system to the pain receptors. In other words, they turn off the brain’s ability to pay attention to the pain your nerves are feeling. 
You should always check with your doctor before adding anything to your medication regimen; however, in many cases, these herbal remedies can help reduce chronic pain without causing any conflicts with medications and can be used more often than medication alone.
Most herbal remedies come in three basic forms:
- Tinctures: Oral liquid medicine made by dissolving herbs in alcohol or vinegar
- Salves & Balms: Ointment made from herbal oils and bee or soy wax for apply to wounds and sores
- Lotions: Thick liquid that is applied to the skin for medicinal or cosmetic purposes
Making your own tinctures, salves, balms, and lotions for chronic pain relief can be an empowering and fun practice. Healing Harvest Homestead has an amazing collection of eBooks dedicated to making your own varieties, for example those for pain relief. Part of successfully making your own natural chronic pain relief products is knowing which herbs you want to gather.
The best herbs for natural chronic pain relief are:
- Rosemary
- St. John’s Wort
- Hops
- White Willow Bark
- Wild Lettuce
- Devil’s Claw
- Red Peppers
- Fennel
- Ginger
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Peppermint
In addition to the herbs you’ve gathered, you’ll also need to pull together a basic set of equipment and supplies. These include:
Equipment:
- Double Boiler
- Crock-Pot
- Immersion Blender
Supplies:
- Carrier Oils such as Almond or Grapeseed Oil
- Distilled Water
- Rosewater
- Bee or Soy Wax
- Jars or other containers
- Cocoa or Shea Butter
- Favorite Essential Oils for Scent
Using a great Ebook Guide or Recipe to help you along, you can create your own tinctures to add to your lotions, salves, and balms. The best part about doing all of it yourself is choosing which herbs and scents you want to mix. Plus, you can decide just how heavy you want your lotion to be or how thick and firm you prefer your balms and salves.
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This level of control is excellent, and it means that you won’t have to try and read chemical names on the back of a product label if you develop a reaction to something! The first time I tried a chronic pain relief lotion made out of peppers for the capsaicin, I developed a burn across every part of my skin the lotion touched. While most people don’t react like that at all to capsaicin, my skin is too sensitive for it! Thankfully I knew exactly what was in my lotion and knew the only thing different was that herb. It made it easy to identify the problem and make sure it never happened again.
Conversely, even when I purchase “organic” and “natural” deodorants at any local store, I inevitably have a flare-up of eczema in my underarms. Having your underarms itch like that is one of the worst experiences. I still do not know what it is that causes the reaction!
Having alternative pain-management options is a hugely important part of keeping a positive outlook when you suffer from chronic pain, especially during periods of acute flare-ups. Choosing to DIY your natural chronic pain relief lotions, salves, and balms empowers you to take control of your pain.
