Did you know that most topical ointments for pain don’t actually treat pain? All they do is distract your brain.
That’s how ointments like Bengay, Biofreeze, and Icy Hot work. They contain counterirritants, such as menthol or camphor, that warm or cool the skin.
This sensation on your skin grabs your brain’s attention and pulls it away from the real pain. It feels good for a while, but it doesn’t really do anything beyond that.
But what if there was an ointment that actually treated the pain? What if it worked just as fast as the warming and cooling ointments? And what if it could reduce pain by 95% in 5 days?
Well, there is an ointment that can do all that and more. In fact, before pain pills came around, doctors would use the main ingredient in this ointment to treat broken bones. That ingredient is comfrey.
Comfrey is a perennial plant that grows in clumps naturally along riverbanks and in grasslands. And for centuries, doctors and healers would apply a poultice of the plant to help fractures heal more quickly. It was so effective, they called it “bone knit.”
Over time, doctors found ways to make ointments, creams, salves, and lotions out of comfrey. This made it easy to use for a variety of ailments. In fact, it’s great to have the ointment around to use on anything from burns and bruises to muscle strains and spasms.
But its most popular benefit comes in treating back and joint pain. And it works fast. One study found that it reduced back and joint pain in just one hour.
So what makes the comfrey such a good pain reliever?
The roots of the comfrey plant contain a compound called rosmarinic acid. And it’s this acid that’s responsible for its pain-relieving effects. Rosmarinic acid is highly effective at reducing inflammation when applied topically.
Science Proves Its Effectiveness
There are a ton of scientific studies that show how effective this herb is for treating pain. For example:
• The British Journal of Sports Medicine found that topical comfrey creams were incredibly effective at treating acute back pain. The study found that pain intensity decreased by 95.2% in the comfrey treated group, as opposed to 37.8% in the placebo group. What’s more, it took only five days to see these results. And the longer the participants used it, the better the results.
• One double-blind randomized study looked at the effects of rubbing an ointment containing a comfrey root extract on the knees. The participants applied the ointment three times a day for three weeks. The researchers found that it significantly reduced pain and stiffness in chronic pain patients.
• A study on osteoarthritis of the knee found that pain was reduced by more than 50% with comfrey creams, as opposed to 10-15% with a placebo during a 3-week study period.
• Another study found that applying an ointment containing comfrey extract on the back three times a day had similar results for back pain.
• In one review of several studies, researchers found consistent relief of pain for back pain, abrasion wounds, venous leg ulcers, and osteoarthritis. They also found comfrey to be effective for muscle or tendon injuries like a sprained ankle.
• And yet another study found that a cream containing comfrey helped relieve upper and lower back pain.
But it gets even better. Several studies have compared comfrey root to pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory creams and pills. In every one of the studies, comfrey root outperformed its conventional counterparts.
An Added Benefit
In addition to its ability to relieve pain, comfrey is also great for your skin. Comfrey is rich in allantoin, a compound that aids in cell regeneration and growth. Plus, it helps protect your skin from damage.
Comfrey’s ability to repair damaged cells and produce new ones means it can heal damage done to skin. This includes burns, insect bites and rashes, skin ulcers, and bed sores. And it’s great for treating diaper rash on babies.
You can also use it to treat various skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. Just apply comfrey ointment or a poultice made from the crushed leaves of the herb to the problem areas.
But Isn’t Comfrey Root Dangerous?
You may have heard warnings about comfrey in the past. For good reason. When taken orally, comfrey root contains a chemical that is toxic to the liver. But that’s only when you use it orally.
When you use it topically, it’s completely safe!
In fact, it’s completely safe to use day after day, month after month. You can use it on chronic pain or acute pain. You can use it for simple bumps and bruises. And you can use it on your muscles when they ache after a long day of work.
Plus, it doesn’t smell bad like menthol and camphor. So you don’t have to be embarrassed about putting it on before you go out.
In fact, use it topically for any pain instead of reaching for pain pills. It will probably work better – and it doesn’t have side effects like liver toxicity and gastric bleeding.
You can find comfrey root ointment, creams, salves, and lotions at most health food stores and on the Internet. Comfrey root really is an inexpensive solution to back and knee pain – and most any other pain you suffer.