Sometimes a nerve or group of nerves that has already been injured continues to send pain signals to the brain. This type of nerve pain is referred to as neuralgia, or in the case of lower back pain, sciatica and lumbago.

Nerve pain is more difficult to treat than other types of muscle and joint pain. As you know lower back injury, slipped disc and sciatica can be devastating. Even 40 years later, after the car accident that injured my back, lower back pain still is a constant unwelcome presence. My favorite remedy? Cayenne pepper oil , daily yoga and long walks to keep my back muscles in shape. The most important thing is to never give up, never surrender, and keep going until you find the your own personal answer.

Hot stone massage therapy

Analgesics (painkillers) work well for short term pain, but neuropathic pain resists most conventional non-narcotic painkillers. Narcotics can cause problems of their own. Herbal alternative treatments can bring relief, and you may also wish to explore acupuncture and professional massage treatments. These Eastern physical therapy techniques can be especially effective for nerve pain.

Herbs Used for Neuralgia

Cayenne Pepper * Clove * Dong Quai * Elecampane * Eucalyptus * Evening Primrose * Hops * Jamaican Dogwood * Juniper * Marjoram,Sweet * Nutmeg * Passion Flower * Peppermint * Ravensara * Rue * St. John's Wort * Tamanu Oil * Vervain * Wood Betony *

Agrimony For: Sciatica ,muscular stiffness
Profile	A combination of agrimony, mugwort and vinegar is an excellent treatment for sciatica or muscular stiffness. Adele Dawson, Herbs: Partners in Life (2000)

Cayenne For: Shingles, neuralgia
Profile	Studies have proven its usefulness for arthritis, shingles, trigeminal neuralgia, and diabetic neuropathy. Linda B. White, M.D., The Herbal Drugstore (2003)

Devils Claw For: Lower back pain
Profile	Devil's claw has been most extensively tested for relief of lower back pain. A randomized, double-blind study in Germany with 183 subjects produced the surprising result that not only was devil's claw effective in relieving lower back pain, it was most effective for people who had the most severe, radiating pain, with numbness in the extremities. Phyllis A. Balch, Prescription for Herbal Healing (2002)

Devils Claw For: Low back pain
Profile	Two high quality trials examining the effects of Harpagophytum Procumbens (Devil's Claw) found strong evidence that daily doses standardized to 50 mg or 100 mg harpagoside were better than placebo for short-term improvements in pain and rescue medication. (for non-specific low back pain) Another high quality trial demonstrated relative equivalence to 12.5 mg per day of rofecoxib (Vioxx) Gagnier JJ, van Tulder M, Berman B, Bombardier C.. Herbal medicine for low back pain. (2006), Pubmed NIH

Elecampane For: Sciatica and neuralgia
Profile	Elecampane used as an embrocation, it may be used externally for sciatica and neuralgia. Adele Dawson, Herbs: Partners in Life (2000)

Juniper berry For: Neuralgia, Gout
Profile	External frictions (massage) of the diluted essential oil ease neuralgia, sciatica and rheumatic pains. Juniper essential oil promotes elimination of uric acid making it useful in treatment of gout and rheumatoid arthritis. Richard Mabey, The New Age Herbalist (1988)

passionflower For: Neuralgia,shingles
Profile	Passionflower is helpful for nerve pain caused by post-herpetic neuralgia, the sometimes intense pain following outbreaks of shingles.

Rue For: Sciatica
Profile	Externally, Rue is an active irritant, being employed as a rubefacient. If bruised and applied, the leaves will ease the severe pain of sciatica. The expressed juice, in small quantities, was a noted remedy for nervous nightmare, and the fresh leaves applied to the temples are said to relieve headache. Compresses saturated with a strong decoction of the plant, when applied to the chest, have been used beneficially for chronic bronchitis. If a leaf or two be chewed, a refreshing aromatic flavour will pervade the mouth and any nervous headache, giddiness, hysterical spasm, or palpitation will be quickly relieved. Maud Grieve, Modern Herbal Vol 1 (1931)

St. Johns Wort Oil For: Neuralgia, sciatica, burns
Profile	The oil, extracted by macerating the flowers in vegetable oil, is excellent applied externally for neuralgia and can ease the pain of sciatica. This oil is also soothing for burns since it lowers the temperature of the skin and it is said to heal gastritis and stomach ulcers. Richard Mabey, The New Age Herbalist (1988)

Tamanu oil For: Sciatica, shingles, neuralgia, rheumatism
Profile	Traditionally oil of tamanu has enjoyed topical use in Fiji for relieving the pain of sciatica, shingles, neuralgia, rheumatism and leprous neuritis, for which it is effective.

Neuralgia Information

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