Natural Herbal Non-Opioid Topical Pain Relievers—Comparison with Traditional Therapy

Abstract

Pain is the predominant symptom of many clinical diseases and is frequently associated with neurological and musculoskeletal problems. Chronic pain is frequent in the elderly, causing suffering, disability, social isolation, and increased healthcare expenses. Chronic pain medication is often ineffective and has many side effects. Nonsteroidal over-the-counter and prescription drugs are frequently recommended as first-line therapies for pain control; however, long-term safety issues must not be neglected. Herbs and nutritional supplements may be a safer and more effective alternative to nonsteroidal pharmaceuticals for pain management, especially when used long-term. Recently, topical analgesic therapies have gained attention as an innovative approach due to their sufficient efficacy and comparatively fewer systemic side effects and drug–drug interactions. In this paper, we overview the main natural herbal pain relievers, their efficacy and safety, and their potential use as topical agents for pain control. Although herbal-derived medications are not appropriate for providing quick relief for acute pain problems, they could be used as potent alternative remedies in managing chronic persistent pain with minimal side effects.

Short-term cutaneous vasodilatory and thermosensory effects of topical methyl salicylate

“…Topical products are widely used for the treatment of acute injuries and chronic musculoskeletal conditions (Derry et al, 2014;Derry et al, 2017). Many over-the-counter products are based on natural ingredients including wintergreen oil, menthol, rosemary, capsaicin, or camphor (Morton and Hall, 2002;Barkin, 2013;Kopustinskiene et al, 2022). To date, despite the widespread use of natural compounds and the interest in their therapeutic effects for musculoskeletal conditions, there is limited knowledge of their effects on skeletal muscle blood flow or SmO 2 .…”