Arthritis External Remedies

Arthritis external remedies can be used to help ease the pain and reduce the inflammation. These remedies can be applied to the affected area while at the same time stimulating the circulation to the affected area to help in the elimination of toxins.

There is a very warming and stimulating liniment that can be made by mixing equal parts of Cayenne and glycerin, which can be rubbed into the affected joints and muscles.

Be careful not to put the liniment on broken skin or the sensitive area of the face. It won’t do any harm if you do, but it may appear to ‘burn’ until the volatile oil fades or is washed away.

An oil that can be rubbed on areas of rheumatic pain and can also be used for neuralgic or sciatic pain or on light burns is St. John’s Wort.

Another very simple and effective way of relieving pain and swelling is to alternate hot and cold applications of water. This is a good first-aid technique that you can use if you don’t have any herbs or oils on hand.

Rubefacients

Rubefacients are substances, when applied to the skin, stimulate circulation to the area by increasing the blood supply. When the blood supply increases, it relieves congestion and inflammation, therefore making rubefacients extremely useful as the basis for arthritis external remedies.

Most rubefacients are too strong to be used internally and should only be used as arthritis external remedies on skin that is not broken or damaged and should be used with care on sensitive skin. The most useful ones are:

Cayenne

Peppermint (as oil)

Ginger

Ragwort

Horseradish

Rosemary (as oil)

Mustard

Wintergreen

You can make your own oils by taking a base oil, 30ml of an oil such as Almond, Olive or Sunflower oil and add 2-3ml of the essential you choose to use.

Suitable oils that can be used are Lavender, Majoram, Peppermint and Rosemary, and these oils can be mixed with each other.