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Cramp Bark |
Cramp Bark Scientific Name: Viburnum opulus Part Used: Bark In a word: Cramps Be Gone! Uses: Muscular Pain and Muscle Cramps When it comes to pain associated with movement, there is no better plant than cramp bark. Whereas most of the other plants in this book are ones I have seen used effectively by other people, this is one with which I have a permanent personal relationship. After a regrettable bicycle accident that resulted in my doing a superman move through someone’s windshield, I developed blinding back pain. Ever since then, twice a year I wake up with a knot in my back that makes doing everything hard. Cramp bark has made my life livable when the condition acts up. This wonderful plant will relieve your pain, too. Cramp bark, scientifically know as Viburnum opulus and commonly known as guelder rose, has been in the European medicine cabinet for at least 700 years. The plant produces tons of red berries that even birds won’t eat and which repel people due to their noxious smell and taste. In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer writes that these berries, "Shal be for your hele to pick hem right as they grow and ete hem in." Food must have been a little scarce on the way to Canterbury as Chaucer recommends eating them right off the tree. Modern sources indicate that this is not a good idea: the berries are toxic. Don’t worry though, that’s not the part we are planning to use. Cramp Bark is the source of the best cramp reliever ever dreamt up by Mother Nature. The plant’s name doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Cramp bark is a native of Europe and the British Isles and can be found in most yards in the United States, where it is one of the more popular shrubs. What most Americans don’t know is that the shrub right next to their own garage, Viburnum opulus, is the source of the best cramp reliever ever dreamed up by Mother Nature. The medicinal part, as the name suggests, is the bark, which is collected from the shrub in early spring, April or May, chopped into bits, dried, and stored for the moment someone pulls a muscle. The bark of Virburnum opulus is filled with hydroquinones including arbutin, methylarbutin, and free hydroquinone; coumarins including scopoletin and scopoline; and tannins. Herbalists know of no better substance for the relief of pain due to strain or an accident. I think most would agree that the better portion of the population walks around in a state of almost constant tension, muscles clenched with nervous excitement. This is called overspasticity, and not only does this tension make you much more likely to injure the muscles, joints, and tendons that keep you up and going, it intensifies the pain once injury has occurred. Cramp bark melts muscle spasms while reducing the spasticity of the muscles themselves. If you ever suffer from tension headaches, this is the plant for you. Dr. R. V. Peirce suggested that cramp bark be kept around the house in case anyone was injured. In his People’s Common Sense Medical Advisory, the 1895 version of what you are reading right now, he wrote of Viburnum opulus: "This is a powerful anti-spasmodic, and is effective in relaxing spasms of all kinds. It is a valued agent in threatened abortion." Another physician, Dr. King, writing at about the same time, called it a "powerful anti-spasmodic, to be used in cramps, asthma, hysteria, cramps of the limbs, convulsions, spasmodic constriction of the bladder, spasmodic stricture." A convulsion is one major cramp, and if your stress problem ever reaches the point where you are having cramps of that magnitude, it will be time to look for a different job. Both doctors agreed that when there was a cramp, a cup or two of hot cramp bark tea would resolve it. The Western world treats many muscular problems and pains with anti-inflammatories. These are quite effective, but they come packing side effects. A doctor friend and I were talking not too long ago, and she made a rather interesting point. Rheumatologists and gastroenterologists tend to have a close relationship as the anti-inflammatories prescribed by the rheumatologists to end musculoskeletal pain so destroy the digestive tract that their patients always end up needing a gut doctor. Obviously, this is a situation to avoid. The other drugs commonly used for muscular spasms are antispasmodics, which tend to come with warnings like this one on the package: "Don’t drive a car when taking this drug." Cramp bark is a far superior medication in that it will take care of your muscular pain without side effects. It would be one thing if cramp bark merely didn’t make you sick in the process of taking care of your pain, but for an added bonus, it is reported to improve the overall health of your nerves. Practitioners’ Advice When cramps and muscular pain set in, get out the cramp bark! The drug is very safe and perfectly suited for short term usage and for long term usage. When disaster strikes and you end up with some sort of cramp or incredible painful muscle, use cramp bark to survive the recovery period. In this instance, remember, sore muscles need time to heal and to recover. So, use the Cramp bark to make life bearable while you are healing; do not use it to enable yourself to do more damage! Do not push it is the message. If you suffer from chronic muscle cramps, the kind that come on when you are under stress, or in very particular circumstances, use Cramp bark before the cramp sets in. Say you are heading into a stressful period and you know your neck or back is going to play up because of the stress, start taking Cramp bark before you end up in excruciating pain. Cramp bark can be used to melt a cramp or prevent a cramp. Bear this in mind when you think of Cramp bark. QUICK REVIEW History: European folk medicine used to treat cramps Science: Contains valerianic acid, a proven spasmolytic Practitioners opinion: Works immediately Directions: Tablets: 3-200mg tablets 3 times daily Tincture (1:5, 25% alcohol): 2.5 ml 3 times daily |
