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Phytotherapy for pain relief
1Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642, USA. grazyna_zareba@urmc.rochester.edu
Drugs of Today (Barcelona, Spain : 1998)
|August 4, 2009
Summary
Pain management often includes herbal remedies alongside conventional treatments. This review explores botanicals with proven pain-relieving effects, supporting quality of life for various conditions.
Area of Science:
- Pain management and complementary medicine.
Background:
- Pain is a widespread and disabling healthcare issue, often managed with pharmaceuticals.
- Many patients seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to supplement conventional pain relief.
- Botanicals offer potential benefits for enhancing pain management and improving patient quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the use of herbal analgesics in various pain-related diseases.
- To discuss botanicals with established analgesic activity supported by clinical trials.
- To highlight recent systematic reviews evaluating the efficacy of these botanicals.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials.
- Inclusion of studies recently evaluated in systematic reviews with robust methodologies.
- Discussion of botanicals used for rheumatologic diseases, back pain, cancer, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and migraine.
Main Results:
- Botanicals are increasingly used to complement pharmacological pain management.
- Evidence from clinical trials supports the efficacy of certain herbal analgesics.
- Systematic reviews provide a basis for understanding the effectiveness of these treatments.
Conclusions:
- Herbal analgesics can be valuable adjuncts in managing diverse pain conditions.
- Botanical therapies may enhance conventional pain management strategies.
- Further research and systematic evaluation support the integration of herbal medicine in pain care.
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