# Painkillers??



## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

From time to time I suffer from "headaches"! I hesitate to use the term migraine as it tends to get bandied about a bit too much, but I suspect that that is what they may be. Vision goes, appetite goes, can't even face coffee (must be bad) and I just have to lie down until it goes. I keep painkillers in the house along with the first aid kit and resort to them when I need to.

Now - there are only so many boxes of painkillers you can realistically store. So my question is: what alternatives to modern painkillers do people use/grow/prepare for themselves. I am considering a sort of "apothecaries garden" partly just out of interest and partly for practical use.

Any suggestions?

TIA


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

Been trying to plan along those lines myself.
I know there are some strong medicinal plants. Besides willow for aspirin (a crude form) I would look at maybe a few poppies or some from the nightshade family that could be used as a stronger though crude painkiller.
I don't know about the legal ramifications, and honestly couldn't care less in a SHTF situation. But I think in a small, inconspicuous amount, you'd be pretty safe from prying eyes.


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

Lettuce when it goes to seed, wild lettuce is better. The milky sap is where the pain killer is. It is not a real strong pain killer but it does relieve pain and helps you sleep. It is listed as an anodyne as opposed to a narcotic, but does have some narcotic like effects. I suspect it could be stored as a tincture. You could go to the store bulk section and buy a bunch of poppy seeds, and plant them. Probably only 5 to 10% will come up, but afterward those seeds saved from the plants that do, will be fertile. Different poppies have different concentrations of narcotic but these should do. You do not want perennial poppies, they have very little if any narcotic, but the annual poppies usually have more. Like the milk of lettuce the milk or latex of the poppies is where the narcotic is. Again the milk can be saved as a tincture, or laudanum. I heard of walnut for back pain but never investigated it. In many of the books on herbal medicine you will see some herbs listed a poisonous, I have found to investigate these herbs more as some have narcotic properties in small amounts. Legal ramifications, what they don't know won't hurt them... are they going to arrest grandma for growing annual poppies in her flower garden? No, but if they see them with slits in the sides and latex oozing out then they might. Lettuce is perfectly legal.


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

Yep, I have willow. Didn't think of poppies - wonder how much refining they need to make them effective - or if you can just use the seeds. Need to do some research there I think.

Haven't heard of using nightshade for pain relief. Circulation heart etc I have heard of, but didn't know it was pain relief too - another one to look up. 

I have feverfew - does what it says on the tin and is meant to be good food headaches etc as well - without too much preparation.


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

Black feather - thank you for that - I was way off course as I thought it was the seeds that held the narcotic ..........that wouldn't have got me very far LOL

Lettuce I hadn't heard of - sounds like a good plan. I will ahve to investigate storing as a tincture - is that in an alcohol base?


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

As far as I know, growing poppies is illegal, but unless you have them planted next to a city sidewalk who would know. The seeds are legal to own (people use them in bagels, etc) and they do have narcotic effects. 

One of the holes in my medical preps is any kind of pain relief and it worries me. I have a couple of pain killers left from an oral surgery, but no doctor will prescribe them just to have on hand thanks to the people who abuse them. Tylenol and motrin just won't do the job if someone's broken a bone or has a gash than needs stitches.

You can make a tea from the poppy seeds that will help with pain, and of course the sap from the plants is what they use to make heroin. Old timey laudanum was made from poppies too. I've done some research on it, but haven't tried growing them. The process of refining the sap sounds very involved, but I suppose in an EOTW situation I'd try it.


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## Skandi (Oct 21, 2014)

Willow and meadowsweet both contain asprin, the latter tastes far better. There's many plants that have a really strong painkilling effect, the issue is that in general get the dose wrong and you won't ever feel any pain again. 
Feverfew (mentioned earlier) is really good for arthritis as well. 
I'm not 100% sure on the poppies working. in the UK they're entirely legal to grow (any type) so I think they might need specific conditions to produce opium.
I found this link..poppies but would rather like some dosage info.

these two links contain lists of plants that are meant to have painkilling properties. 
Here
And here
some of them are growing in my drive... so I expect you'll have at least one on your land!

I had only gotten round to thinking about willow, ofwhich we have a lot here, but I see I also have feverfew and coltsfoot, and turmeric growing inside.

I keep a supply of codine, which in the UK is avaliable without perscription from a pharmasist. I've not found anything that wouldn't knock on the head, I've had a pure form perscribed once. the worst tasting drug I have ever had, but boy.. I was asleep in seconds! I would love to try the poppy one, I will have to grow some poppies, I wonder if the wild ones would be good, they are so pretty (and common here) but I'm not hoping to be able to test it soon!


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

Here is a laudinum recipe. I've never tried it. I can see the point of having these types of things for severe pain though. 

http://www.makelaudanum.com/category/laudanum-recipe-2/


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Mom_of_Four said:


> Tylenol and motrin just won't do the job if someone's broken a bone or has a gash than needs stitches.


Actually, they work pretty good. 

People have a lot more tolerance for pain than they think. I came home from open heart surgery with my chest stapled together and my arm looking I'd been in a knife fight (where they got spare parts), and a bottle of heavy duty pain meds. I still have almost all the bottle, because I don't like taking the fool things.....they make me feel like my breathing is going to stop.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

I found a few links that are pretty interesting, the second one also has dosage recommendations.

http://naturalsociety.com/16-natures-best-natural-pain-killers/

http://healthwyze.org/index.php/com...natural-painkillers-that-are-still-legal.html

That 2nd link has a few other beneficial effects besides pain treatment.


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

Unopened whiskey stores real well, I'm told.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Ozarks Tom said:


> Unopened whiskey stores real well, I'm told.


Stores forever, actually. And I've got a bunch of it put away !


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## Fennick (Apr 16, 2013)

There's lots of good information here in this topic from the SEP vault. It includes a tutorial on the best poppies to grow and how to extract the milk and make medicines from them as well as other plants. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/sp...lt/331704-emergency-morphine-substitutes.html


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Motrin actually works pretty well for broken bone pain. I've broken quite a few bones and still have lots of the Dr's Meds because the Motrin worked better.


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

hoggie said:


> Black feather - thank you for that - I was way off course as I thought it was the seeds that held the narcotic ..........that wouldn't have got me very far LOL
> 
> Lettuce I hadn't heard of - sounds like a good plan. I will have to investigate storing as a tincture - is that in an alcohol base?


Using 80 proof vodka is probably fine.


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

Ozarks Tom said:


> Unopened whiskey stores real well, I'm told.


For some reason mine won't stay unopened.


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## partndn (Jun 18, 2009)

This is a good topic, as I don't have great solutions either. I suffer a lot of major headaches, as well as daily pain with a bulging disk in neck, and a couple other spinal things. OTC pain meds are pretty much candy to my body. When it's really bad, I like valium. If I can get my hands on it, I will take that after getting home from work, just to have some relief for a bit, and be able to sleep.

I have an allergy to all pain meds with codeine, percocet, demorhal, all that sort of narcotic stuff. I vomit immediately! And frankly, I would rather you whack me knee with a 2 x 4 than suffer nausea. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. But nausea is not pain, it is misery :yuck:

Anyway, I know of most of the herbs and have several references on making tinctures.

_*But*_ there is an herb becoming more "legal" nowadays that I was thinking might be handy to have. It may be a solution for someone with my allergy, and it's also said to be handy for nausea. I dunno, just a thought. eep:


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

I hate taking any kind of pill because of the side effects and long term issues such as kidney problems with ibuprofen and liver problems with Tylenol. On the other hand, if I were to break a bone, get a puncture or do some sort of damage to myself, I certainly would want something that would help with pain. If ibuprofen and Tylenol do the trick, I would stop there. But in a shtf situation, and I needed someone to set a break or reduce a dislocation I would want something more than otc meds.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I was prescribed Zomig for migraine and it worked wonderfully. Expensive, but worth it to have the pain go away in 20 minutes instead of 3 days.


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## anahatalotus (Oct 25, 2012)

I will be honest with y'all I have no pain killers in my preps! I took a few ibupropfen in the past year after going to the dentist but that's about it. When I get a headache it's usually a mild one but I will drink some apple cider vinegar and after a few minuets it goes away. But then agaiit could just be a headache from dehydration.. I have a few feverfew plants, lemon balm and horehound plus a few jars of dried herbs put up. I think I will follow this thread for some more ideas to put in my natural first aid preps which is a category I really need to focus on!


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## Skandi (Oct 21, 2014)

I loved that link to an olderthread. Some of the advice on there (theoretical of course) could be very important. if everything truely did go wrong, you might have to function with a crippleing injury and need a very strong med just to survive. 
Think about historic amputations, many patients died on the table from shock and bloodloss, heavy painkillers would take the shock out, and make it much easier to do a decent job. (afterwards infection is another load of herbs or alcohol)


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## brosil (Dec 15, 2003)

On poppies, they were a standard used by early homesteaders. An opium ball on the mantle was their version of aspirin. As such, there are wild opium poppies growing at abandoned homesteads all across the country. Growing a few in a flower bed is ok. Put out a field of them or cut the seed pod to collect the sap and the feds will throw you in jail and loose the key.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Our family is blessed that we hardly ever need medicine of any kind. I can count on one hand the number of Motrins our entire family takes in a year, normally. But I picture an EOTW situation like someone being (notfatally) shot, or with a crushing injury that needs deep cleaning, or someone who needs 100 stitches, or someone with a mortal disease like cancer. I'd love to be able to give those people some relief, and not just watch them suffer. 

We've got some booze stored, and a leather strap to bite (only partly joking), but it would be great to really dull their pain. 

There's another drug I've heard mentioned as pain relief - kratom. It was mentioned in the second thread that FarmerBrown posted. It's not as strong as opium, but it's supposed to help with pain and it's legal for now. I don't know anyone who has tried it, but I'd be willing to stock some if I knew it worked.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I used to get headaches like that. Yes, they are migraines. Mine were from low blood sugar. Take 3 regular aspirin, drink a sweet drink, eat protein. The sweet drink raises the blood sugar with water. The protein levels it off.


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## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/sp...lt/380810-emergency-morphine-substitutes.html


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

Feverfew used before the onset can stop a migraine. Chamomile is excellent at ending most headaches but you will be drowsy from it. Ginger is an anti-inflamatory that works on sinus and other inflamatory head pain. There is a root cause to your headaches and finding out what that is can help a lot with knowing what to do about it.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

Astrid said:


> I hate taking any kind of pill because of the side effects and long term issues such as kidney problems with ibuprofen and liver problems with Tylenol. On the other hand, if I were to break a bone, get a puncture or do some sort of damage to myself, I certainly would want something that would help with pain. If ibuprofen and Tylenol do the trick, I would stop there. But in a shtf situation, and I needed someone to set a break or reduce a dislocation I would want something more than otc meds.


I shattered a bone in my foot a couple years ago. Being the weirdo that I am, I do not go to doctors. I never took conventional pain killers either, just salt soaking, ice a splint and some herbs. Yes, stuff like that hurts like crazy but if the proverbial S does hit the proverbial fan, you can make it without a drug store. Foot is just fine now.


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## hoddedloki (Nov 14, 2014)

Poppies are interesting legally... you are legally allowed to grow and posses them, but only if you don't know that you can get a drug from them. Once you know, the feds get a mite bit upset, and can arrest you for having them. You can also buy the seed pods from Micheal's for flower arranging, and those seed heads contain a small amount of narcotic that can be extracted by brewing a tea with the seed pods. 

Mary J easy to grow, and may soon be legal for civilian possession.

Cherries are anti-imflamatory, and can serve in some of the same functions as IBProfen

Just a few of the many natural drugs out there. If you are interested in it, there are a few textbooks on medicinal plants and herbs floating around.

Loki


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

Woolieface said:


> I shattered a bone in my foot a couple years ago. Being the weirdo that I am, I do not go to doctors. I never took conventional pain killers either, just salt soaking, ice a splint and some herbs. Yes, stuff like that hurts like crazy but if the proverbial S does hit the proverbial fan, you can make it without a drug store. Foot is just fine now.


Not all breaks are able to heal without medical attention and some that do heal, heal incorrectly and need to be re-broken and re-set to be able to heal properly. There are also a lot of other medical issues that don't heal on their own or can develop into lifethreatening infections if not dealt with properly. I'm not saying people should engage in illegal activity and would suggest that people NOT do anything stupid or they will have a visit from the men in blue. I'm simply saying that there is a place for stronger medications than over the counter meds.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

Don't forget the toothache tree(Huricules Club). It is great for a toothache.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Astrid said:


> Not all breaks are able to heal without medical attention and some that do heal, heal incorrectly and need to be re-broken and re-set to be able to heal properly. There are also a lot of other medical issues that don't heal on their own or can develop into lifethreatening infections if not dealt with properly. I'm not saying people should engage in illegal activity and would suggest that people NOT do anything stupid or they will have a visit from the men in blue. I'm simply saying that there is a place for stronger medications than over the counter meds.


When I broke my collar bone the x-ray showed 3 pieces pretty much lined up. 8weeks later it still wasn't healed. Surgery reveled 5 pieces criss crossing. It wouldn't have healed without medical intervention.


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

terri9630 said:


> When I broke my collar bone the x-ray showed 3 pieces pretty much lined up. 8weeks later it still wasn't healed. Surgery reveled 5 pieces criss crossing. It wouldn't have healed without medical intervention.


Ouch! That sounds painful! It would likely have taken a very long time to form bone callouses without surgery.


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

I have a friend who uses mullein root tincture for his severe chronic back pain and he says it works like a charm - he doesn't have to use prescriptions anymore.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Astrid said:


> Ouch! That sounds painful! It would likely have taken a very long time to form bone callouses without surgery.


It hurt a little bit. I am now the proud owner of a titanium plate and some surgical screws. The doc said we could remove it but I told him if we did I want a refund on the titanium. That stuffs not cheap and I paid for it!


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

Hoggie, not 'alternaive' but have you tried Veganin? The only pain med that will touch my headaches and back pain, I have Mum bring me a stash whenever she comes over.


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## aa1911 (Mar 26, 2015)

poppies are perfectly legal, you can buy them (seeds) on Amazon or locally or wherever super cheap one time then save your seeds for the future. When you start scoring the pods and harvesting opium latex, that is for sure illegal. 

Like said, the seeds contain very little amount of morphine/codeine/thebaine which is the pain killer part, the latex is where the drug is at. (and like said, illegal to harvest) 

But having a few poppies around for SHTF (and they really are beautiful as a bonus) sounds like a good idea and unless you have a giant field of them, I doubt anyone will throw you in jail. Make sure to use some stool softeners if you're using opiates FYI. You'll only forget to take those once! 

motrin and OTC meds only goes so far and not everyone has good pain tolerance, if a doctor is not available, poppies are likely the best natural solution for extreme pain control. Keep in mind if you've lost a lot of blood, too much opiate will drop your blood pressure which can make things worse or kill ya. Dosing correctly will be trial and error as there's no milligrams labeled on poppy plants like morphine carpujects; which also means you can overdose easily and unless you have Naloxone (and someone who knows how to use it) laying around, can also be fatal. 

Mary J was just legalized here in WA state so I guess that's an option for some folks.

A good diet with plenty of nutrients and lots of veggies will help as will heat and/or ice. Ice is probably one of the most overlooked and underused treatment, it works very well for many things. 

Headaches come in many forms so treatments/meds will vary quite a bit; but most people don't drink enough fluids which can easily give you headaches. Sounds like yours are worse than what water will cure but won't hurt!

Not exactly natural, but a great OTC med is simply benadryl; it does so many things! Mild-moderate sedative, sleep aid, anti-emetic and stop motion sickness, stop allergic reactions, etc. Everyone should have a good stash of benadryl on hand.

Alcohol has its merit of course too. :happy2:


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

Astrid said:


> Not all breaks are able to heal without medical attention and some that do heal, heal incorrectly and need to be re-broken and re-set to be able to heal properly. There are also a lot of other medical issues that don't heal on their own or can develop into lifethreatening infections if not dealt with properly. I'm not saying people should engage in illegal activity and would suggest that people NOT do anything stupid or they will have a visit from the men in blue. I'm simply saying that there is a place for stronger medications than over the counter meds.


We are learning to deal with all of those issues, because even if you are someone who would go to a doctor or opt for conventional meds, there is a very decent chance that these things will not be accessible to people in a serious SHTF situation. Even if you have some stored away, anything that isn't renewable will not last forever. To truly prepare for such situations, I think we need to learn the skills of both a field medic and an herbologist. As far as legality, that will not matter at that point either, probably.


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

I use essential oils and they do keep fairly well in the right conditions. I use peppermint for headaches and not long ago I started getting an aura so I thought I would try the oil and see what happened. Under 10 minutes the aura was gone and my thinking was clear. I am trying to look beyond plants since we can't grow them year around and I don't have room in my house. Oils can be mixed to take care of different aches, pains or other health issues. I know a small jar costs what seems a lot, but using a drop or two at a time doesn't use a lot, and a jar lasts quite a while.


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## Grandmotherbear (May 15, 2002)

Whole cloves applied to the gum for numbing toothache.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I just read an article about Chronic Subdura Hematoma (cSDH) in younger populations. One of the major causes is the prolific use of OTC meds that thin the blood, like ibuprofen.

In light of that, it is wise to find ways to treat chronic pain (headache, structural, etc) with other ways that won't cause you to bleed out into your brain space. The side effects (memory/word loss, et al) of bleeds are pretty crummy, and really diminish the quality of life.

Has anyone used butterbur for migraine? The good stuff is expensive, but it really helps with migraine. I am looking into finding ways to grow that.

In the meantime, I'm going to brew a cup of lemon balm, stinging nettle, and ginger tea, to sip while I read the links you folks have posted. 

Thanks!


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## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

I got severe chronic knee pain. I thought I must have twisted or sprained it somehow, and went to my pharmacist for a knee brace. He advised me that it was almost certainly arthritis, and suggested an OTC rub-in cream. I had my doubts, as all it contained was peanut oil, preservatives, and comfrey. However, he said his father used it for the same purpose, and it worked, so I tried it.

This stuff is magic. Topical application of comfrey, particularly bruised leaves or ground comfrey, is definitely worth a try for pain. 

Read up on what it is supposed to do. I know it also used to be called boneset. I just read up on it, and it reads like an entire pharmacopeia. DO NOT INGEST, only apply topically. Like most plants, it contains steroidal compounds. Not a problem after TEOTWAWKI, but maybe current-day athletes should use caution.


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

I have an old book that belonged to my great grandma. I think it was printed in 1895 or so and it was a health book. There are treatments in it for pretty much everything and all is based on what you find in nature. I was cleaning and found it; pretty much forgot we had it. If you research online, you can find "recipes" for pain creams and such and they are easy to make. I am lucky to have a high pain threshold, but I am trying to find ways to keep my family ok if things do turn for the worse. Since I have a medical condition that causes chronic pain I have also taught myself coping skills to deal with it.


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## tonasket (Oct 20, 2004)

wogglebug, would you share the name of the cream please?


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

I found another interesting Chinese herbal remedy today.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...family-contain-pain-relieving-ingredient.html

Could chronic pain be treated with a poppy plant used in ancient Chinese medicine?
Corydalis plant roots contain the painkiller dehydrocorybulbine
This is not thought to lose effectiveness over time, as opiate drugs do
In traditional Chinese medicine, the plants are used to treat headaches
They are thought to be most effective at treating persistent, low-level pain


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-pain-relieving-ingredient.html#ixzz3XnhbJh00 
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