Heal My Aching BONES

HERBS CAN OFTEN HELP CALM MUSCLES, TENDONS AND LIGAMENTS, AS WELL AS SOOTHE THE BODY'S PAINS.

- RACHAEL DUPREE

If medicinal herbs have won you over by healing skin wounds and curing colds, you might want to explore ways that herbs can help address deeper lingering issues in your body. Perhaps the ailments that take the biggest toll on our health are the ones that affect the musculoskeletal system. When our muscles ache and our bones hurt, it's difficult to live life to its fullest. Luckily, there is a collection of plant medicine eager to help you out.

When it comes to using herbs for bones and muscles, as with any ailment, it's important to remember that you aren't treating symptoms but underlying causes. Aches and pains point to imbalances in the body; they aren't necessarily the problems themselves. Here's a selection of our favorite herbs for treating the bones and muscles. Be aware that some of these herbs can be quite potent and should be used under the supervision of a trained herbalist or health practitioner.

BONESET

If you have an illness that you can "feel in your bones," turn your eyes to boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum). This herb is best known for releasing a fever during a cold or flu and helping to relax muscles. Herbalists also use it to help calm muscle spasms and alleviate the aches and pains of rheumatism, in addition to any disease that creates inflammation and pain in the joints, muscles or fibrous tissue.

Native Americans have also considered boneset one of the most important herbs for setting bones; it works by stimulating the natural healing process to draw the bones back together into their proper place.

You can find boneset growing in fields and moist areas, such as along stream banks. Its white flowers lay in flat clusters and look similar to other flowers that bloom in the summer. You can distinguish boneset by its opposing pointed, wrinkled leaves that surround the stem to form a diamond shape.