Back pain can also be treated symptomatically in a natural way without medication. Paprika, devil's claw and willow bark are three alternative home remedies that alleviate the symptoms of back pain.

 

The active ingredient in red peppers and chilli peppers is capsaicin, which relieves pain. Red peppers and chilli peppers can be used to treat stomach complaints, diarrhoea, flatulence and to improve blood circulation. They also relieve toothache and travel sickness and have an antipyretic effect. Peppers and chillies are used externally to treat nerve pain and muscle cramps. They also have an extremely repellent effect against nervous thumb sucking and nail biting.

When applied directly to the skin over the painful area, the peppers have a pain-relieving effect on back pain. To treat back pain, fresh juice is squeezed from the red pepper or chilli pepper or finely chopped in a blender. The pulp is applied directly to the painful area of the back and held in place with a plaster. It works best if the plaster remains on the back for four to eight hours. Important: Wash your hands thoroughly after application so that the juice does not get onto sensitive areas of skin or into the eyes.

The tuber of the devil's claw is used for medicinal purposes. Devil's claw is effective against back pain, arthritis, heartburn, fever, migraines, menstrual cramps and kidney diseases. The tuber contains anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling substances.
For back pain, a devil's claw extract containing 50 to 100mg of the active ingredient harpagoside is used. It is taken orally every day.

Willow bark has a similar effect to aspirin, so it is often used to treat pain such as muscle cramps, headaches, arthritis, back pain and typical cold symptoms.
The active ingredient in willow bark is salicin.
A willow bark extract containing 120 to 240mg of salicin can help with back pain. Treatment with willow bark should not last longer than three months. Willow bark is not recommended for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, those who are sensitive to the active ingredient and those with kidney disease. Willow bark should also be avoided immediately before and after an operation, as it has a blood-thinning effect similar to aspirin and slows down blood clotting.