Safe and effective alternatives to over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and acetaminophen that work fast for headaches, sinus pain, joint or general body discomfort, and fevers.
When most people think about abuse of painkillers, the opioid epidemic is likely the first thing that comes to mind. However, over-the-counter painkiller use is also a serious problem and unfortunately, not a habit that most people usually give a second thought to even if they are popping these pills nearly every day.
Eight in ten people regularly reach for over-the-counter painkillers for relief from discomfort of all kinds. Of these, nearly twenty percent of users of NSAID pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) admit to exceeding the recommended daily maximum dose. (1)
Even non-NSAID painkillers that are used infrequently can have lifelong health risks. For example, Tylenol (acetaminophen) only once per month risks asthma development in children.
Over The Counter Painkillers Harm Health Too
Why don’t more people make an effort to eliminate dependence on non-prescription strength painkillers? Even though you can buy them without a doctor’s script, their use is not risk-free.
Consider that the average adult pops nearly 400 over-the-counter painkillers every single year! That’s at least one every single day! (2)
These drugs can have serious side effects including gastrointestinal bleeding and heart attacks, according to Dr. David Kaufman, professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health. (3)
What’s more, these seemingly “safer” drugs land over 200,000 people in the hospital every year. (4)
In my view, people continue to use these easily procured drugs because they simply have no idea what else to use.
The good news is that you don’t have to know how to make herbal tinctures to put the power of herbs to use to resolve pain issues!
Truly SAFE Alternatives to Ibuprofen, Aleve, and Tylenol
Note that HERBS form the basis of these patented painkillers on pharmacy shelves in many cases. Instead of using the synthetic form, why not try the natural plant-based versions instead?
Why not join the 20% of people who DO NOT regularly use over the counter painkillers due to this knowledge?
Headaches
Without a doubt, headaches are the most common reason people reach for over-the-counter painkillers on a regular basis. While I’ve written before about effective ways to relieve headaches naturally, the fact is that many people trying to get away from a drug-based approach to this problem prefer to just pop a pill when needed.
If this is the case in your home, I recommend these headache relief herbal capsules that are a blend of four powerful headache reducers: feverfew, Boswellia, white willow bark, and skullcap.
They work very fast. I had a tension headache just yesterday, took one of these capsules, and experienced complete relief in less than 15 minutes. While you don’t need to take them with food, they seem to work a bit faster if you do.
A single-arm, observational study of this combination of herbs for headaches found that 79% of the participants experienced relief within 30 minutes.
If you take over-the-counter painkillers frequently for headaches, I highly recommend these herbal capsules as the best thing I’ve tried for safe, effective relief as an easy alternative with no caffeine. They are inexpensive, safe, and really work! Carry a small bottle with you so that you are never tempted to use ibuprofen, Aleve, or Tylenol ever again!
General Pain Relief or Fever
For those seeking relief from general joint or body pain, white willow bark alone is your best bet. This powerful herb works FAST too…usually in 30 minutes or less.
We use these 500 mg capsules. I recommend this form over a tincture or tea as the most effective and long-lasting.
This standard dosage is also helpful for temporary relief from fever (although note that reducing fever is not typically ideal in most cases).
According to the peer-reviewed journal Phytotherapy Research,
Willow bark extract has been used for thousands of years as an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic (fever reducer), and analgesic (painkiller). (5)
Contraindications
Note that both of these suggestions contain salicylates, and thus, are not advisable for those sensitive to aspirin, already taking aspirin, or those on some forms of blood thinners. If you are pregnant or nursing, consult with your practitioner first.
Do you use herbs as an effective substitute for over the counter painkillers? What have you experienced?
(1) Exceeding the daily dosing limit of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs among ibuprofen users
(2) 373. That’s the Number of OTC Painkillers the Average Person Pops Every Year
(3) Americans are abusing over-the-counter drugs as well as opioids
(4) The Other Overdose Crisis: Over-the-counter Pain Medications
(5) Efficacy and Safety of White Willow Bark (Salix alba) Extracts
Do you know of a reliable natural sleep aid?
In my late 20s i had a car accident where i was rear-ended. I had continual pain after that, even with PT. The doctors quickly gave up on me. They merely prescribed Anaprox. (This is Alieve, but stronger and before it was OTC.) I took this daily for over two years. And in that two years i gained 70 pounds. I’d never realized the damage i was doing to my digestive system and metabolism. When i went 0ff Anaprox, i lost about half that, but i’ve a new “set point” 35 pounds higher and have continued to struggle with weight since.
I also had migraines for years. The best i’ve done with that was to find food triggers and eliminate them, and also to get CranioSacral work. That has been profoundly helpful.
I have severe leg & back pain, what do you recommend I should get for my severe pain?, I can’t afford anything expensive.
Would this work for menstrual cramps as well? I always have to take advil so far because it’s the only thing that helps my severe cramps. Have wanted to try and switch to something not as bad for my body!
Not sure. However, it’s worth a shot! I can tell you that a diet high in processed foods and/or sugar contributes greatly to menstrual pain. Changing the diet can virtually eliminate this problem.
Hi there,
Do you know if White Willow Bark is safe while breastfeeding? I bought some after having surgery yesterday, and now I’m not sure if I should take it. Thank you for your time!
That is a question for your practitioner.
This is very interesting. We use white willow for headaches and a tumeric-based curcumin supplement called Curamin when my husband gets severe headaches. He used these for pain relief after a major injury to wean off of hospital pain-killers. I think the combination of tumeric and bosweilia is very effective. However, now that I’m looking at the ingredient list, I’m questioning some of the ingredients in it such as silica and cellulose powder? I’d love to find a cleaner option to Curamin that doesn’t have all the fillers. The supplement you found looks good.
It’s not just lack of knowledge about herbal remedies, but also prejudices about them supposedly being weak, unlike pharmaceuticals which are “real medicine”. I think there is a tendency for us civilised people to view ourselves as “modern” people who use all this wondrous “modern” medicine, and we like to feel superior to our “primitive” ancestors who had to still use herbal medicine. And of course there is the pharma industry which has been hard at work behind the scenes to reinforce that perception.
I have acne-prone skin so I quickly noticed that it will often react to man-made chemicals, and that they will often have other negative side effects too. So I began experimenting with natural remedies early on, which I tolerate much better although they have some toxins too, like all plants do. But at least our body knows what to do with those.
Anyway, I couldn’t find much that works against acute inflammation, except for ginger and CBD oil. I haven’t tried the white willow bark, maybe I will one day. As a natural analgesic, I found the South American herb called chuchuhuasi (maytenus macrocarpa) to be quite effective, though it depends on the type of pain. And if it’s already evening, a good way to get a little but almost instant relief is to take melatonin. Then I also fall asleep quickly and sleep very deeply, which ensures that I can sleep off the pain. Sometimes I will also take kava kava to counteract muscle tension, so that the tension won’t cause further pain.
For headaches or migraines, I know that they can often be totally cured or prevented by just slightly raising the level of serotonin in your brain, or of a molecule very similar to it. Now I’m not advocating for the use of hard drugs, but since this article is about herbal painkillers I have to mention that there are legal herbs like St. John’s Wort, passionflower and kanna which raise serotonin levels. And you only need a very small amount of serotonin to clear your head completely, so small that you barely even notice the difference in mood. It’s also noteworthy that some people theorise that headaches and migraines are actually caused by serotonin deficiency, for example by stress which raises cortisol levels, and if that’s true then this would actually be the most natural way of remedying the problem. Of course, ultimately you want to fix your diet to remove the root cause of the deficiency, not just counteract it.
Will this help with arthritis pain ?
Wormwood is very effective. Humaworm makes a “pain relief” blend that usually works for me for joints/muscles due to my Lyme disease multiple co-infections. Also, Cat’s Claw and Japanese Knotweed (resveratrol) together seem to also be very effective for joint pain. I find it’s good to rotate my pain herbs to trick the infections that tend to get used to them. I’m unfortunately allergic to White willow Bark, but you can use it on your dogs too. It lasts much longer than Aspirin (Aspirin is derived from White Willow Bark) and is much safer with less side effects.
I recently had an abscessed tooth and while waiting for the endodontist I was taking ibuprophen regularly for several days. My blood pressure skyrocketed! As soon as I stopped within a day or so my blood pressure returned to normal. Thanks for these suggestions, I will give them a try.
In southeast Asia, people used to use cloves for toothache. Cloves tend to numb the area. I use magnesium, and morning exercise for insomnia and it works like a charm.