There are herbs that can help treat polymyalgia rheumatica. Because PMR is a painful autoimmune disorder, many patients are aware that continuously using treatments such as oral steroids can be harmful in the long run. They want an alternative to the medications prescribed by their rheumatologist in order to cope with the daily pain. Learn how to get rid of inflammation naturally using herbs.
Whole Licorice
Whole licorice is an effective treatment of an inflammatory disorder such as PMR. It is considered as one of the top 3 herbs to cure polymyalgia naturally. It comes as a root or an extract of a plant. Licorice has a sweet taste due to its glycyrrhizin content. It is not only an essential part of a cuisine but is also medicinal in nature. Root capsules are also available and can be taken at a dosage of 5 to 6 grams a day. A concentrated extract can be taken at 250-500 mg per day. The intake of licorice capsules can lower reliance of patient to Prednisone or steroid drugs.
Turmeric
Turmeric is another kind of plant herbs for polymyalgia treatment. It is a bright yellow orange spice coming from turmeric root. The spice has been used as a medical wonder for thousand years. The root can be used to make a tea. A cup of turmeric tea can significantly release its health benefits.
Turmeric tea has a strong anti-inflammatory property. It can ease inflammation in PMR patients. It is also effective in easing the swelling of affected joints in PMR patients. A compound in turmeric known as curcumin is effective in reducing pain caused by PMR as well as in patients with osteoarthritis. Another wonder of turmeric is its ability to strengthen our immune system even in persons with an immune disorder.
Turmeric Tea
Turmeric tea can be prepared by boiling 3 to 4 cups of water. Two teaspoons of turmeric can be added. The mixture is stirred and made to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. The tea is then strained before adding honey or juice of lemon or orange to provide flavor. Turmeric tea has no side effects, making it safe to consume.
Ginger
Ginger can relieve polymyalgia naturally, too. Consuming ginger reduces inflammation, eventually relieving even pain caused by an inflammatory disorder such as PMR. A small amount of ginger is said to be more effective than prescribed painkillers. Ginger contains gingerol that targets pain pathways but also relieves inflammation that causes pain. It can be prepared as a tea. A sliced ginger root can be boiled and combined with green tea for 30 minutes. The boiling releases the anti-inflammatory compounds of the ginger root. The tea can be taken for the whole week to unlock all the ginger root benefits. Ginger can also be juiced so as to also maximize its benefits.
A small amount of ginger is said to be more effective than prescribed painkillers. Ginger contains gingerol that targets pain pathways but also relieves inflammation that causes pain. It can be prepared as a tea. A sliced ginger root can be boiled and combined with green tea for 30 minutes. The boiling releases the anti-inflammatory compounds of the ginger root. The tea can be taken for the whole week to unlock all the ginger root benefits. Ginger can also be juiced so as to also maximize its benefits.
Ginger Tea
It can be prepared as a tea. A sliced ginger root can be boiled and combined with green tea for 30 minutes. The boiling releases the anti-inflammatory compounds of the ginger root. The tea can be taken for the whole week to unlock all the ginger root benefits. Ginger can also be juiced so as to also maximize its benefits.
Herbal treatment for polymyalgia rheumatica can significantly relieve pain and stiffness. In addition, herbs help to reduce the dosage of corticosteroids or other medicines for PMR. Medicines have so many side effects and provide added burden to the patient. For example, steroid treatment for PMR can cause complications such s diabetes, cataract, hypertension, and osteoporosis. These are serious side effects; therefore, herbs as natural and alternative polymyalgia treatment are also very helpful.
just started a course of prednisolone for PMR and it says to avoid eating liquorice in the small print.
I’ver used ginger and turmeric for 3 years as part of my regime as I have osteoarthritis. It didn’t stop me from getting Polymyalgia. Some cases simply don’t repond to so called natural treatment. As far a liquorice root is concerned, good luck, but it can react with certain drugs and too much can cause problems. i am not a herb skeptic and I have been taking homeopathic remedies since my twenties. i also practice visualisation, but I wouldn’t give much credence to natural medicine curing Polymyalgia, a disabling condition which only steroid tablets can relieve, often within hours. This is one for a qualified medical practitioner.
I started my prednisone and immediately (the same day) my pain was gone and I was manic, working out, walking 3 miles every day, with big expectations and dreams, I started working again even with the blurred and double vision and brain fog and loss of memory from the prednisone. I had energy again. I am now weaned down to 1 mg a day and my pain is MORE than it was to begin with and I am still having brain fog and double vision. I would prefer to try natural remedies and eastern medicine than to have a drug that masks the symptoms and one that also has such serious side effects. I am trying a different route of healing because our bodies are designed to heal with the proper care and feeding. Homeopathic medicine is not the same as herbal medicine.
The prednisone does work. I was weened down from 5mg to 0 over 2 months. About a week after I was totally off medicine, the pain slowly started to come back. I have been off 1 month and I must go back on prednisone. The pain keeps me awake, I am not any fun and my focus is the pain and not living. My side effects were minimal, but just the idea that it is affecting my bones is concerning, especially since I am over 60.
I was diagnosed with PMR 12 years ago, extreme pain in my hands, wrists, fingers, couldn’t use them, I was put on 25 mg. prednisolone and yes it cured the pain, I had to reduce it by one mg a month so that took over two years to get through it.
I was quite happy with this as it cured the pain, I was 59 yrs old and thought no more about it as I presumed it was ”cured” no, no, no.
So, 10 years on and it has returned big time !!! First off the blood tests to show it was PMG, and back on the Prednisolone Steroids, going down one mg a month again but this time before the end it all came back again, so upped the dose again, another 2 years of down 1mg a month.
I am 70 now and have just got to the end of another two years and as it has come back I have decided I wont tell my doctor as all he can do is more Steroids, yes the pain is relentless.
I have looked up about herbal possibilities and my local Healthfood shop wants to help, nothing yet has helped but I will now look at Liquorice root, Ginger and Turmeric, it all got to be worth a try ! ? Thank goodness since coming off the Prednisolone and eating carefully I have lost one and a half stone caused by Steroids, I’m just waiting to lose the pain now !
Hope this was of some interest to you, and good luck.
Hi Izzy. Same story although the vision issue turned out to be Giant cell arteritis. Suggest a check for that early as it can have serious effects long term on vision. Cheers…Jim
Charles,
My Polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms just started. Thank you very much for your concise straight forward information and experience about natural medicine.
I was looking for something “natural” because in the past I had to take Prednisone and the side effects were terrible.
Sincerely,
Jack
tjandj@sbcglobal.net
Good stuff, but how much is “a sliced ginger root”? Ten grams, 50, 100? Ginger root comes in all sizes.
I have had PMR for 4 years and on Prednasone all that time in different doses. Now I have to inject a shot of Actemra once a week or sometimes once every 10 days if the pharmacy is out of it which they were due to its use for Co-vid patients. My vision is blurry and my entire body hurts. I walk with a cane because of my lack of balance. I am frustrated and scared that I am loosing my eyes as I can barely see even with new glasses. This is a horrible disease and I feel as if no one really can help me. I try to stay positive but it ain’t easy! I would like to find a support group if anyone knows of one.
I have tried natural remedies as well.
Hi Brenda. I’m 75 and still pretty active. I’m coming off the prednisone (Yay), still getting some pain but now onto a drug called Actemra. That is designed to replace the steroids and so far so good. (A small pen style injection in the tummy every Monday morning) Still getting some pain but not as bad and I’m getting back to some light exercise which I found hard to do earlier. The blurry vision in my case turned out to be lousy thing called Giant Cell Arteritis…..needs to be investigated as the long term effects on eyesight aren’t good. I’m Ok now but that came a side effect of PMR and not welcome news. Anyway things are looking brighter!!!!….cheers…Jim
Celestial Seasoning makes a tea, TEAHOUSE ORGANICS GINGER TURMERIC. Think this would help or do you need to make it yourself with real ginger or turmeric?
How many of the people with Polymy are also on cholesterol lowering medicine?
Hi everyone, I am an acupuncturist and I’ve been treating someone with suspected PMR for a couple of weeks (symptoms line up perfectly and initial blood work seems to confirm it, we’re just waiting on a rheumatology consult). Firstly, I feel for you all. This is an incredibly difficult condition to live with. Severe pain and restricted movement came on suddenly, she stopped sleeping well and her quality of life deteriorated quickly. I found this page as I was looking for more information on the disease and how other people are treating it. From my experience as an acupuncturist and herbalist, and from what I have observed in my patient, diet is important, but ginger and turmeric tea isn’t going to cut it. A comprehensive anti-inflammatory diet is a good starting place (you can google that to get lists of foods). Acupuncture helps. In my patient’s experience, the first few treatments briefly eased the pain. We just had our 7th session and she is having days were the pain is tolerable (not gone, but can participate in activities), and we are starting to see slight improvements in range of motion. She is also getting chiropractic treatment.
Like other inflammatory diseases, especially with auto-immune or immunodeficient aspects, treatment really needs to be an “everything all at once” approach: food, sleep, gentle movement like Tai Chi or Qigong (easier on the joints than most yoga styles), stress reduction, meditation. Go deep into this work and the benefits will come, but they come slowly. Even though PMR symptoms come on suddenly, which is strange for an internal inflammatory disease (and may have to do with viral triggers, which Mayo Institute suggests is a possible factor), certainly from what I see in my patient, what I’ve read, and what I see in other similar diseases, PMR did not actually start when the pain started. It has been building for a long time. That means healing will take time too. Do not be disheartened! Dedicated yourself to the things that nourish your life – time in nature, healthy food, sleep, mindfulness, movement, friends and family, creative pursuits – and lean on treatments like acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic, massage for extra support (because you can’t do it all on your own and you are not meant to – humans heal best in community, in connection with others).
The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Taking the whole spice is pretty useless as it contains >1% curcumin. Some products will concentrate the curcumin but the long-standing problem has been absorbability.
Two natural products have solved this problem: Meriva Turmeric (Source Naturals) and CuraMed (Terry’s Naturally)