Supporting the Musculoskeletal System using Herbal Medicine
Time-tested herbs and remedies to support your muscles, tissues, and bones
What is the musculoskeletal system?
The musculoskeletal system is composed of connective tissue, bones, and muscles. These three things hold our bodies together, allow us to move, and give us form. The health of the musculoskeletal system depends on many different factors, including what we eat and how we live.
The musculoskeletal system is impacted by and impacts all parts of the body. For example, the digestive system provides the necessary nutrients for bones to grow and repair themselves when we suffer injuries. These nutrients also impact the health of muscles and allow them to do work. When I say muscles here, I’m not only referring to our biceps and quads, but also muscles that support our digestive system and our hearts.
The respiratory system provides oxygen needed to support bone and muscle growth and necessary breakdown of old bone and muscle and it removes the CO2 that the musculoskeletal system produces as a byproduct of doing such work. The circulatory system acts as a partner here, moving needed oxygen through the body and bringing CO2 back to the lungs where it can be expelled.
The urinary system, too, plays a key role. It cleans the blood of waste products and toxins so that healthy tissue can form without inflammation.
And the nervous system allows us access to movement!
And the musculoskeletal system aids the rest of the body as well, not only providing form for some major muscles like the heart, GI tract, the diaphragm (which is what expands or contracts to help us breathe), but it also provides protection for organs like our kidneys, our esophagus, stomach, liver, heart, and brain. And so the health of the musculoskeletal system is key to the health of the entire body.
If the body systems that support the musculoskeletal system are out of tune for a long time it can cause issues that we start to notice as experiences like chronic pain or inflammation.
Though many body systems support the musculoskeletal system, the digestive and eliminative systems must work well in order to treat problems that arise in the musculoskeletal system. Why? When they aren’t the body comes under stress as it struggles to remove wastes and toxins. The buildup of these toxins can impair the connective tissues of our joints, causing us to experience things like chronic pain or rheumatism.
What herbs help to keep the musculoskeletal system at its best?
Herbal medicine can offer the most support in healing chronic or degenerative experiences of the musculoskeletal system. But here’s a key point! The goal of herbal medicine applications for musculoskeletal support is not solely to relieve pain. Though of course that is a valuable part of any herbal protocol, what herbal medicine does best is solve what is at the root of the issue and lead the body back to a state of balance. There are several herbs that carry helpful properties known as herbal actions that help support the re-balancing of the musculoskeletal system. We’ll check out three of these together!
Digestive Herbs
The digestive and eliminative system has to be in good working order to allow nutrients to be absorbed and to keep toxic buildup at bay. Bitter herbs like Yellow Dock and Elecampane are two of my favorites to work with to promote healthy digestive system functioning. Yellow Dock, or Rumex Crispus, classically known for its rich yellow roots and high levels of iron is also an amazing digestive herb. It has both a stimulating and relaxing effect on the GI tract– stimulates digestive enzymes and encourages a gentle release of the bowels. (Carpenter, 2015; Kuhn & Winston, 2008), (Hoffman, 2003).
Elecampane, or Inula Helenium, aids the digestive system in both digestion and elimination, its high content of the dietary fiber, inulin may support its impact here. Elecampane works on the liver too, encouraging the secretion of bile, a natural laxative.
Nutritive Herbs
Nutritive herbs are the perfect partner to the digestive herbs! Nutritive herbs bring in the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need while digestive herbs support the body in digesting and assimilating these nutrients into the body. Two of my favorite nutritive herbs, particularly for the musculoskeletal system are Oatstraw and Nettles.
Oatstraw, or Avena Sativa is a well known nervous system-supporting herb. It supports the vitality of the nervous system by soothing, promoting restoration, aiding in rest, and boosting energy and mood. It has applications for the musculoskeletal system as well. It contains a high concentration of calcium, a mineral known to support the formation of healthy bones.
Nettles, or Urtica Dioica, are high in many essential nutrients like iron and vitamin K. Its high concentration of potassium is especially helpful for muscle function. Potassium is used by our muscles to help send electrical signals. We need potassium to help our muscles, including our heart muscle, contract properly (Nazario, 2023).
Anti-Inflammatory Herbs
When we’re experiencing musculoskeletal pain, it is critical to address inflammation. Inflammation is a healthy part of the body’s response to injury or toxic buildup. Herbal antiinflammatories work by helping to address the root cause of the inflammatory response. Anti-inflammatory herbs can be helpful, particularly in rheumatic and arthritic conditions, with longstanding inflammations of joints and tissue. One of my favorite anti-inflammatory herbs is devil’s claw.
Devil’s Claw, or Harpagophytum Procumbens, is excellent for musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis, sciatica, and gout. It clears any buildup of toxic energy in the body and is especially useful for any hurt, trauma, or pain that is stored in the body and is manifesting as pain. (Rose, 2022)
Remedy for musculoskeletal nourishment and repair
I’m an avid mover! At my busiest, I can spend up to four days a week in dance studios training. This formula is one of my favorite ways to care for my body after an intense session or workout. It contains anti-inflammatory and pain relieving herbs like turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and solomon seal. These herbs not only help reduce swelling, stiffness, and soreness but actually tend to the connective tissues and to the bones. Helping to strengthen them and decrease recovery time. Try out this delicious recipe and let me know what you think!
Ingredients:
1 tsp turmeric- anti-inflammatory/microbial/septic, circulatory stimulant, vulnerary
1 tsp ginger- anti-viral/microbial/inflammatory/septic, rubefacient, analgesic, circulatory stimulant, digestive
¼ tsp cinnamon- analgesic, anti inflammatory, circulatory stimulant
¼ tsp solomon seal – vulnerary, great for sprains, regulates the connective tissue, correcting both other and underuse, anti inflammatory. Improves conditions of stiffness.
¼ tsp cardamom – used in TCM to strengthen bones, antispasmodic, digestive
⅛ tsp black pepper – helps with absorbing the tumeric and enhancing the bioavailability of the curcumin in the turmeric (curcumin manages inflammation)
Coconut milk
Water
Sweetener of your choice
Medium pot
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil
Add all herbs and reduce to a simmer
Simmer for 25 minutes or until water has reduced by half
Reduce heat to low
Add ½ cup of coconut milk and heat until desired temperature
Strain into mug, add sweetener, and enjoy!
Skip the measuring work and order Uri Amoy Healing Studios’ original golden milk formula. It is fortified with a few additional herbs designed to give your muscles the restoration they need. Our Rest Up Herbal Powder is available in our shop now!
