Some people are more active than others; that’s just a fact. Consistently working out can sometimes result in sore muscles, so how do you relieve the pain naturally? Rather than resorting to ibuprofen, painkillers, or some chemically rich post workout salve, it can be best to use this natural recipe we stumbled upon.
Because the skin is the largest organ in the body, it can easily absorb the beneficial ingredients in the post workout cream. We want to highlight two of the ingredients in this cream because they work wonders for soothing sore muscles.
Panaway Essential Oil
When it comes to soothing muscle inflammation, this is one of the most commonly used essential oils. Panaway essential oil is actually a combination of peppermint, wintergreen, clove, and helichrysum essential oils. Gary Young, who suffered from ligament damage in his leg, developed this blend after finding how much the various oils reduced inflammation and overall pain. Panaway also helps to promote healthy blood flow and oxygenate muscles and tissues to accelerate the healing process.
Cayenne Pepper
In addition to containing more vitamin C than oranges, cayenne has been known strengthen arteries and blood vessels, allowing blood to flow to sore muscles. The capsaicin in cayenne works to initially stimulate and then decrease the intensity of pain signals in the body. Capsaicin is believed to stimulate the release of a compound, which works to communicate pain between the spinal cord and nerves.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons cayenne powder
- 1 tablespoon beeswax
- PanAway essential oil (not in cream but used in combination with it)
Instructions:
- Simmer water in the bottom half of a double boiler and combine the coconut oil and cayenne pepper in the top half. Let the oil melt and simmer over a very low flame for a couple hours to infuse the cayenne.
- You may need to add more water to the bottom half of the boiler because it may evaporate.
- Towards the end of the heating time, stir in the beeswax until it is melted.
- Remove from the heat and strain through a cheesecloth into your desired container. A small mason jar works great as it only yields a half cup. Let it cool to firm up before using it.
To Use:
- Apply a few drops of panaway essential oil to the sore area followed by a layer of the cayenne cream. Massage this onto the sore muscle to help relieve pain.
- Do not use this on open wounds, cuts, or mucus membranes. It will hurt…like a lot.
