Have you heard of fibromyalgia before? My mother was diagnosed with it last year, but I know a couple of other people who have it. I had fibromyalgia on my radar, but my first personal glimpse into the disease came with my mother’s diagnosis. My mother and I are very close, and this disease doesn’t have a cure, which left me feeling helpless. For one of the two people who helped make me this person I am today, there had to be something I could do right? I can’t just do nothing when she feels this way:

“You won’t truly understand what I go through unless you have gone through it yourself. I have pain every day. It’s in my hands the most, but also my feet, elbows, and neck. I hurt when I wash up in the shower, when I put on my makeup, and when I pull up and button my pants. My feet hurt when I get out of bed in the morning, making it difficult to walk. I have to warm up like a car. If I sit for too long, it hurts when I get up again. Sometimes just being still, I can still feel the pain.

Depression, irritability, sadness, frustration are some of the emotions that I experience. I now know why people who have pain daily kill themselves. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Hopefully, someday, my pain will stop. It is unlikely; there is no cure for Fibromyalgia. I take medication every day, but it does not take all of the pain away. It only lessens it.” ~Denise, my mother

Perhaps my growing herbal knowledge could be put to use? Most people react well to herbs, and there were quite a few that might help my mom feel even a little bit better. I plan on writing a series of articles as I go through growing the herbs that I can and creating simple remedies to gauge the concentrations and amounts of each herb that are effective for my mom. I hope this experimentation concludes in a few blends that I can make in large batches and send to her in South Carolina. So the best place to start is the best herbs for fibromyalgia symptoms.

***I am not a medical professional. Any information contained in the following statements is a result of my research and is not medical advice. ***

What is Fibromyalgia?

According to the National Institutes of Health, “Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that causes widespread pain and tenderness, and a number of other symptoms.” The cause of fibromyalgia still eludes researchers and scientists, but they no longer question it exists. [click_to_tweet tweet=”Doctors take fibromyalgia more seriously now, but in years past many doctors didn’t believe it was a real illness. @annaruthus #fibromyalgia” quote=”Doctors take fibromyalgia more seriously now, but in years past many doctors didn’t believe it was a real illness. #fibromyalgia”]

Medical researchers previously lumped fibromyalgia in with arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, but they have since discovered no autoimmunity in fibromyalgia. Researchers have uncovered that a significant overlap exists between fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis (which ARE autoimmune diseases).

One school of thought says that fibromyalgia pain might be caused by overactive nerves in the Central Nervous System (CNS). The nerves communicate pain to the brain, so if this mechanism is malfunctioning, it might explain why fibromyalgia causes pain in relation to things like temperature.

How is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?

For some people, it may take years to get a diagnosis. You can’t test for fibromyalgia. Doctors create their diagnosis based on observations and listening to their patients. Primary care doctors often refer their patients to a rheumatologist with the suspicion that some form of arthritis is to blame.

I can’t imagine going through years of doctors’ appointments seeking relief from this debilitating disease. My mom is “lucky” since she bounced around doctors’ offices for months and not years.

How is Fibromyalgia Treated?

Doctors normally recommend a combination treatment regimen that involves medication, alternative therapies, and lifestyle changes. There are only three medications used to manage fibromyalgia. Some people find that chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture help them manage their pain.

Me An Herbalist? Maybe

I read a blog post from the Home Garden Joy blog titled “What is an Herbalist?” this week. It really resonated with me. She talks about how she used to believe that an herbalist was someone who officially studied the herbal craft. Someone who had a degree or a certification.

She then goes on to point out that before the pharmaceutical age, monasteries and nunneries dispensed plant medicine widely and often. Every garden had a little patch of medicinal herbs to ease and cure common ailments. We lost this art, and it is starting to make a comeback.

I’m not a doctor. I only make herbal remedies for myself and my family, but if one of my herb blog posts helps someone else find their way, then they are worth writing.

What Are the Best Herbs for Fibromyalgia?

Based on my research, the best herbs for fibromyalgia are:

• Ginseng: a study conducted in Brazil using fibromyalgia showed positive effects of ginseng on pain, fatigue, and insomnia. You take ginseng internally, so you can include it in tinctures, teas, and syrups.
• Turmeric: Long known for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties in Eastern herbal medicine, Western people use turmeric more and more in their herbal regimens. By relieving pain, turmeric can also improve sleep quality. You can use this herb internally and externally.
• Passionflower: A beautiful purple and white flower you can take in tincture, syrup, or tea form, people with fibromyalgia take passionflower to calm the nervous system, relieve pain and anxiety, and improve sleep quality.
• St. John’s Wort: Depression is a common symptom associated with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions. Fibromyalgia sufferers may see an increase in positive mood when taking St. John’s Wort. This herb shouldn’t be taken with pharmaceutical antidepressants, however. You can also use it topically for tingling and numbness.
• Valerian: People have used valerian root to treat anxiety and insomnia for centuries. Often taken in tincture form, people often notice they fall asleep faster and have better sleep quality.
• Skullcap: By dimming the number of nerve signals being sent, skullcap may ease the overactive nerves that might be a contributing cause of fibromyalgia pain. It can be taken internally and has been used since at least the 19th century.

Through trial and error, my mom and I should have better feedback over the course of more posts on this topic.

Using These Herbs in Fibromyalgia Herbal Remedies

Herbal medicine is an art. Each herb has observed effects, but the strength of these effects can vary from person to person. So creating an herbal remedy requires more adjustment and fiddling than adjusting a pharmaceutical medication. Herbs have a lot fewer contraindications (meaning reasons not to take it) and side effects than pharmaceutical medicine, possibly because they work more in harmony with our body systems.

I learned how to make most of my herbal remedies from Rosemary Gladstar’s book[amazon_textlink asin=’1612120059′ text=’ Medicinal Herbs, A Beginner’s Guide’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’twoacresonadr-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’76b73715-1591-11e8-8300-a3111286389e’] [<— Affiliate Link!]. I love this book because it starts out with how to make each type of herbal remedy (tea, oil, cream, salve, etc.), empowering the reader to learn more about herbs and grow beyond her book when they are ready. Each of the herbal remedy types I have listed below would be used in different scenarios based on the intent and the herbs used.

The remedies I think will be most effective and easy to use are:

• Salves/creams
• Tinctures
• Tea blends

It’s natural that we feel more strongly about any particular issue when it affects someone close to us. Why am I going through the trouble of growing the herbs and mixing remedies myself though? If you look on Amazon, you’ll see a lot of remedies that are ready for purchase now. I do plan on buying any herbs I can’t grow from trusted sources, like Mountain Rose Herbs.

I like to think that herbs I grown for medicinal purposes absorb my intent. That by growing, harvesting, and creating remedies myself, they will somehow be more effective than if I just buy them online. I could be wrong, but then…. I could be right too.

Have you used any of these herbs for insomnia or muscle pain? Have you grown them yourself? Any tips for me? Please share any knowledge in the comments! I’ll need all of the help I can get as I embark on this herbal journey!!!