The best competitors know that sometimes you need to do the one thing your competitor ISN’T doing to take the advantage and WIN! It’s unfortunate that many athletes and trainers from rookies to pros do not use herbal topicals to maximize performance and recovery. Why?
Well, basically herbal medicine lost its pole position when western medicine took over. No one can own or patent herbs because no one created them. Not lucrative = not exciting or well known. But herbal topicals sure are exciting and so are winners who do their herbal homework! Here are our favorite herbs included in Molly's Cream that aid in recovery.
Arnica Montana is one of the most well-known herbal and homeopathic remedies because it works so consistently and remarkably well. Arnica spurs rapid healing and recovery in tissue and is especially good immediately after a trauma. Bruising, muscle strains and pains, tears
and pulls all benefit greatly from arnica. The quicker you get it on an injury the better it will work too! The healing effect is dramatic. Recently I dropped a very heavy object on my foot, I wondered if I broke it. Since I was standing right beside my jar of Molly’s Cream, I was
able to put it on immediately. Not only did I not bruise, I never felt so much as a throb of pain after just 1 immediate application. Now THAT is what I call a speedy recovery! Arnica is amazing.
There are other herbs that help relieve pain also. New on the scene, CBD helps the body seek homeostasis or in other words, ‘optimal performance’ across all body systems. That is why it seems to be good for everything under the sun. CBD has skeptics questioning why it’s ‘for everything,’ but it really does have a positive effect on all sorts of issues because a lot of communication happens in a body. As for CBD and sport injuries, it is excellent because the body is always seeking balance, or homeostasis. And what makes a high-level athlete the best? The ability to push their body beyond what any other athlete can. This requires practice, repetition, breaking down and building back over and over. CBD helps the body perform and recover. That is why high-level athletes would be wise to see how it could help them achieve their loftiest goals!
Wise old St. John’s Wort oil applied topically calms nerves. It is especially noticeable to people suffering from neuropathy (we hear that often!) St. John’s Wort has been the victim to western medicine marketing in that it has been tagged as an herb for depression. This is true but not exactly accurate. St. John’s Wort doesn’t ‘cheer you up’ but it does curb reactivity by being a nervine. What is a nervine you ask? Something that calms nerves. When we are in pain, especially localized pain such as neuropathy, sciatica, cramps, headaches etc, applying St. John’s Wort oil topically can directly calm the nerves that are getting your attention!
Calendula calms skin powerfully which is why it is often found in baby products. This is a favorite herb for many reasons. It aids in reducing the inflammation response, which is highly beneficial when treating an injury. The oil from this bright orange colored flower powerhouse has soothed irritated skin for many, many years.
I could go on, but the point is, there are truly amazing resources in nature to optimize function and healing and they WORK as hard as a high-level athlete does. So, we now know about a few plants that help facilitate recovery after trauma. The thing about trauma, often it is self-imposed or planned. Whether it be a heavy workout day, a hard practice, you gave it all at the game, you’re having a procedure, surgery, or dental work, the list goes on. Would it not make sense to prep the body to heal rather than just wait for the damage to be done and then simply mask the pain? YES! Applying the appropriate herbs proactively, and reactively BEFORE and AFTER working them supports a quicker and more thorough recovery. So, if you want to go for GOLD do your herbal homework and get mother nature on your side! It just might be the edge you need to help you in your sports recovery! Molly’s Cream from Be Rooted Botanicals is gold in a jar. Try it and see for yourself.
-Pam
