We all know that cramp bark (Viburnum opulus) is a plant with many health benefits, but did you know it can be used for cramps? It has been used as a home remedy to treat muscle and nerve pain caused by cramps since the 18th century. This blog post will discuss cramp bark’s history of use in herbal medicine, how to prepare Cramp Bark tea or tincture at home, and its effectiveness in treating cramps.
Contents
Synonym
Cramp bark is known as Viburnum Opulus, guelder-rose, and European Cranberry-Bush.
Habitat
Cramp bark is native to Europe, northern Africa, and central Asia. It grows in shady woods and along streams from Canada to Mexico eastward to Mississippi and westward into Arizona. It thrives best when planted on the moist ground near a stream or pond with some morning sun exposure. It prefers acidic soils like those found in most hardwood forests but can do well in other soil types too!
Description
Cramp bark is a deciduous shrub that grows up to six feet tall and wide. The bark has alternating thin, reddish-brown scales that peel off in strips or flakes. It blooms from April through June with white flowers clustered into flat-topped clusters, heads of many individual tiny flowers called florets.
At the base of each cluster, there will be one leafy stem coming out of the ground. It produces an edible fruit called a berry, but it can also produce seeds if pollinated by another crampbark plant – these seeds grow new cramps next year!
Part used
Crampbark leaves, flowers, and berries are used in herbal medicine.
Crampbark tea can be made by pouring boiling water over dried or fresh crampbark. To make a decoction, add the dried root to cold water in a pot, boil for 15 minutes, then simmer with the lid on for one hour. It may also be steeped as an infusion.
Traditional Uses and Benefits
This medicinal plant has been used for centuries by people around the world to relieve pain associated with muscle spasms or cramps due to various causes such as dysmenorrhea, menstrual pains, headache, backache, etc. It was mainly employed in traditional Chinese medicine – TCM – for treating female reproductive system disorders such as painful menstruation or uterine contractions.
Crampbark is an astringent used for treating menstrual cramps. It has been used to treat dysmenorrhea and uterine bleeding, as well as excessive menstruation.
Cramp bark tea is often consumed as part of treatment for cramps and menstrual cramps. The active compounds found in cramp bark have an analgesic effect on muscles experiencing spasms, causing temporary relief from the pain associated with contractions.
It is a muscle relaxant and sedative that can help with urinary incontinence, prevent seizures, reduce inflammation in the stomach lining, and might even stop diarrhea.
It may relieve migraines because of its ability to inhibit phosphodiesterase enzymes responsible for constricting blood vessels during headaches.
Cramp bark is a plant with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties traditionally used for centuries to soothe menstrual cramps.
It may help relieve stomach pain, headaches, muscle aches, or spasms by increasing the flow of oxygenated blood in your body, which helps reduce inflammation.
Cramp bark is a muscle relaxant and pain reliever. It can be ingested as a tea or applied topically to help reduce the symptoms of various types of muscle cramps, including menstrual cramps.
It may relieve migraines because of its ability to inhibit phosphodiesterase enzymes responsible for constricting blood vessels during headaches.
Cramp bark may lower blood pressure. It may help reduce the severity of high blood pressure and prevent complications such as heart disease or stroke.
Cramp bark appears to work by relaxing smooth muscles in arteries, veins, and intestines so that these important organs can function more efficiently.
It also seems to relax muscle tension near joints caused by arthritis, which is another condition for which it has been approved in Europe.
Cramp bark is an anti-inflammatory that has been used as a traditional herbal remedy to relieve inflammation and muscle spasms associated with low back pain.
Cramp’s bark acts like aspirin because both compounds are salicin derivatives with similar chemical structures! The active ingredient in cramps bark called Vitexin inhibits CO.
How to Prepare Cramp Bark Tea or Tincture
Add cramp bark leaves to a pan with hot water and simmer for about five minutes. Drink warm or cool as desired, but do not boil cramp bark tea.
To make a tincture: Combine one part cramp bark in alcohol with eight parts vodka (or other high proof liquor) by volume and let it sit at room temperature for two weeks before straining out the plant material.
Cramp bark tea can be made by pouring boiling water over dried or fresh cramp bark (Viburnum opulus). To make a decoction, add the dried root to cold water in a pot, boil for 15 minutes, then simmer with a lid on for one hour. It may also be steeped as an infusion.
Dosage and Precautions
Tea: Take a teaspoon of the dried herb in boiling water, infuse for five minutes and drink. It should be taken three times daily or as directed by your health care professional;
Tincture (herbal extract): One fluid dram every four hours, up to six doses per day. Tinctures are typically taken by adults, children, and infants (for babies under six months of age) on a teaspoonful basis.
The side-effect list includes headache, fatigue, nausea or vomiting (sometimes with diarrhea), abdominal pain, swelling in fingers or feet, difficulty breathing, fever, and a rash.
It should not be taken during pregnancy because it can stimulate uterus contractions which may cause a miscarriage or premature labor.
References
- CrampBark: Benefits, Side Effects, and Preparations. https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-viburnum-cramp-bark-88657
- CrampBark (Guelder Rose): Uses, Benefits, and Side Effects. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cramp-bark-guelder-rose
- Viburnum opulus – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guelder-rose
- Guelder Rose Facts and Health Benefits. https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/guelder-rose/
- CrampBark (Viburnum opulus) – HerbalRemediesAdvice.org. https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/viburnum-opulus.html
- How To Take Evening Primrose Oil For PMS, Does It Really Work?. https://theperiodvitamin.com/evening-primrose-oil-pms.html