Chinese Plant Ingredient Eases Chronic Pain

People with long term, low intensity pain found that there is a lack of analgesics for them. Most of the drugs only work against immediate or inflammatory pain. 

"We have good pain medications for acute pain: codeine or morphine, for example," Olivier Civelli, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, said.  

"We have pain medication for inflammatory pain, such as aspirin or acetaminophen. We do not have good medications for chronic pain.”

Now, a good news for these people.

Researchers have discovered a natural ingredient in an ancient Chinese plant that relieves chronic pain, including backache. 

The compound comes from the roots of the flowering Corydalis herb, a member of the poppy family. The Chinese have used it for centuries to treat pain. 

The Corydalis plant is grown primarily in central eastern China. For thousands of years, people in the Asian country have harvested the plant’s roots or tubers, ground them up and boiled them in vinegar.  The concoction, often processed into a tea, was given to treat pain.  

Although it is effective in easing all types of pain, including temporary and inflammatory joint pain, it has its greatest benefit in treating long-term nagging pain.

Researchers found that dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB), an agent isolated from the root of the plant, had a positive effect on the three primary types of human pain — acute, inflammatory, and chronic/neuropathic pain. And DHCB appears to be both effective and non-addictive in the treatment of persistent pain.