New Research: Traditional Chinese Herb May Be Effective Treatment for Chronic Pain

A new study from the University of California, Irvine, has shown that dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB), a compound derived from the Chinese herb, Corydalis yanhusuo, can help relieve chronic pain. Corydalis yanhusuo, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in China as an analgesic for patients with terminal cancer. 

"Our study reports the discovery of a new natural product that can relieve pain. This analgesic acts in animal assays against the three types of pain that afflict humans, including acute, inflammatory, and neuropathic or chronic pain," researcher Olivier Civelli said.

Traditional pain-relieving opiate drugs generally lose efficiency over time, but researchers say that DHCB does not. Although the flowering herb is a member of the poppy family, the source of opiates such as morphine, DHCB acts through the dopamine D2 receptor to regulate pain, rather than the morphine receptor.

The plant has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate pain associated with conditions like menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, headaches and back and chest pain. This is the first study to extract, identify and test DHCB.

"I was having serious leg cramps running into my feet as well. My hands would cramp up also. My accupuncurist put me on this. With 3 days my cramps had eased up. They very rarely happen at all now. They were considered severe."

This discovery is significant, because there are no other current treatments for neuropathic pain.

There presently exists treatments for acute and inflammatory pain, but not for chronic pain. "DHCB may not be able to relieve strong chronic pain, but may be used for low-level chronic pain," Civelli told the UK's Daily Mail.

"Today the pharmaceutical industry struggles to find new drugs," Civelli said. He then stated that he was excited that this natural herbal compound "shows promise as an effective pharmaceutical." Even though their study will likely be used to invent new drugs to bolster Big Pharma's profits, it is important in that it proves the efficacy of a long-used medicinal herb which can be utilized to naturally mitigate pain. (www.universityherald.com) (naturalnews.com).

Corydalis is a plant. People use the tuber and root for medicine.

Corydalis is used for mild depression, mild mental disorders, emotional disturbances, severe nerve damage, and limb tremors. It is also used as a mild sedative and tranquilizer, as a hallucinogen, to lower blood pressure, and to relax spasms in the small intestine.

For now there is a tincture that focuses on being the "ultimate pain killer for menstrual and gynaecological problems.  Swiss Herbal and their researchers say "this herb will help to relieve painful periods and also abdominal pain caused by fibroids, cysts, endometriosis or other gynaecological problems.  It also helps to relieve inflammation in the womb."

(Corydale, Corydale Bulbeuse, Corydale Creuse, Corydale à Tubercule Creux, Corydalis cava, Corydalis tuberosa, Corydalis Yanhusuo, Corydalis Yanhusuo Rhizome, Dai Ding, Early Fumitory, Fumeterre Creuse, Squirrel Corn, Yanhusuo, Yuan Hu Suo.)

For more information about how to handle chronic pain, Andrew Subieta and the clinic staff can be reached at Osteoklinika Pain Management & Rehabilitation 905.660.8810.  Also, please check our website www.osteoklinika.com for more information about Bio-Structural Integration™.