Jen's Den

I'm not in the habit of frequently endorsing products in print, but there are always exceptions. In this case, the product that I am totally gaga over is a homeopathic lotion called The Rub. Actually, it's The Arnica Rub, but the word "Arnica" is in tiny letters on the label so it looks like "The Rub."

The Rub has earned a permanent place of honor on my bathroom counter.

This stuff is amazing. At least, it works for me and my partner and several friends who have tried it. The label says "Arnica Cream for sore muscles and injury treatment." It's used to treat "stiffness, injuries, muscle and back pain, bruises and sprains." It's petroleum-free and doesn't contain menthol, so it's not one of those potent-smelling liniments like Ben-Gay.

I have arthritis in my hip, wrists, back and neck, congenital bone spurs in my neck, and degenerative lumbar disk disease, and as I approach the archetypal "senior" age (55), it's all getting worse. When my hip flares up or I've been on my feet too long and my low back is screaming, I rub on some of The Rub. I swear (and no, they're not paying me to say this, and I did not get a free bottle), this stuff really does help (me). It doesn't make the pain go away completely (I fear only narcotics would do that, and I try to stay away from them), but it does take a significant edge off the pain, and it lasts several hours so I can get back to sleep when my hip pain wakes me in the middle of the night.

It's a bit pricey ($9.99 for a 4-ounce bottle at Eureka Natural Foods) but it is so worth it, and a little goes a long way.

When I first saw it on the shelf, I wasn't sure that something applied externally could get to the pain centers of my brain in sufficient quantity to help. Then it dawned on me that if narcotics could be absorbed through the skin, as was the morphine patch my father was given when he was dying of leukemia, so could Belladonna and Leopard's Bane.

So, I took a chance and invested a few bucks in myself for a change. (Hey, at least it wasn't something I fell for in a late-night infomercial ... for a change.)

The Rub's ingredients, and their common names, are Arnica montana (Leopard's Bane), Aconitum napellus (Monk's Hood), Belladonna (Nightshade), Calendula officinalis (Garden Marigold), Hamamelis virginica (Witch Hazel), Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort), Ruta graveolens (Rue) and Symphytum officinale (Comfrey).

I suppose I should include this disclaimer here: The Times-Standard and/or MediaNews Group and/or Jen Morey, author of Jen's Den, assume no responsibility or liability for any negative reaction to the above-mentioned product by any reader of this blog.

Like I said, it works for me. If it doesn't work for you, give it to someone else to try. And in case you're wondering, it has a very mild, slightly herbal scent and those who use it don't leave a trail of fumes in their wake.

If you try it and like it, or not, let me know what you think. I will continue to share my personal experiences with other such products here, as I have successes or failures with them. I am a firm believer in trying the natural approach first, as humans have used such plants for thousands of years and, until they were persecuted as witches and had to hide their practices, a village medicine woman or man was the most respected and wisest person in town for very good reasons -- they knew what worked.