(Viburnum opulus; 250 mg/ml)

• used to relieve cramps, including muscle spasms, menstrual cramps, and cramps during pregnancy
• used as a uterine relaxant to help prevent miscarriage
• used for control of nervous bowel and colicky pain from the gut (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome)

Native to both Europe and North America, crampbark stands out as a herb with a long history of medicinal application on both sides of the Atlantic. Indeed, its very name implies its therapeutic usefulness in a very descriptive fashion.

Leading Eclectic physicians make reference to crampbark’s effectiveness “in relaxing cramps and spasms of all kinds.”

Herbal practitioner Simon Mills gives an exceptionally lucid explanation of crampbark’s therapeutic scope and versatility: “Cramp bark is used by the herbalist as a specific for relaxing muscle tension. Its name suggests one of its most popular applications; however, it is most appreciated in practice for its ability to control the many forms of visceral tension encountered in modern life. It plays a useful part in the control of nervous bowel, asthma, colicky pain from the gut, gall-bladder or urinary system, migraine, poor circulation following neuromuscular tension and spasm of the arterial musculature, difficulty in swallowing, convulsions in children, spasmodic dysmenorrhoea, and so on. It works more on such smooth muscle than on skeletal tissues, possibly through central relaxant mechanisms as much as directly on the tissues concerned. Its role is clearly not a restorative one as such, but cramp bark is excellent in the management of a functional disorder, perhaps allowing time for physiological habits to be broken, for normal underlying tone in a structure to be re-established, or simply for relief and rest from a disturbing pattern of reaction. True restoration is more likely to occur under such circumstances.”

In his monograph on crampbark, herbalist David Hoffmann explains that this plant has nervine, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic properties and that, “As implied by the name, cramp bark has a richly deserved reputation for relaxing muscular tension and spasm. It has two primary areas of use: cramps of the voluntary muscles and uterine muscle problems. Cramp bark relaxes the uterus and thus relieves painful menstrual cramps (dysmenorrheal). In a similar way, it may be used to protect against threatened miscarriage.”

Administration:
40-120 drops (1.3-4 ml), three times daily, in a mouthful of water, on an empty stomach

Contraindications and Cautions:
Consult a health care provider prior to use during pregnancy. Consult a health care provider if you are taking blood thinners or are hypotensive.

A NOTE ON TINCTURES

Tinctures are more readily absorbed by the body and have a high degree of bio-availability. As well, they have a long shelf life.

Sometimes people ask us why tinctures are alcohol-based. There are very good reasons. Alcohol is critically important in the extraction of an herb's medicinal ingredients. It also helps to stabilize and preserve them. Alcohol is the ideal carrier substance, conveying the therapeutic goodness of the herb to the body. In itself, too, science has proven that alcohol enhances the immune system and its defences.

As for the amount of alcohol taken in an average dose of tincture, you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s about the same as what you’d find in an overly ripe banana!

Tinctures remain the most practical way to take advantage of the amazing, health-giving power of herbs.