Nerve Pain Support body oil

A few years ago, during a routine blood draw by a just-learning human, the nerves in my left forearm were damaged--to the point that I lost the use of my left wrist and hand. The sharp, shooting pains in my wrist were intense and unrelenting, and the numbness in my fingers and arm were frightening. My doctor confirmed that it was nerve damage and told me that I would recover but that it could take up to 9 months to heal. Nine months without my left hand! I work for myself, with my hands, and that just wouldn't do. As an herbalist I knew about St. John's Wort's affinity for nerve pain and I also knew firsthand that my cottonwood bud infused oil was helpful for all sorts of pain, so I combined the two infused oils and started rubbing the area where the nerve pain was the worst each evening. (I also took an over-the-counter homeopathic remedy for nerve pain, because when you're in that much pain, you're inclined to throw everything at it at once just to make the pain stop.) To make a long story short, within 7 days of using the infused oils, I could use my left hand again and within 9 days the sharp, shooting, debilitating pain was completely gone.

I can't say that the infused oils will work that well for you, or that quickly, but neighbor, I sure hope it does! Sharp, shooting, unpredictable nerve pain is the worst.

To use: Run the wide rollerball end of the bottle across where the temporary, sharp, shooting nerve pain is happening. Then, using your fingers, gently rub the oil into the area. Repeat 1-3 times a day as needed. Important! Check with your doctor or other health care professional to 1) make sure that what you have is temporary nerve pain and that 2) this oil is right for you. When taken orally for prolonged periods of time, powerful St. John's Wort can interfere with certain medications, such as depression, anxiety, and birth control medications. Used topically and for short periods of time--as this oil is intended--it is less likely to interfere with medication, but you should talk with your doctor or health care professional about risks and benefits. Also, while rare, some people are allergic to cottonwood bud resin, so stop using the oil if your body doesn't like the ingredients. This oil is intended to be used for short periods of time to support temporary nerve pain relief from nerve damage caused by accident, injury, or overuse.   

Ingredients: Fresh locally grown (and gathered by us) St. John's Wort, stinging nettles, and windfall cottonwood buds infused in an organic/trusted non-organic olive oil blend, plus local rosemary essential oil from Whidbey Herbal.

Size/packaging: Reusable 1-ounce, thick glass bottle with wide rollerball top. See the Packaging page of this website for more details.

Storage & life of the product: Store your bottle in a cool, dry, dark place where direct sunlight never touches the bottle. We suggest using this body oil within 12 months of purchase when it's freshest, because the only preservative is the nature of the plants (especially the cottonwood buds) themselves. Your oil may last longer than that, too, but if at any point it doesn't smell good anymore or starts to look different, stop using it. Also, plant-infused oils have minds of their own. They may ooze a little bit (oozing is part of their nature and charm), and you may find that a tiny bit of oil pools under the bottle itself, so we recommend storing the bottle on a hard surface--like stone or metal or glass or ceramic tile--that you don't mind getting a teeny bit of oil on. 

Refills: If you live on, or visit, Whidbey Island in person, we will refill these bottles for you considerably less than the original price at the Ritual Mischief herbal studio in Langley. Some of the expense of making them is in the special apothecary bottles and the expensive shipping to get the bottles here to the island. Hugs (and yay!) to anyone willing to reuse their bottles!

Medical Disclaimer: To make well-informed decisions for yourself, seek the guidance of your qualified health professional, such your medical doctor, nurse practitioner, naturopathic physician, and/or clinical herbalist with questions regarding your medical conditions, dosage information, and possible interactions with prescription drugs (for example, St John's Wort is known to interfere with some medications in some circumstances). If you are allergic to aspirin, your body may not love the cottonwood buds in this oil. If your body doesn’t like this oil for any reason, stop using it. The information on this page is for general reference for further exploration and study. It is not intended as a replacement for professional medical advice. See the Medical Disclaimer page of this website for more details. These statements have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. In our experience, the more connected to the land and local plants we are, the better we tend to feel. Get to know the plants in this balm better--go meet them in person or read a book about them! 

Why olive oil? And tips for using olive oil as massage oil...

• Care for planet, trees, and people. We use olive oil because of its long history of loving humans/safe use with people and also this oil's well-established supply chains, which tend to be better for planet, trees, and people than most other oils used for body care today.
• Love. We love this oil, and the trees it comes from, and the people who devote their lives to its creation--people across many nation-state borders, beliefs, and persuasions.
• With olive oil, you cannot rush. This oil takes its own sweet time with human skin. It doesn't disappear immediately. Rushing doesn't work. You may have to rub it into your muscles and skin for a longer period of time than you think you have time for. This slowing down to the oil's pace may feel slow or self-indulgent if you were raised not to center your body or punished for listening to and supporting your own body in the past or if you're in a huge hurry. If you do rush, you'll likely end up with oil on your clothing, bedding, and/or furniture. Here, depending on which sore muscle we're massaging, we may change into old t-shirts or lay on old towels that we don't mind staining a bit with oil. Or rub it into feet outside and walk around in the grass for a while. Sometimes I'll rub muscles in my feet and then put an old pair of socks on and go to bed. Please take your time, rub the oil in thoroughly. We welcome the idea that this long-loved oil from old trees knows that we are worth the extra time, even when we (or other humans) don't. And, if you do rush and end up with oil on valuable clothing, bedding, or furniture, clean them thoroughly as soon as you can so the oil doesn't set and stain. Unless stains don't bother you: if that's the case, go wild! ;-)