Sciatica Herbal Treatment

If you've been experiencing severe pain, numbness or pins and needles on a single side of your buttock, lower back or leg, there's a chance you've got sciatica. Sciatica occurs when one of the five sciatic nerve roots -- or the entire nerve itself -- becomes compressed or irritated. At times the condition can become so bad that you may have trouble moving the affected areas. Herbal treatments exist to battle sciatica.

Tamarind

• One ancient remedy for sciatica calls for soaking some tamarind in saltwater. Churn the mixture for a few minutes, then filter out any large specks. Boil what's left until it has the consistency of a paste. Let the paste cool down until it is comfortably warm. Apply the paste, gently, to the affected areas.

Mustard Oil

• Chop up three to four garlic seeds or cloves into small pieces, then mix them with 50 milligrams of mustard oil in a small pot. On a stovetop, heat up the mixture until the garlic gains a reddish color. While the mixture is still hot (but not scalding), apply it to the affected areas for relief.

Castor Oil

• One herbal remedy calls for the gentle rubbing of castor oil into the affected area. Massage the oil in, gently and slowly, over 30 minutes or so twice a day for a week.

Wintergreen Tea

• Try drinking wintergreen tea. Wintergreen contains methyl salicylate, a natural pain reliever. It has been used for centuries as an herbal treatment for sciatica. If wintergreen tea isn't working, try wintergreen creams or ointments (available in any herbal store); according to herbalists, absorption through the skin is more effective than absorption through the stomach (see references).