Tiger Balm Pain Relieving Ointment
Tiger Balm is an ancient combination of herbs that supposedly was used on Chinese emperors. An herbalist in the early 1900s, Au Chu Kin, started marketing this product for the masses, and the lotion was named after one of his sons, whose nickname was "Tiger". The main ingredients are 11% camphor and 11% menthol. In addition, essence of clove, mint, cassia and cajuput are used.You might compare Tiger Balm with Vicks Vaporub, I know my boyfriend did :) Vicks is more of a baby sister - it only has 4.8% camphor and 2.6 menthol, plus 1.2% eucalyptus oil. This gives Vicks a decidedly different aroma. Vicks is often used on kids, so it makes sense that it would be more mild. I grew up on Vicks, I'm not saying it's bad! I'm just saying that Vicks' strong aroma / mild heat is a combo that helps me clear my sinusses when I'm sick. It's not what I want to use to soothe my killer back / shoulder aches and smell all day when my nose is working.
 | In any case, I first got hooked on Tiger Balm after going to a massage person to help me with my aching shoulders. I work very long hours and my shoulders would just kill me after a while. When she finished with the massage, she put a rub on them that tingled, felt warm, and really made them feel better. I decided I had to find some of this substance. After trying various options, I found that Tiger Balm really did the best job of giving me that warm, tingling, soothing relief from shoulder and back pain. Plus, I really like the clovey smell. |
Camphor, a key ingredient, is a herb long used for its muscle-warming abilities. It is able to heat up the skin it's put on. This means the blood vessels open up, bringing more blood to the area. This helps healing and health of the area. Because camphor is so powerful, 11% is the most you can have in a cream according to FDA regulations.
Menthol, the other main ingredient, is in essence an anesthetic. It does the numbing of the region, to reduce the pain. The Japanese have used menthol for over 2,000 years. It's derived from the mint plant. This also means it's great to use on bug bites, because it both numbs the itching and brings in blood to help the spot heal.
Finally, clove has been in high demand since the days of the early Chinese emperors and Romans. The bud of a tree, clove is both tasty and also an anesthetic. Cajuput oil is in essence the same thing, but coming from leaves of a different plant.
Highly recommended!
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