One of the oldest natural healing sciences, Ayurveda is believed to have originated in India around 5,000 years ago. Known as the “Science of Life”, its roots are found in traditional Indian Vedic scriptures. Passed on as an oral tradition, Ayurveda is a one-of-a-kind holistic healing therapy in the sense that it takes into consideration not just a person’s physical issues visible on the outside, but also the mental, emotional, spiritual, seasonal and social environments that could be affecting their wellbeing.

Ayurveda makes use of herbs (plant extracts) and minerals found in nature for treatment of various ailments. When it comes to pain relief, Ayurveda addresses every cause from degenerative musculoskeletal conditions as well as problems arising out of inflammation and injuries. There are also various Ayurvedic remedies to treat different types of headaches which may be induced by stress, inflammation, congestion or allergies.

Ayurvedic balms are the most commonly used products for symptomatic pain relief. The most widely used herbs to treat joint pains and headaches are menthasatva (peppermint oil), eucalyptus oil, gaultheria oil, clove oil, and capsaicin extracts among many others.

Menthol works as a counterirritant in the manner that creates a cooling sensation to distract from the pain. Eucalyptus oil contains excellent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties make it not just a miracle herb to in pain relief but also in relieving upper respiratory tract infections. Gaultheria oil, also known as Wintergreen Oil, contains an aspirin-like natural ingredient called ‘methyl salicylate’ which works as a counterirritant to relieve swelling and pain in the underlying tissue. While clove oil contains flavonoids that ease soreness and swelling of joints or overworked muscles, capsaicin extracts relieve pain by causing a heating effect that reduces the amount of chemicals that act as pain messengers in the body.

Used as ingredient in balms, these herbs also aid relief when used during steam inhalation. For e.g. when applied to the forehead, nose and chest during steam intake, menthol helps soothe nasal passages, eucalyptus helps reduce and loosens mucus and Gaultheria helps reduce headaches and promotes easier breathing.

Zandu Pain Relief, which contains an impressive repertoire of products like Zandu Balm (India’s No.1* balm), Zandu Ultra Power Balm, Zandu Roll On and Zandu Ortho Vedic Oil among others, is based on the Ayurvedic properties of healing. Zandu are time tested and have a proud legacy of 110 years as India’s leading pain relief brand. It’s products made with herbal formulations that symptomatically treat indications of various joint pains and aches without causing any side effects.