The best thing I've found for muscle pain (Tiger Balm)

Member Name: Klytemnestra

Product:	Tiger Balm
Date:	18/07/09 (268 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic topical analgesic and a good decongestant

Disadvantages: Severe irritant if it gets on the wrong bits, and can stain clothing

Essential for any medical cabinet, I have found Tiger Balm to be very useful for muscle pain and as a decongestant. Other people have reported that it is useful for joint pain and insect bites. Before you rush off to slather it all over yourself, however, make sure you read the precautions at the end of this article. I have given Tiger Balm four stars because, while it's excellent stuff, it can be a little inconvenient to use, and can have unpleasant effects if used improperly.

WHERE TO BUY

Although other reviews mention a milder orange tiger balm, I have only ever found it in red and white, so possibly they're talking about another brand. Do be careful to avoid copies, such as Wild Tiger. Tiger Balm should be in a hexagonal glass jar with an embossed lid in a dull gold colour, and a label where the tiger jumps from right to left. The most common size is 19g, though I have also found 30g. This jar comes in a little cardboard box, also covered with the tiger logo and other designs. Both jars that I have tried are a handy size, and unless you're going to be using a lot of it, the smaller jar should last you for years. I've thrown it around in drawers and knocked it off shelves, and I've never had any leakages or breakages. Indeed, you need to put your nose right to the jar to smell anything at all, so I think it's pretty well sealed and would be safe to toss into your luggage for travel.

It is fairly easy to find in chemists, health food shops, and oriental food shops. The price varies but is generally a few pounds. Since one jar will last me for over a year, I don't start fussing about whether it was £3 or £5. Check to see whether it is red or white, as the packaging is very similar, and some shops will only stock one type.

I've never heard of Tiger Balm going off, although I would guess that the essential oils that are its active ingredients could deteriorate with age. The best before date on the base of the jars I have is about three years after purchase.

INGREDIENTS

Red Tiger Balm

Menthol 10%
Camphor 25% (note that I have some older red tiger balm which has only 11% camphor)
Cajuput oil 7%
Cinnamon oil 5%
Clove oil 5%
Dementholised mint oil 6%
Base: yellow soft paraffin, hard paraffin

White Tiger Balm

Camphor 11%
Menthol 8%
Clove oil 1.5%
Cajuput oil 13%
Also contains dementholised mint oil
Base: yellow soft paraffin, hard paraffin

WHAT IT IS

Originating in the Far East, Tiger Balm is basically a form of aromatherapy. However, where aromatherapy uses essential oils in dilutions that usually range from 0.5% to 5%, Tiger Balm uses up to 58% essential oils. It's starting from the same principles, but turning into an entirely different animal. Aromatherapy products tend to be quite gentle. Gentle is one thing that Tiger Balm is not! It is highly pungent, with a camphor/spicy base overlaid with cinnamon for the red ointment and mint for the white, and its effects are immediate and strong. You can look up the aromatherapy profiles of the individual oils if you want to learn more. They're all good analgesics, but some are more effective than others when it comes to, say, being a good decongestant. No tigers are involved, and come to that it isn't tested on animals, nor does it contain any animal ingredients.

BASE

The base is paraffin, which is in itself fairly innocuous, although unlike vegetable oils it sits on the skin rather than being wholly absorbed. It is an ointment, slightly greasy to the touch. The red Tiger Balm looks startlingly like earwax when it's applied, and can stain clothing orange. Both ointments can leave clothing smelling strongly, and while the white Tiger Balm doesn't leave a coloured stain, I still don't know whether the paraffin base would wash out of all fabrics. So don't use it when you're about to put on your best silk shirt! I've always used it with darker clothing, generally cotton, and it's washed out fine.

USES

The best-known use of Tiger Balm is as a topical analgesic. I've only ever used it for muscle pain, although I know some people swear by it for joint pain. The red is generally considered to be the stronger, and is more useful for this.

It also makes a good decongestant. This is where the white tiger balm is more suitable, probably because of its higher level of cajuput oil. You can use it as a chest rub or put a little in hot water to use as an inhalant, similar to Vick's or Olbas oil (which have similar ingredients). I started a cold and sore throat the night before last, and have found that rubbing white tiger balm on my chest and back is doing a fine job of keeping them at bay. (Although I'm also downing the odd Sudafed and using Weleda's Medicinal Gargle, so this is pretty anecdotal as evidence goes.)

White tiger balm may also be used if there is a need to avoid staining fabric or having earwax-coloured skin. The one useful thing about that orange stain, on the other hand, is that if you're applying Tiger Balm to someone else in large areas, it makes it easier to see where you've already covered. My partner brought thirty crates of books along four flights of stairs and a bit of a walk in the middle when he moved in, and I was putting Tiger Balm on his back for a week!

Some people use Tiger Balm for headaches. I'm perfectly happy to put it on the back of my neck, but I prefer not to put it on my face for safety reasons. You can always put a bit of Tiger Balm on a tissue and sniff at it, as the aroma may help a little.

APPLICATION

I advise using gloves for this (see warning at end). I bought a box of disposable nitrile ones.

Make sure that any clothing or bed linen which will be near the affected area won't mind getting Tiger Balm on it. If necessary, tie your hair back. As I currently have Tiger Balm on my chest, neck and upper back, I have put my hair into two plaits, as I reckon the Tiger Balm is least likely to get into my hair that way. Remember that you will smell strongly of the stuff, which may not be the best idea if you're about to go out, or if you're going to bed and your partner doesn't want to be inhaling Tiger Balm all night. (If necessary, point out to your partner that they could listen to you snuffling/moaning in pain all night instead.) I'd advise against putting on Tiger Balm if you're about to go outside on a cold day, as it will suddenly feel very cold indeed.

Scoop out a little of the ointment and rub it into the affected area. It will take a minute or two before you feel it, so you don't need to go wild applying half the jar while you wait for it to kick in. Red Tiger Balm will feel hot (unless you then go outside on a cold day, at which point it will feel freezing cold), and white Tiger Balm will feel cold. There may be a reddening of the skin as the blood rushes to the surface. The action is quite similar to deep heat rubs, although it is usually a lot more effective! The heat/cold sensation will go away eventually. I've never timed it, but I'd guess that it lasts for around an hour. There is usually a numbing sensation. It helps to break the vicious circle of pain - muscle tension in response - more pain, as the effect is usually strong enough to cause muscles to relax. That said, the feeling it produces is quite stimulating, which is something to bear in mind if you want to put it on at bedtime.

If you used disposable gloves, take them off and bin them, being careful not to touch the ointment. If you didn't, wash your hands carefully, preferably with soap and a nailbrush. Sniff your fingers to check that there isn't any Tiger Balm left. I've known it to crawl through a glove only once or twice, probably due to a small hole in the glove or dealing with an awful lot of tiger balm. It's persistent stuff.

I usually apply Tiger Balm once or twice a day, occasionally more often if I really need it and can be bothered.

WARNING

On ordinary skin, Tiger Balm produces a strong feeling of heat or cold and may produce a numbing sensation. On mucous membranes, it's agony, and the ointment is very difficult to remove. There are horror stories about men who forgot to wash it off their hands before going to the toilet. I don't like using it on my face, partly because even if it's on the temples it can make your eyes water like mad, and partly because people touch their faces quite often, and the last thing you want to do is smear it into your eyes.

If your beloved is about to hug or kiss you, warn them in time! You'd think they wouldn't be able to miss it, but I caught my rather sleepy boyfriend with his nose inches away from my Tiger Balmed shoulder this morning. It's not as ghastly as getting it in your eyes or private parts, but it still makes your lips tingle more than is pleasant.

I would classify myself as having very sensitive skin with a slight tendency to eczema. I've never had a problem with Tiger Balm myself, but I'd always advise caution, so patch test with a small amount first if you're in any doubt.

GENERAL REPUTATION

Some people are understandably cautious about using alternative medicines. Tiger Balm is one of the good ones. It's extremely widely used and well-respected in the Far East, and has a pretty good reputation by now in the West as well. If you were to tell your pain clinic that you're trying Tiger Balm, they're more likely to say, "Oh yes, fabulous stuff," than to look at you in bewilderment or drop dead in horror.

Summary: Natural pain relief that is also well-respected by orthodox medicine