Corydalis, an ancient Chinese herb, has been used medicinally for hundreds of years. The roots of the plant contain a pain-reliever known as dehydrocorybulbine, or DHCB, which can be found in stores as an extract or supplement.
The reason the Corydalis root is so good as a pain-reliever is because it is a very effective treatment that doesn’t decrease in effectiveness with use. Our bodies get used to routine. We become less receptive to what we put in our bodies with age. But the Corydalis root continually keeps the body happy.
Feeling Better
It does this by stimulating dopamine receptors. The Corydalis is a member of the poppy family, but unlike most opiates (which stimulate morphine receptors) Corydalis binds to dopamine receptors. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, as well as emotional responses.
This, essentially, is the pain relief you get. The chemical actions Corydalis plays in your body are to make your brain release dopamine, for feelings of euphoria and ease of muscles.
Olivier Civelli of the University of California, Irvine, says that Corydalis is now being looked at as an analgesic that treats the three types of pain that afflicts humans: acute, inflammatory, and neuropathic or chronic pain.
Herbalome Project
Because the study was part of the ‘herbalome’ project, wherein chemical components of traditional Chinese medicine are being catalogued, Civelli mentioned that this age-old plant is a “new form of pain reliever.”
The root and its extract have been prescribed to treat pain including headaches and back pain, but it can be used for so much more. The researchers who went looking for the Corydalis compounds found that they appeared likely to act in a manner similar to morphine. Without acting through morphine receptors.
Which is important because opiates and morphine receptor stimulation often lead to addiction, mental health issues, and pain that is often worse than the original pain they were prescribed for.
While DHCB (or Corydalis extracts) works against all types of pain, they hold a special treat for those suffering persistent, low-level chronic pain. It will stay effective even with extended use for a dull or low-level chronic pain, which is an important differenciator.
Dr Civelli says: “We have good pain medications for acute pain – codeine or morphine, for example. We have pain medication for inflammatory pain, such as aspirin or acetaminophen. We do not have good medications for chronic pain. DHCB may not be able to relieve strong chronic pain, but may be used for low-level chronic pain.”
Chronic Pain, Meet Constant Relief
Of course further testing is necessary, but right now you’re safe to use Corydalis extract for pain like chronic headaches or back pain.
Not a supplement to be added to a daily regimen of warm lemon-water, coconut oil pulling, apple cider vinegar shakes, and whole, holistic foods, but good to know about for when pain strikes.
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