Wild yam / Dioscorea villosa

Increasingly taken as a remedy to relieve menopausal symptoms, wild yam has traditionally been used to ease cramps and muscle pain, especially menstrual pain and colic, throughout the body. A further key use has been in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Willow bark, White willow / Salix alba

An ancient remedy for aches and pains, fevers, and rheumatic conditions, willow bark contains aspirin-like substances. It is often thought of as the herbal equivalent of aspirin, but its mode of action is only partly the same—it cannot be used as a straightforward aspirin replacement.

Withania, Ashwagandha / Withania somniferum

Still relatively unknown in the West, withania has been prized in Ayurvedic medicine for over 4,000 years. Often compared to ginseng, withania is more of a sedative than a stimulant, its calming, restorative action helping to relieve stress and xhaustion.