California Poppy and Skullcap: The Secret Behind Pain IQ

By: Griffin McKenzie  
Entrepreneur, Health Coach, and Blogger 

@griffinmckenzie
www.griffinmckenzie.com

Whether you’re dealing with the occasional sore muscles or chronic pain, managing your comfort is no small feat. Pain is often tied to sleep disruption and depressive symptoms (3). For those who do suffer from widespread and unceasing pain from injuries or autoimmune conditions, finding natural alternatives to NSAIDs can feel like an impossible burden. Thankfully, our PainIQ supplement contains 2 key ingredients that work with your body’s natural processes to relax muscles, calm nerve irritation, and promote mobility. At FIQ, we also believe that you should understand the components that make up your supplements so that you are more in tune with your body and the way you serve it.

First up, California Poppy. The roots, leaves, and seeds of this flower are often used in supplements, but the alkaloids chelirubine, sanguinarine, and macarpine are the main active ingredients that give it medicinal and therapeutic properties. While the poppy is distantly related to the opium poppy, have no fear, because it contains no opium! (1). It is most often used to treat insomnia, incontinence, and anxiety, and is seen as a natural alternative to narcotics. Because night pain often leads to insomnia, California Poppy serves a dual purpose by calming emotional distress and promoting healing sleep (2).

The second primary ingredient, Skullcap or Scullcap, is an herb that actually has both an American and a Chinese variant. They each treat different conditions, but the overall benefit of the plant is to reduce inflammation, provide relief from spasms, eliminate headaches, and work as a sedative. American skullcap has been used to treat anxiety, whereas Chinese scutellaria has significant anti-inflammatory effects that have been shown to help those with arthritis and IBS. Skullcap also promotes healthy sleep and reduces muscle tension (4).

Both Skullcap and California Poppy work together to alleviate pain and calm the symptoms associated with chronic pain. This combination provides comfort to those who take it, and while each individual is different, we encourage 1-2 capsules per day of our PainIQ to manage your pain in a non-addictive way.

References:

  1. https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/california-poppy-herb.html

  2. Meschino, J. P. (2013). Helping patients sleep better: California poppy; a natural alternative to narcotics, NSAIDs for night pain and associated insomnia. Dynamic Chiropractic, (6).

  3. Amir, A., & Rafizadeh, S. (2018). A Spray Supplement Improves Sleep, Pain and Depression in Mild to Moderate Chronic Pain Patients. International Journal Of Pharmacy & Life Sciences, 9(2), 5730.

  4. https://draxe.com/skullcap/