I've seen mixed reviews on this tea due to the taste, but when you're desperate for relief, you'll drink a gallon of anything to make it stop. You don't need a gallon with this, luckily. I've found that the lemongrass in this tea makes it bitter if steeped too long. I tend to like to keep my tea bag in my cup, but this one I don't. I steep as long as I can before it gets too bitter, but some days I literally don't care if it's bitter or not so long as it helps. I've read that Devil's Claw and Devil's Club are used by Native Americans for pain relief. I keep a tincture of Devil's Club on hand(from Herb Pharm) and use that as needed so when I saw this tea had Devil's Claw I knew this would work. The difference between the Claw and Club is just the upper or lower part of the plant. I know the name sounds like something to avoid, but if you look it up it really isn't. Both the Claw and Club work well for internal and external use. I use this tea for migraine and menstrual pain relief and it helps. Just depends on the level of pain but since I cannot take ibuprofen and my body doesn't do well on any pain meds, I go for natural herbs and teas that do better than over the counter or prescribed measures- and this has no side effects! Fun fact- My neurologist let me know that ibuprofen will increase the frequency of migraines and tends not to work well(as I've experienced). So if you're taking over the counter measures and not getting very far, you may need to start down a different path. I mean come on, your liver is only going to take so much of the Tylenol and ibuprofen before you create other issues. I recommend grabbing The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies by Nicole Apelian, Ph.D and combine it with additional research you can do on your end, and always discuss other treatments with your doctor. It's a little work, but I went from not getting out of bed to being a functioning person again. This tea was one of those steps to wellness for me. I wish I could remove the lemongrass to steep longer, but it's still a beneficial tea. Some days I drink a cup of the pain relief tea and then a cup of the Sleep Tranquili tea blend before bed. It's a great back to back combo!
