"Biofreeze" topical pain reliever ?

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Chip

Chip

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Was out yesterday with a VERY active, recently semi retired couple. The woman is a Nurse Practioner who had managed the group my RN wife works for. Anyway, she's no quack. She swears by this Biofreeze stuff. I'm wondering if anyone here has tried it ?

"BIOFREEZE contains an herbal extract from a South American holly shrub. ILEX is used around the world in various health and wellness formulations. The result is a fast-acting, deep penetrating, long lasting pain reliever. BIOFREEZE can effectively help relieve pain from sore muscles, muscle sprains, back, shoulder, neck pain, arthritis, painful ankle, knee, hip and elbow joints, and muscular strains."
 
The active ingredient is menthol. It could very well work as she describes. Same stuff that's in Tiger Balm, IcyHot, Vicks Vaporub, etc. Worth trying if you like, menthol is pretty much nontoxic. It has been in use as a local anesthetic for a long, long time.
 
Hmmm. Looking at the MSDS, the only ingredients listed are menthol, glycerine (generally used as a carrier matrix since it's viscous and of low toxicity), and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol - probably there to keep the menthol soluble). They also list menthol as the key ingredient for their explanation of mechanism of action. Their mechanism of action explanation seems reasonable to me - menthol is a known agonist of TRPM8, which is responsible for cold sensation. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is some newly discovered breakthrough that the "doctors don't want you to know about..." There's refreshingly little of that kind of crap on their website, thankfully. They're selling a new formulation, not a new active ingredient. But formulation can greatly affect efficacy, so as I said, probably worth a try if it's not exhorbitantly expensive. I didn't see any mention of ILEX, what is that?
 
from their Practioner's FAQs;

" Q: What is Ilex?

A: Ilex is an inactive ingredient in Biofreeze used to achieve a non greasy texture

Q: How is the Ilex in Biofreeze extracted from the holly shrub?

A: Ilex is brewed from the holly leaf and then evaporated to form a powder."


So I guess Ilex is no big deal in the mixture, though the Amazon pages feature the incredient. Homeopathic perhaps. Who knows. I wouldn't give it a second thought except this woman, who's opinion/experience I trust, spoke so highly of it. We'll see. I've wasted $15 on lesser causes.
 
It would be nice to know if this product also alleviates the strong menthol or wintergreen odor, which is prevalent with Icy Hot, Ben Gay, Flexall, Vics Vaporub, Atomic Balm and other products of this type.

It would be a big selling point in my book.
 
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Chip said:
Was out yesterday with a VERY active, recently semi retired couple. The woman is a Nurse Practioner who had managed the group my RN wife works for. Anyway, she's no quack. She swears by this Biofreeze stuff. I'm wondering if anyone here has tried it ?
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CHiP - I also know a very reliable physical therapist that prefers this muscle ointment as well.

I rarely use any of these (couple times a year), but I have used Biofreeze a few times and IMO it works as well as any other. I did not feel it was a new breakthrough nor did I feel I was sold "snake oil." Marginally better than Ben Gay or Icy Hot.....not as good as a product I recall as "Red Hot" from 20 years ago but this was based on a few times only and primarily for calf muscle issues.
 
"ilex" is the Latin name for holly.

Listing as an "inactive ingredient" prevents them from being prosecuted for promoting its use as a drug. They'd like you to believe that their holly extract ("used in wellness formulations for years") makes a difference in the efficacy of their product, but they can't prove it to the FDA's satisfaction.

Menthol works OK as a local analgesic / distraction. It doesn't do anything to relieve cramps or loosen joints - in particular it doesn't cause any change in temperature - , but some people swear it makes them feel better. The advertising for Icy Hot is hogwash ("goes on icy to dull the pain, hot to relax it away"), so this new product is joining a long tradition :)
 
DougPaul said:
Oops--sorry. Just a misread of the word "menthol" on my part...

Thanks for catching it. Post on the toxicity of methanol deleted.
Doug
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Did one of you guys update the Wiki page ? ;) (There's a warning there now.)

marty said:
It would be nice to know if this product also alleviates the strong menthol or wintergreen odor, which is prevalent with Icy Hot, Ben Gay, Flexall, Vics Vaporub, Atomic Balm and other products of this type.

It would be a big selling point in my book.
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She mentioned that as a "plus" of this product, so perhaps that was the big selling point for her. I've never used any of these products but wouldn't mind having a "quick relief" option available as I get older.
 
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Assuming that this ointment is made with Ilex paraguariensis, I checked the wiki page on Yerba mate, which is also made from leaves of that shrub/tree. The section on Xanthines (caffeine, theobromine and theophylline) suggests that in combination, they have a relaxing effect on smooth muscle tissue, and a stimulating effect on myocardial tissue.

It's not clearly cited, but if true it could explain the use of Ilex paraguariensis in Biofreeze. I'd be interested in trying it out sometime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate
 
marty said:
It would be nice to know if this product also alleviates the strong menthol or wintergreen odor, which is prevalent with Icy Hot, Ben Gay, Flexall, Vics Vaporub, Atomic Balm and other products of this type.

It would be a big selling point in my book.
Click to expand...

I've had a chance to use this a couple times now. There is a menthol smell, but not overwhelming at all and it does dissipate, I'd say very quickly. I would say this is a good product for sore/pulled muscles, even arthritis/tendon type pain and I would apply this maybe a 1/2 hour before deciding how much aleve/advil to take, especially if you're concerned about how much aleve/advil type meds you're taking. Note: this is the first product of this type I've used, so I'm not sure how much, if any, better it is than similar products, but it was highly recommended and I've had a good experience with it. I got a shipment of the Gel - 5 gram Travel Packets (36) for $15 on amazon. The gel is paraben free, and goes on a bit gloppy, but is easy to apply/control.
 
Chip said:
I've had a chance to use this a couple times now. There is a menthol smell, but not overwhelming at all and it does dissipate, I'd say very quickly. I would say this is a good product for sore/pulled muscles, even arthritis/tendon type pain and I would apply this maybe a 1/2 hour before deciding how much aleve/advil to take, especially if you're concerned about how much aleve/advil type meds you're taking. Note: this is the first product of this type I've used, so I'm not sure how much, if any, better it is than similar products, but it was highly recommended and I've had a good experience with it. I got a shipment of the Gel - 5 gram Travel Packets (36) for $15 on amazon. The gel is paraben free, and goes on a bit gloppy, but is easy to apply/control.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing this. How long a period of time is the pain relieved after using it. I have some chronic knee. I have some chronic knee pain and I notice that if I can get it to be pain free, I can hike "stronger" because I don't guard it nearly as much.
Just ordered 3 tubes and 5 travel packs from Amazon with free shipping.
 
I just picked up a number of small packets from my massage therapist that I keep in my first-aid kit. I've used it a lot over the years.
 
Im a massage therapist and I use Biofreeze and have switched over to Tiger Balm Ultra Strength. I like Tiger Balm better because it tends to heklp the muscles actually relax. I feel like it gets deeper that biofreeze. Biofreeze makes a roll on that is great for the backpack.
 
I like to use Bigeloil for sore muscles after a hike. So what if it is made for horses, I find it works for my tired aching muscles. You don't smell like a horse though, it has a nice lemon fragrance to it. It does sting a bit when you first put it on but it has a fairly long lasting effect.
 
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