Pure Integrative
Pure Integrative Tendon & Repair Lotion - 2oz
Pure Integrative Tendon & Repair Lotion - 2oz
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A 10-herb Chinese formula for the old injuries that ache when the weather turns.
Description
A handcrafted herbal liniment built for chronic musculoskeletal complaints: old strains, lingering joint stiffness, and connective tissue that hasn't fully come back online. The formula leans on warming herbs that support local circulation and address what Chinese medicine reads as the cold-damp pattern behind long-standing aches. External use only.
What it does
- Supports recovery from chronic tendon and ligament injuries
- Helps ease stiffness and ache in old strains, joints, and overworked connective tissue
- Designed for pain that feels worse in cold or damp weather
- Warms the area and supports local circulation
Use it for
- Old sports injuries that linger
- Chronic shoulder, elbow, knee, hip, or ankle aches
- Plantar fasciitis, Achilles soreness, tennis or golfer's elbow
- Stiff joints that feel worse in cold or damp conditions
- Connective tissue that's been slow to recover after a long-ago injury
When NOT to use it
This formula is for chronic, cold-pattern pain. If your situation looks like any of the below, reach for the Bruise & Recovery Liniment instead:
- Fresh injuries in the first 24-48 hours
- Anything red, hot, swollen, or visibly inflamed
- Acute sprains and strains
The acute formula is cooling. This one is warming. They're a matched set.
How to use
Shake the bottle. Apply to the affected area and massage gently with firm, circular motions until absorbed. Use 1-2 times daily, more as needed. Wash your hands thoroughly after every application.
About the herbs
This sits in the Chinese herbal category of formulas that warm the channels, dispel wind-cold-damp, and move stuck blood. The category traditional Chinese medicine reaches for when pain has set in deep and won't quite clear.
The two aconites (Cao wu, Chuan wu) are the powerhouse warming pain herbs in the TCM materia medica. Camphor (Zhang mu) penetrates the tissues. Pyrite (Zi ran tong) is the classical mineral medicine for knitting bone and sinew, used in TCM trauma medicine for centuries. Mo yao, Ru xiang, and Tao ren move stuck blood. Da huang adds a touch of cooling so the formula doesn't run too hot. Lu lu tong opens the channels so everything reaches where it needs to go.
For a deeper dive, read The 10 herbs in our Tendon & Repair Lotion (and the aconite safety story).
Full ingredients
Alcohol (solvent), Cao wu (wild aconite root, processed), Chuan wu (Sichuan aconite root, processed), Tao ren (peach kernel), Ma huang (ephedra), Zi ran tong (pyrite), Mo yao (myrrh resin), Ru xiang (frankincense resin), Da huang (Chinese rhubarb root), Lu lu tong (sweetgum fruit), Zhang mu (camphor wood).
Important cautions
This formula contains aconite. It needs more care than a standard liniment. Please read before using.
- External use only. The base is alcohol. Do not ingest.
- Do not apply to broken skin, open wounds, or mucous membranes.
- Do not apply heat (heating pads, hot showers, sauna, hot tubs) to the area after using. Heat increases absorption of aconite.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after every application.
- Avoid contact with eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Keep absolutely out of reach of children.
- Not for use during pregnancy or while nursing.
- Consult your healthcare provider before using if you have cardiac arrhythmias, heart disease, or take cardiac medications (digoxin, beta-blockers, antiarrhythmics).
- If you take blood thinners (warfarin, regular aspirin therapy), talk to your provider before regular use.
- Do not use on areas with reduced sensation (peripheral neuropathy, post-surgical numbness).
- If pain worsens or the area becomes red, hot, or swollen, stop using this and switch to the Bruise & Recovery Liniment, the cooling counterpart designed for acute inflammation.
- Discontinue immediately if you notice numbness, tingling, palpitations, dizziness, or any unusual reaction.
If you're under the care of a licensed acupuncturist or integrative provider, loop them in before starting regular use. This is a clinical-grade formula, and your provider can tell you whether it fits your pattern.
Pairs well with
The chronic warming formula works hand in hand with its acute cooling counterpart. The Bruise & Recovery Liniment is what you reach for when something is fresh, hot, or swollen. Get both together with 15% off in the Athletic Recovery Duo Bundle.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the Bruise & Recovery Liniment?
Both are topical liniments, but they're built for opposite patterns of pain. The Bruise & Recovery Liniment is cooling, formulated for acute injuries with heat, redness, and swelling (fresh bruises, sprains, post-workout soreness). The Tendon & Repair Lotion is warming, formulated for chronic pain that feels worse in cold or damp weather (old injuries, tendinopathy, stiff joints, arthritis). If your situation involves recent swelling or active inflammation, start with the Bruise & Recovery first.
Is it safe with my blood pressure, heart, or blood thinner medications?
Talk to your healthcare provider before regular use if you take cardiac medications (digoxin, beta-blockers, antiarrhythmics) or blood thinners (warfarin, daily aspirin). The aconite alkaloids in this formula can theoretically interact with cardiac conduction, and the blood-moving herbs (Mo yao, Ru xiang, Tao ren) can theoretically affect clotting. Topical absorption from a small application area is low, but conservative caution is appropriate.
How long until I feel something working?
For chronic stiffness, most people notice a warming, looser sensation within 10-20 minutes of application. For meaningful change in a long-standing tendinopathy or joint issue, expect 3-6 weeks of consistent twice-daily use, paired with whatever stretching or rehab work your provider has you doing. This is a support, not a cure.
Will it stain or leave residue?
Like the Bruise & Recovery Liniment, this can leave faint yellow-orange marks on light fabric. Let it fully absorb before getting dressed. The residue is light and the scent is warm and woody (camphor and frankincense are the dominant notes).
Can I use heat on the area at all, ever?
Not within 4-6 hours of applying this. Heat increases skin absorption of aconite, which is the safety concern. Wait at least 4-6 hours before using a heating pad, hot shower, sauna, or hot tub on the treated area. Once the lotion has fully absorbed and that window has passed, heat is fine.
Why aconite? Isn't that poisonous?
Raw aconite (Cao wu and Chuan wu in their unprocessed form) is one of the more toxic plants in the materia medica, and it deserves the cautionary reputation it has. Properly processed aconite, which is what's in this formula, goes through a centuries-old preparation that dramatically reduces alkaloid toxicity while keeping the warming, pain-relieving properties intact. In TCM clinical practice, processed aconite is a staple of formulas for chronic, deep, cold pain and has been for thousands of years. Topical use, on intact skin, in a small application area, with the cautions on this page followed, is the safest end of the safety profile. The warnings on this page exist to keep you firmly on that safe side.
Is this safe to use long-term?
For ongoing chronic conditions, intermittent use (a few weeks on, a few weeks off) is more typical than continuous daily use indefinitely. If you find yourself using it daily for more than 4-6 weeks, check in with a licensed acupuncturist or integrative provider who can assess whether your pattern is still appropriate for this formula. Long-standing chronic pain often shifts categories over time (cold-pattern can become heat-pattern with enough warming), and the right formula shifts with it.
Size: 2 fl oz (60 ml) | Vendor: Pure Integrative
Reference: Bensky D, Clavey S, Stöger E. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed. Eastland Press, 2004.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, are pregnant or nursing, or take prescription medications.
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