I had a big basket of sore muscle creams and bruise potions but now I've nearly run out of everything and I will only be replacing all this with 4 products. Here's what I've used in the past few years.

icy hot
mineral ice
bio-freeze
blue emu & aloe oil
tiger balm
arnica gel
mineral bath soak for aches and pains
pain relief patches (various brands)
hot/cold pack

Here's the only 4 I will buy again:

biofreeze - works better than all the other menthol rubs AND doesn't stink or stain your clothes

arnica gel - makes bruises disappear in two days and doesn't hurt to rub it in like other balm products

mineral soak - requires wasting a lot of water but worth it when you are feeling super beat up

hot/cold pack - can't live without this and you only have to buy one every 5 years or so

I also read that taking arnica pills and an immune support supplement like wellness formula helps flush out toxins and speeds up muscle repair. Has anybody tried badger balm? I'm curious about that one.

If you never get this sore or bruised then consider yourself lucky or maybe you need to workout harder ; )

I make my own liniment and it works quite well for sore/stiff muscles. Once a year a make a trip to my favorite herb shop and buy:

1/2 ounce each rosemary, bay leaves, eucalyptus, and 1/4 ounce lobelia (all dry leaves).

I pour one 16 oz. bottle of rubbing alcohol in a wide mouth jar with a tight fitting lid. I put all the herbs in the alcohol, put the lid on and let it sit in a cool dark place for two weeks. Once a day, I gently turn the jar from end to end a few times to stir the herbs.

After two weeks, I strain the liniment and pour it back into the original alcohol bottle and label the bottle with the date, ingredients and the word: Liniment.

It is wonderful!

Thanks Phyllis for the recipe. Sounds great! My rolfer makes his own too but I had never really looked into doing it. I will definitely try this. I'm like the queen of muscle aches and pains from all the crazy stuff I try to do.

My dad told me to try horse liniment last weekend but the bottle he showed me clearly stated it was for horses only. I asked him if it was maybe not such a good idea to use that but he didn't seem to care. Do you know anything about that?

I have never tried horse liniment, Monica. I would think it would be too strong for our skin and may cause stinging or a rash or both. I am not sure about that. My liniment works well enough for me. Watkins also has a liniment that is very good.

Thanks Phyllis, I personally would not use it but thought I would ask. My skin is pretty sensitive so I have to be really careful about that kind of stuff. Thanks for all your help. Sounds like an all natural one is the way to go.