Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to pain relief.
Heal n Soothe, alternatively referred to as Heal-n-Soothe, is an anti-inflammatory dietary supplement manufactured by a company called Livingwell Nutraceuticals. The brand describes the supplement as "Mother Nature's Feel Good Formula," and claims that "The key ingredients in Heal-n-Soothe have been proven to be highly effective in numerous clinical studies."
But does Heal n Soothe contain research-backed ingredients for pain relief? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Why is there a blood thinning warning on the brand's website? And is Heal n Soothe better or worse than popular pain relief supplements like CBD gummies?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Heal n Soothe to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for pain relief, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also highlight a concerning warning notice in fine print on the brand's website regarding blood thinning, and compare Heal n Soothe to other popular pain relief supplements, in terms of formulation quality, to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Many active ingredients are underdosed in our view
- Concerning blood-thinning warning on website
- We do not currently recommend Heal n Soothe
Enzyme Ingredient Analysis
The "Systemic enzyme blend" in Heal n Soothe is shown below:
Protease is a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein, and Heal n Soothe contains three types: protease AM, protease 6.0 and alkaline protease.
We can’t locate any research suggesting that proteases reduce pain.
In fact, a medical review published in the Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis journal has the following title which suggest this ingredient may actually increase pain: “Protease-activated receptors: how proteases signal to cells to cause inflammation and pain.”
Bromelain is another digestive enzyme that’s typically extracted from pineapple.
A 2021 medical review found that supplemental bromelain reduces the expression of several inflammatory markers, which suggests it may be effective for pain relief.
Papain is an enzyme sourced from papaya. This ingredient was shown in a 2020 clinical trial (with similar dosage to that in Heal n Soothe) to significantly reduce lower back pain in arthritis patients in combination with bromelain and an anti-inflammatory drug.
The trial participants taking papain and bromelain along with the anti-inflammatory drug experienced an 18% reduction in pain compared to the trial participants taking the anti-inflammatory drug alone.
Overall, we consider this blend somewhat likely to be effective for pain relief given the research on bromelain and papain, although we find the review suggesting that protease may actually increase pain to be concerning.
Botanical Ingredient Analysis
The botanical active ingredients in Heal n Soothe are shown below:
Boswellia serrata extract appears to be effectively dosed for pain relief at 100 milligrams (mg).
A medical review published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies journal reported that Boswellia extract is effective for pain relief at a dosing range between 100 mg and 250 mg.
Orange bioflavonoid complex is the next-listed ingredient at a dosage of 90 mg.
While citrus bioflavonoids have documented analgesic (pain-relieving) effects in medical studies, we cannot find any studies proving they’re effective at such a low dose.
The minimum dose from the clinical trials in the above-linked medical review was 150 mg per day.
Ginger root extract is included at 30 mg.
This is an effective ingredient for pain relief but may be underdosed. One of the medical studies cited on the Heal n Soothe website states the following:
“Also, the daily dosage [of ginger extract] varied from 600 to 2500 mg. Similarly, in a recent systematic review on the use of ginger in CINV, typical dosing regimens were 1–2 g of ginger.”
The manufacturer's own citation suggests the amount of ginger included in Heal n Soothe is substantially underdosed.
Yucca is clinically shown to be an effective anti-inflammatory compound. We cannot find dosing recommendations so we will consider this a potentially effective ingredient inclusion.
Turmeric is included at a dose of 60 mg, and Heal n Soothe uses raw turmeric (like what you’d find in a grocery store spice aisle) rather than turmeric extract, which is a more potent and concentrated form.
As we discussed in our review of Instaflex, studies that we could find on turmeric for pain relief use around 1,000 mg, which is over 10x the dose used in Heal n Soothe. This ingredient may be underdosed.
Alpha-lipoic acid also may be underdosed in Heal n Soothe at only 25 mg.
The minimum effective dose we could find of this compound is 400 mg from a 2021 clinical trial.
Devil’s Claw root extract is included at a dose of 30 mg.
A meta-study on this herb found that it was effective for pain reduction, but the average dose used in the analyzed trials was over 1,000 mg, which is over 30x more than the amount in Heal n Soothe.
One benefit of Heal n Soothe is that its inactive ingredients, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:
Overall, we consider this blend potentially effective for pain relief, but we consider all but one of its ingredients to be underdosed.
Does Heal n Soothe Thin the Blood?
In fine print at the bottom of the Heal n Soothe website, there are two warnings.
The first is relatively standard and instructs potential consumers to consult with their doctor prior to using this supplement if they have medical conditions.
The second, and the more concerning in our opinion, is the warning stating that Heal n Soothe may thin the blood and may not be appropriate for some consumers for this reason:
The manufacturer does not cite which ingredients are responsible for the potential blood-thinning effect, nor are we able to identify any based on our medical review of the ingredients.
We consider this to be a red flag, and definitely something worth discussing with a physician prior to using this supplement.
Questionable Research Studies Section
Update: since we published our article and called out this information, Heal n Soothe appears to have removed this section from their website.
We still believe this information is useful for potential consumers.
Upon our initial publication of this article, Heal n Soothe’s website contained a Research Studies section with claims and citations that we consider to be confusing:
As shown above, this research section stated that patients taking 400 mg per day of bromelain experienced improvement in joint discomfort.
However, as we documented in the enzyme ingredient analysis section, the average ingredient dose in Heal n Soothe's enzyme blend is only 150 mg.
The second health claim is that turmeric can inhibit formation of an enzyme that causes inflammation and pain, but the brand again failed to link to the study they were referencing and we couldn't locate it, so we had no way to verify whether this information as accurate, and at what dose turmeric has this effect.
We recommend that consumers disregard claims of efficacy made by supplement manufacturers if those claims are not clearly cited.
Heal n Soothe vs. Popular Pain Relief Supps
Here's how Heal n Soothe compares to other popular pain relief supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
CBD Gummies
While CBD is clinically shown to have analgesic effects, we consider the research on topical CBD to be more impressive than oral CBD in this regard.
CBD gummies also contain unhealthy inactive ingredients.
That being said, we do not consider there to be any immediate safety concerns with CBD use, like the potential blood-thinning risk of Heal n Soothe, so we still consider them the safer choice.
Winner: CBD Gummies
Golden Revive +
Contains research-backed active ingredients and no unhealthy additives, as we documented in our Golden Revive + reviews article.
No warnings about blood thinning or risk; we consider this to be a safer and more likely effective choice than Heal n Soothe.
Winner: Golden Revive +
Instaflex
Contains a synthetic food dye, but no acute safety risks.
Winner: Instaflex
Our Clean Anti-Inflammatory Picks
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our top anti-inflammatory supplement.
Cinnamon was shown to reduce inflammatory markers in a 2020 clinical trial. The study authors concluded that “Cinnamon could be regarded as a safe supplement to relieve pain.”
Cornbread CBD Lotion is our top anti-inflammatory skin lotion.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is clinically shown to be effectively absorbed through the skin, and CBD caused "significant improvements in pain" when applied topically in a 2020 clinical trial.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Heal n Soothe Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Contains some research-backed pain relief ingredients
- No questionable additive ingredients
- Brand offers free trial through their website
Cons:
- Some active ingredients may be underdosed
- Concerning blood thinning warning
- Brand website has questionable health claims
- Medicore Amazon reviews
- Individual dose of enzymes in mg is not listed
- One enzyme was shown in a medical review to cause pain
- Less healthy than competitor products
