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, or are these just marketing claims? Does the supplement contain any questionable additive ingredients? How do real users rate and describe the effects of Heal n Soothe? And what retailer sells the supplement for the best price?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Heal n Soothe based on medical studies to give our take on whether it's likely to be effective for pain relief or if it's a waste of money.
Because this supplement contains a large number of ingredients, we'll break our ingredient analysis into two sections: Enzyme Ingredients and Botanical Ingredients.
We'll also share real, unsponsored user reviews of Heal n Soothe and highlight a concerning warning notice in fine print on the brand's website regarding blood thinning.
Enzyme Ingredient Analysis
The enzyme blend in Heal n Soothe is shown above, and contains five active ingredients: three types of protease, bromelain and papain.
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 cannot find any information on Heal n Soothe’s website explaining why they use three different types of this enzyme, or what the relative benefits are.
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 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.
The dose of each enzyme used in the trial was 250 mg daily, and the average ingredient dose in Heal n Soothe's blend is 150 mg, so it seems dosed within a similar range.
Overall, we consider this blend somewhat likely to be effective given the research on bromelain and papain, although we find the review suggesting that protease may actually increase pain to be concerning.
But do the botanical ingredients in Heal n Soothe have research backing? We'll analyze those ingredients after sharing some real user reviews of the supplement.
Real People Try Heal n Soothe
One of the most popular YouTube reviews of Heal n Soothe is published by a channel called Naturally Made Essentials. The creator shares her experience using the supplement and explains whether it relieved pain:
A TikTok creator named "Moorepillowtalk" had a more favorable review of Heal n Soothe:
@moorepillowtalk #customerreview #healnsoothe #livingwell #achesandpains #walk #run #viral #amazon ♬ original sound - Moorepillowtalk
Botanical Ingredient Analysis
The botanical active ingredients in Heal n Sooth are shown above.
Boswellia serrata extract appears to be effectively dosed for pain relief at 150 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.
Citrus 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 90 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 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, which is another anti-inflammatory dietary supplement, 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 50 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.
While there are a number of research-backed ingredients in this botanical blend, we're unimpressed with the formulation and only consider one of these active ingredients to be effectively dosed based on a review of medical studies.
One benefit of Heal n Soothe is that its inactive ingredients (like rice hull concentrate) are safe and non-toxic.
But why does the brand warn consumers about a potential blood thinning effect? We'll discuss in the next section.
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 which 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
Heal n Soothe’s website contains a Research Studies section with claims and citations that we consider to be confusing.
As shown above, this research section highlights 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 does not link to the study they’re referencing and we can’t locate it, so we have no way to verify whether this information is 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.
Where to Get the Best Price
At the time of updating this article, Heal n Soothe is only available on the brand's website and on Amazon. Here's a price breakdown for a one-time order at the time of updating this article:
Brand website: $69.95 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $49 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
At the time of updating this article, Heal n Soothe is more than 30% cheaper on Amazon than on the brand's website when factoring in shipping costs.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 entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Real Customers Review Heal n Soothe
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion. Heal n Soothe has been reviewed over 8,000 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by an anonymous “Amazon Customer” who claims the product relieved their knee arthritis:
“I have used Heal and Sooth for over 2 years now and would not be without it. The arthritis in my knees has been so bad at times, I couldn't stand putting weight on it. I started off taking 3 tablets in the morning and 3 at night. I noticed an improvement by the second week. I couldn't afford to keep taking them at that price so after a month I cut back to 3 tablets each day in the morning. I found that was enough to keep the pain at bay and allow me to go about my normal activities.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Derek Switzer” who claims the supplement caused uncomfortable side effects:
“Product causes extreme acid reflux issues. They are aware of this issue bc they tell you to drink lots of water with the supplement AND afterwards yet it doesn’t help. They recommend you mix with with applesauce if you have trouble with it causing reflux issues. Well, when you bust them open and sprinkle on applesauce, the applesauce becomes so spicy that you can hardly eat it.”
Pros and Cons of Heal n Soothe
Here are the pros and cons of Heal n Soothe in our opinion:
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
