YERBA BUENA AS TOPICAL MUSCLE PAIN RELIEF PATCH

Abstract

A pain relief patch is a topical medication used to alleviate both acute and chronic pain. This study investigated the potential of Yerba Buena as an alternative topical patch for muscle pain relief. Yerba Buena is one of the ten medicinal plants recommended by the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) for the treatment of aches and pains. The purpose of this study was to enhance the effectiveness of a Yerba Buena–based muscle pain relief patch and to increase awareness of producing plant-based topical pain relief products. An experimental research method was employed in this study, which involved the formulation and creation of the muscle pain relief patch in the science laboratory of General de Jesus College. A questionnaire was administered to participants who tested the patch to gather feedback on its effectiveness. A t-test was used as the statistical tool to determine the mean effectiveness based on the collected responses. The findings revealed that the Yerba Buena topical muscle pain relief patch exhibited varying durations of effectiveness among respondents. Reported relief durations included 40 minutes, 50 minutes, 2 hours, 45 minutes, 3 hours, 1 hour, 5 hours, and 4 hours. In comparison, the commercially available muscle pain relief patch was reported to be most effective for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The study concluded that the Yerba Buena–based topical patch was effective in relieving muscle pain for a short duration. However, further improvement and additional trials are needed for the product to achieve effectiveness comparable to commercial patches. The varying duration of pain relief may be influenced by differences in formulation, processing, and the quantity of ingredients used in the patch.