Down here we have a vine called cat's claw. You can boil it in water and make a tea which you drink and it will alleviate pain. My friend Trinidad Charlie, local legend who makes Trinidad Charlie's Hot Sauce, told me about it. I have a few friends that swear by it, and they're not wierdos or anything- just normal guys who swear it helped their back and joint pain. I am not suggesting using it all the time, but for the guy in the article who was out on a 500 mile trip and had pain develop, if he were in a tropical region and could find some cat's claw he could make some tea and help it.

Normally I am against using pain killers because I believe pain is part of the healing process. Pain tells your body where the problem is. However, I have done some 200 mile kayak paddles, hiked the Camino de Santiago and numerous other long treks, and there are times I would have appreciated some cat's claw tea! It's something to add to your storehouse of useless knowledge and then if you are ever in a plane crash in a tropical jungle you will at least know how to aleviate the pain!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncaria_tomentosa