It doesn't take away the pain entirely but holy wow does it ease it! It is great for use as a natural alternative to ease muscle tension. I personally use it on my neck often. My neck tenses up terribly and often cause me tension headaches from H*LL! If I apply this around the time I first notice the tightness in my neck muscles it helps me to avoid a full force headache. It doesn't erase the ache in my neck entirely but the relief I go get from using it is worth every penny.
I have also used this for relief from pain and strain in my right ankle and it has helped tremendously with that as well. I swear I have felt some of the tension just life away after applying this. It may be a placebo effect, heck I dunno, but even if it is, it's worth my bucks! I haven't had much luck with many other pain relief methods and I suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis. Any little bit of relief from the causes of some of my pain is helpful for me and I would have to say I would recommend this product for sure to anyone like me who needs to take the edge off in a natural, gentle, yet effective way.
I have had no irritation at all from the balm. I actually find it to be moisturizing. It is also oddly (or maybe it's not odd at all?) very calming. I'm all around very happy with it. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is because of the slightly greasy feel it has briefly while applying the balm and while it is sitting on the skin before it absorbs in.
I hope this is able to help someone! I really think that this could offer some relief to people who get regular or chronic muscle cramps. It's worth a shot at least!