Normally with herbal use, patients see improvement in symptoms within days or weeks. Pain relief is also related to the length of time the pain has been going on. If your pain is persistent or chronic in nature, it may take longer to respond to treatment.  The duration you should use an herbal remedy is also related to the underlying source of pain. If your pain is related to an acute condition like an injury, the herb would be taken until symptoms resolve.  In chronic conditions, such as osteoarthritis where the underlying pain trigger is persistent or recurrent, the medicine is taken long-term.

Two great herbs to control your inflammation and muscle pain are turmeric and ginger. They are well known spices that can be added to your current diet. When used in food, the herb is in its whole plant form. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, until proven otherwise in head to head studies, whole plants are usually a better choice than isolates.

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678780

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20418184

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/why-plants-are-usually-be_b_785139.html