Herbal treatment for arthritis:
Which herbs provide
arthritis pain relief?

Are you seeking an herbal treatment for arthritis? You're in luck. Science has validated a number of herbal substances as effective remedies for arthritis. Herbs are a more natural way to relieve arthritis pain, and are free of side effects associated with many prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Listed on this page are several arthritis herbal treatments, some of which have been used for centuries to treat arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

Herbal Treatment for Arthritis: Boswellia
The Boswellia serrata tree grows in India and is also referred to as Shallaki, frankincense or salai guggul. The tree bark's gummy resin contains anti-inflammatory properties that have been used for thousands of years by traditional medical practitioners to treat pain and inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Research has validated the anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects of Boswellia. A study published in 2003 in Phytomedicine involved 30 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Half of the individuals received 333 mg daily of Boswellia and the other half received a placebo for a period of eight weeks. This herbal treatment for arthritis yielded significant results. Subjects given Boswellia reported decreased arthritis knee pain, greater knee flexibility, decreased swelling in the knee joint and could walk longer distances. The group given the placebo did not report improvements. The study's conclusion was that Boswellia serrata "is recommended in the patients of osteoarthritis of the knee with possible therapeutic uses in other arthritis."

Devil's Claw
Devil's claw is regularly used in Europe to treat joint pain, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthrtis and gout. A European study that involved 122 individuals with osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee were given either the European drug diacerhein or devil's claw. After 4 months, researchers found devil's claw was just as effective as the drug and patient given this herbal treatment for arthritis had more mobility, less pain and reduced need for pain relief medications such as ibuprofen. Another study found that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis experienced a significant drop in pain intensity and had improved mobility after receiving devil's claw for two months.

I've discovered a natural herbal product that contains boswellia, devil's claw and glucosomine, all clinically shown to reduce joint pain. This supplement, JointEase Plus for Arthritis, is manufactured by Native Remedies in a state-of-the-art, FDA-approved pharmaceutical facility under the supervision of herbalists, naturopaths, homeopaths and responsible pharmacists. This product works so well that the Native Remedies website is loaded with testimonials from individuals who report their aching joints are much better or completely pain free after using JointEase Plus. This product comes with a one-year guarantee, and is part of a buy 2, get one free program. You may want to see if JointEase Plus is the herbal treatment for arthritis that will work for you.

Visit our page listing 6 natural remedies for arthritis, some of them are even free.

Ginger
In addition to providing relief from nausea, ginger extract has been used in traditional medical practices to reduce inflammation. This herbal treatment for arthritis is recommended by many health care professionals arthritis and other health problems associated with inflammation.

In a 2001 University of Miami study of 261 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, those who received a ginger extract twice daily experienced less arthritis knee pain and required fewer pain-killing medications compared to those who received placebo. Ginger is available in extracts, tinctures, capsules, and oils. Fresh ginger root can also be purchased and prepared as a tea.

Green-Lipped Mussel Omega 3 Oil
Green-lipped mussels grow in the unpolluted waters off of New Zealand and contain an extremely high concentration of omega 3 oils, which have been shown to benefit joint function, respiratory health, cardiovascular health, and cholesterol levels. Research finds that the omega 3 oils in green-lipped mussels are about 150 times more potent than fish oil, 250 times more potent than salmon oil and almost 400 times more potent than flax oil.

You may not have heard of green-lipped mussels as an herbal treatment for arthritis, but researchers have found it to be effective. A study at the University of California published in 2000 found green-lipped mussel extracts reduced arthritic symptoms in rats and humans. A 2003 study at the Yonsei Medical Clinic validated the clinical effectiveness of green-lipped mussel extract given to patients with osteoarthritis. And in 1998, researchers from the United Kingdom published the results of their double-blind study finding that green-lipped mussel extract helped 76 percent of patients with rhuematoid arthritis and 70 percent of subjects with osteoarthritis.

A five-star green-lipped mussel oil supplement is available at evitamins.com. This product also contains glucosomine and MSM. Reviewers of this product say it really works for their arthritis joint pain.

See our page on foods that have been shown to fight inflammation and soothe arthritis.

View this page to find foods identified by one expert as common arthritis triggers.

Herbal Treatment for Arthritis: Aloe Vera
This arthritis herbal treatment may be surprising because most people think of aloe vera as a plant that treats skin conditions. However, aloe vera juice can be consumed orally and can help relieve arthritis joint pain. There have been at least 200 scientific studies conducted on this plant, which has been used medicinally for thousands of years. The sterols in aloe vera (lupeol, campesterol and beta-sitosterol) are known for their significant anti-inflammatory properties. One scientist who has completed many aloe vera experiments, Robert H. Davis, PhD, discovered the anti-inflammatory properties of this plant accidentally in the mid-1970s. Dr. Davis was researching natural anti-inflammatories as an alternative to steroid drugs and used aloe vera gel as the control substance. He found that the aloe vera group in his research experienced the most dramatic anti-inflammatory response he had ever seen with a natural substance.

A 1994 study published in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association discovered that aloe vera can help prevent arthritis and reduce the inflammation in joints affected by arthritis. Aloe vera also helped stop the autoimmune reaction in some forms of arthritis in which the body attacks its own tissue. One component in aloe reduced inflammation by 79.7 percent and another component shrunk swelling by 67.3 percent.

Is aloe vera safe as an herbal treatment for arthritis? In 1997, a researcher at the University of San Antonio conducted an experiment with lab animals to see if there are any negative effects to consuming aloe juice. No harmful effects were found even at high levels. In contrast, the test animals receiving aloe vera daily had significantly lower levels of leukemia, heart disease and kidney disease, and they lived 25 percent longer than the rats that did not receive aloe vera.

One supplier of several varieties of organic aloe vera juice is evitamins.com. To see their rather large selection of aloe vera juices, click here. To get a better tasting product, you may want to get one that contains berry juice, honey or stevia.

Aloe vera is more than an herbal treatment for arthritis. Click here to read an article by internationally-reknowned natural health expert Mike Adams on aloe vera's extensive medicinal uses.

Turmeric - A common spice as herbal treatment
Turmeric is used to flavor food and has been used as an anti-inflammatory in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for centuries. Today, science is confirming the benefits of turmeric as an option for natural arthritis pain relief. To try turmeric as an herbal treatment for arthritis, you will want to try a supplement that contains curcumin or curcuminoids, the active ingredient in Turmeric.

In 2006, researchers at the University of Arizona artificially created rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in mice, divided the animals into groups and treated them with various types and dosages of turmeric extracts. The rats given an extract containing only curcuminoids had the best results in terms of reduction in joint swelling. Turmeric supplements with only curcuminoids are reccommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, noted expert on natural health remedies and alternative medicine.

Turmeric is extremely high in health-promoting antioxidants. See turmeric's ORAC level determined by the USDA in 2007.

Ashwagandha - Herbal treatment for arthritis
Traditional Ayurvedic pracatitioners have used Ashwagandandha for centuries to treat rheumatoid arthritis and numerous other conditions including stress, fatigue, skin conditions, insomnia and pain. This herb grows in India, Pakistan, Srilanka and Bangladesh. One of the active ingredients in Ashwagandha is withanoloids, which consist of steroidal molecules which battle inflammation. An animal study found that Ashwagandha reduced degeneration of the joints and swelling in animals who had been given an arthritis-inducing drug.

Ashwaganda is a proven inflammation fighter, according to an April 2008 double-blind study with human volunteers. In this study, one group of volunteer were given a daily dose of 250mg of Sensoril, an Ashwagandha extract, another group received a placebo. After two months, the group receiving the Sensoril Ashwagandha extract experienced a 35.6 percent reduction in C-reactive protein, a marker of systemwide inflammation. High C-reactive protein levels are markers of inflammation and often used by medical professionals in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. Besides reducing inflammation, the Sensoril Ashwaganda extract was shown to reduce serum cortisol levels in the volunteers by 24.8 percent. Cortisol is often referred to the stress hormone and has been linked to weight gain.

Tart Cherry supplement
While tart cherries are not officially an herb, two recent studies have identified tart cherries as a natural treatment for arthritis. Researchers conducting an animal study at the University of Michigan found that tart cherries reduce inflammation-- a key to reducing arthritis pain. This research was published in Experimental Biology in 2008. And in March 2009, Texas-based Baylor Research Institute reported that tart cherry supplements brought relief for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Specifically, more than half of the individuals more than half of patients enrolled in a human pilot study experienced significant improvement in pain and function after taking tart cherry supplements for eight weeks.

Traverse Bay Farms offers a tart cherry supplement that will be sent to you without any shipping charge. They offer a money-back guarantee. To learn more, click the image below.

What causes arthritis? Click here to visit our page with an understandable explanation of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Herbal treatment for arthritis: Seaweed Extracts
In 2008, a double-blind pilot study published in Nutrition Journal found that an ingredient in a red seaweed called Lithothamnion Coralloides improved measureable osteoarthritis symptoms by 15 percent in the patients participating in the study. The study was conducted in Minnesota and was designed to test the ability of the seaweed extract to improve arthritis knee pain in individuals with "moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis," according to lead author Joy Frestedt from the Minnesota Applied Research Center.

In another human trial with patients with knee arthritis, an extract of a brown seaweed, Ecklonia cava, found that the seaweed preparation was comparable to the effects of Celebrex, a prescription anti-inflammatory drug. This research was conducted by Dr. Haengwoo Lee.

I am personally acquainted with several individuals who take a whole food seaweed supplement that contains red, brown and green seaweed. These individuals report noticeable improvement in joint pain, and often report more energy.

Besides using an herbal treatment for arthritis, try adding foods with arthritis-fighting properties.

Return to www.foods-that-heal.com home page.


The information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice or diagnose or treat any health condition. The statements on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.