Drug based medication for the treatment of Arthritis and joint pain may be a thing of the past. Natural products have been to be at least as effective as their medicinal counterparts in many cases. Read on to find out more. Devil's Claw is indigenous to the Kalahari Desert in Africa. Because of its strong anti-inflammatory properties the herb is now used throughout the world to treat joint pain and arthritic pain throughout the body. Research has shown that the most effective components of Devil's Claw are monoterpine, harpagoside, glycoside, beta-sit sterol, procumbent and stigma sterol.
Clinical research has shown the effectiveness of Devil's Claw in treating joint conditions like osteoarthritis, fibrosis, rheumatic arthritis and small joint disease (Lecompton & Costa, 1992). Devil's Claw has also been found very effective in the treatment of pain in the lower back (Chrubasik, 1996). In a 1981 study it was found that Devil's Claw significantly reduced the serum cholestol and uric acid levels. Research has also shown that Devil's Claw is also effective in stimulating the lymphatic node system to increase the body's resistance against disease and ill-health. Glucosamine is produced naturally in the body and is found in relatively high concentrations in the joints and connective tissues where its main function is to repair cartilage and maintain joint mobility. It has been shown that between 90 and 98 percent of Glucosamine Sulphate is absorbed into the body.
Because of it's healing properties and the fact there a few reports of side effects Glucosamine has been approved for the treatment of arthritis pain and other joint and muscular pain in more than eighty countries throughout the world. Research has shown glucosamine's ability to both decrease pain and reduce inflammation whilst also allowing an increase in the range of motion in the joints, helping to repair aging and damaged joints throughout the body. Recent studies have indicated that glucosamine may be at least as if not more effective than the non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as aspirin and ibuprofen but without the harmful side-effects connected with these medicines. While NSAIDS provide effective pain relief for arthritis and other joint pain they can also reduce the production of cartilage in the body. In doing so this obviously worsens the condition in the long run and so increases the dependence on the drugs. Not only does glucosamine relieve pain but it also reduces inflammation, repairing the cartilage damage rather than just masking pain.
For thousands of years Boswell has been used as a natural anti-inflammatory. Extracts of the gum of this tree, which is mainly found in India, have long been used to relieve joint pain and inflammation. Modern scientific research has confirmed that bowelled acids contained within the herb are able to stop the formation of leukotrienes, the immune cells responsible for inflammation. With regular use blood supply to the joints is also maintained allowing for soft tissue to be nourished and viable.
Scientific research has shown that boswellia has the ability to inhibit the inflammatory mediators in the body, reducing pain and inflammation without irritating or ulcerating the lining of the stomach. Boswell has also seen to be highly effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
