Alleviating Arthritis Pain with Herbs, Part I

Few holders of a magazine strip in front of stores faster than the "New Found Arthritis Cure." The phrase "Formula Arthritis Cure" in bottles containing herbal supplements provides for the sale of energy similar to the manufacturers of these products. Why is this so? What is arthritis that has so many who suffer from this problem grasping for whatever relief may be out there? The reason simply is that arthritis hurts. And people in general do not like pain. The arthritis and pain is always present, it affects every aspect of his life sick. And-contrary to some claims in advertising-there is no cure, which leaves people always scrambling to find something new to help them feel better.

There. I said. The unfortunate truth. Arthritis, regardless of type, is an incurable disease for which existing treatments are designed solely to relieve pain.

There are many types of arthritis that basically belong to one of three categories, 1), arthritis mechanics, in which there is a structural degeneration of one or more sets of components, such as bone or cartilage, 2) inflammatory arthritis in that the body's immune system attacks something in all tissues that does not like and 3) arthritis as a result of structural damage and inflammatory processes. I think it's safe to say that many with arthritis, no matter what type, suffering from pain caused by a combination of structural damage and inflammation. Sometimes structural damage comes first and sometimes upside down, but finally end up with both processes acting because of the pain of arthritis.

The vast majority of medicines for treating arthritis cope with the inflammatory component. When the swelling is reduced, the pain associated with him is low. The same is true of medicinal plants. In this and in the article continues, we will learn about the commonly used herbal therapies for arthritis, study how they work and sift through the available research on its use.

Firstly, I would like to talk a little about glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Both are popularly used these days by many suffer from arthritis. Many people I know swear by their effectiveness and use them faithfully for arthritis relief. There is research indicating that are effective. There are herbs, however, they are glucosaminoglycans, chemicals that are precursors to joint cartilage healthy. Because they have no particular anti-inflammatory properties, there is no reason not to use an herb or conventional medication with them to help alleviate the inflammatory component of arthritic pain.

Speaking of herbs ... White willow bark is used for pain and fever relief for centuries by Europeans and later by settlers from americas. It is literally extracted from the bark of a white willow tree and is also known as "natural aspirin." There is good reason for that nickname. Chemically, it is almost identical to aspirin.

White willow bark contains salicin, a precursor chemical that, once ingested and absorbed by the body transforms into salicylic acid has anti-inflammatory to relieve pain and properties. (Aspirin, by the way, is acetylsalicylic acid. There is not much of the difference, chemically speaking.) Since one ingests a precursor of the active ingredient and not the active ingredient itself, the onset of action for pain relief is slower than with, for example, taking aspirin. Side effects can be expected to be similar to those with aspirin. Needless to say, is probably not a good idea to take white sauce, crust and aspirin together unless you want a big stomachache.

The recommended dose of white willow bark is 1-3 grams of dried bark taken three times a day. The bark is steeped in a tea before consumption. This translates into a daily dose of salicina between 60 and 120 milligrams (an average aspirin is 325 milligrams). Somehow this does not seem to be enough medicine to make any difference. In fact, I found a source revealed that quarter would have to drink tea made from the highest grade white willow bark (which contains 7% salicina) to consume the equivalent of two aspirins. Of course, herbalists can rightly argue that there may be other components in white willow bark to work together with the salicina to provide anti-inflammatory pain relief to its users. I suspect that this is the case. In any case, it might be worth considering if you're interested in herbal relief for arthritis. As always, read labels carefully before buying any product.

In Part II of this series, we will discuss Boswellia, turmeric and cayenne in regard to treatment of arthritic conditions. Prepare to be more enlightened ...