Herbal Therapy For Degenerative Arthritis

Before we delve into an herbal therapy for degenerative arthritis, let's briefly discuss what it is. Degenerative arthritis is also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease and it is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints.

Symptoms include:

• Mild aching to severe pain and loss of mobility, especially in the evening, due to joint stiffness.


• Usually affects the weight-bearing joints - the knees, hips, and facet joints (in the spine), as well as the finger joints.

Degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) is the most common type of arthritis and the disease is primarily associated with aging and injury. In fact, it was once called "wear-and-tear" arthritis. However, the exact cause of this condition is unknown.

Now, without further adieu, let's delve into herbal therapy for degenerative arthritis.

Introduce your joints to ginger. Historically, ginger has been used for arthritis as well as rheumatism. Ginger is said to have a powerful anti-inflammatory impact on the body. More importantly, studies have shown that patients who ate lightly cooked fresh ginger or took it in the form as a standardized ginger supplement showed improvement in swelling, morning stiffness, pain and joint mobility.

Get help from a friend in India. Boswellia comes from the boswellia serrata tree that grows in the dry hills of India. It has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for arthritis and inflammatory conditions. More specifically, Ayurvedic healers used the tree bark's gummy resin, called salai guggal. Nevertheless, researchers identified that the gummy resin is high in compounds known as boswellic acids, which have anti-inflammatory actions similar to NSAIDS, but boswellia doesn't seem to cause stomach irritation and bleeding problems commonly caused by these drugs. Indeed, this herb may be beneficial as an herbal therapy for degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis).

Get help from another friend in India. Turmeric, the yellow spice from India, harbors potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is often included in herbal formulas designed to treat the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis. More specifically, test-tube and laboratory studies have confirmed turmeric exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity. Turmeric's chief constituent is known as curcumin. In fact, one clinical trail found that a combination of boswellia, ashwagandha, turmeric, and zinc effectively treated stiffness and pain with degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) and, as such, this combo as an herbal therapy for degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) deserves a discussion with a physician that supports alternative medicine.

Get relief from willow bark. Willow harbors anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties and it has been used in connection with degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis). According to Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, author of the very well renowned tome "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" who states that willow bark is good for pain and inflammation.

Discover other herbal therapy for degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis). Cayenne (capsaicin), devil's claw, and cat's claw may be helpful. Cayenne (capsaicin) is used topically to relieve pain in the joints.

Now we would be remiss if we did not share with you a few nutritional supplements that may be helpful for degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) sufferers.

Try this powerhouse duo, glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Glucosamine appears to help repair damaged cartilage caused by osteoarthritis and chondroitin sulfate is another building block of cartilage. Thousands of people claim glucosamine and chrondroitin supplements spelled RELIEF for them so we believe this duo also deserves a discussion with a physician.

Meet SAM-e. SAM-e is a substance that our bodies produce naturally by combining the amino acid methionine with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy producing compound. SAM-e may help preserve the gel-like nature and shock-absorbing qualities of cartilage, which wears away in people with arthritis. In addition, there is evidence that SAM-e promotes damaged cartilage repair and regrowth. In fact, SAM-e is approved by health authorities in Germany as a first-choice prescription drug to treat osteoarthritis.

It's important that you speak with a health care professional before taking any herbal and dietary supplements.

We hope this information on herbal therapy for degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) was useful to you.