Ayurvedic Herbs For Relief Of The Pain Of Arthritis

Ayurvedic medicine uses herbs that are basically foods, but the ancients observed, over thousands of years, which of these plants, in what dosages, often very small, could provide nutrition for which the body was lacking. Some of these herbs assist, also, in detoxification. Generally Ayurvedic medicines are not considered "drugs" and are very safe to take.

While drugs are often used in the Western world to treat the pain of arthritis, they all have warnings and adverse side effects. Celebrex, Vioxx, Bextra, Arava, Pennsaid, Mobic, Enbrel, Remicade, Imuran, Humira, Prexige, Rituximab and others. (Pause your mouse over these drugs to read the warning.) Generally the drugs that are newest have not shown many adverse side effects. But, after any of these have been on the market for a few years, the deaths and serious warnings start to accumulate. News like in the box below is common as experience grows and warnings must be "updated.".

Last year, Enbrel's labeling was updated to include warnings about the possibility of central nervous system disorders and pancytopenia, a drop in the body's number of red and white blood cells. (source)

One of the most popular sources of information about Arthritis is the Arthritis Foundation which publishes the Arthritis Today magazine.

We don't usually think of ginger, turmeric and frankincense as medicinals. Instead the names conjure up images of a kitchen spice shelf, a tasty curry or an exotic incense.

But these herbs do have a venerable therapeutic lineage. For thousands of years they have been used in Ayurveda (pronounced ay-yur-vay-duh), the traditional medicine of India, to treat arthritis and other ailments. Sometimes, they are combined with ashwagandha, another Indian herb.

Research reported at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual scientific meeting last fall looked at a combination remedy incorporating these four plant extracts. In a randomized, double-blinded trial of 90 people with osteoarthritis (OA), those patients who took the combination experienced significant and sustained pain relief: Fifty percent improved, compared to 20 percent of those who took placebo.

An earlier double-blinded study of the same formula, presented at the ACR meeting two years prior, looked at 182 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Again, those who took the herbs experienced a reduction in the number and severity of swollen joints and noted a statistically significant improvement in pain, stiffness and function compared to those taking placebo. Tests also showed disease-modifying activity such as a drop in the amount of both rheumatoid factor and interleukins, the biological markers that show RA disease activity. (source)

MSM, itself, is a form of treatment covered by a US Patent which has expired. Click here for that information.

Arthritic Pain can also be greatly remedied by use of DMSO -- the raw material used to make MSM. Rather than patent DMSO for such use the Gaylord Chemical company has, in Karl Loren's opinion, entered into secret agreements with various drug companies for them to use Gaylord's DMSO, combine it with a harmful drug, get a patent, and then seek FDA approval. This deprives the public of a safe non-drug alternative to the billions of dollar worth of medical drugs that are commonly used to treat the pain of arthritis. Click here for more information about Gaylord Chemical.

So far one large company has introduced a new arthritis drug -- one based almost only on the proven benefits from using DMSO alone, but because it is a drug, it could be patented, and it can sell for far higher prices than the DMSO could sell for.