Natural Medicine for Arthritis – Best Food Supplements to help Treat and Prevent Arthritis

If you are looking for a form of natural Medicine for arthritis to help you relieve painful symptoms or just doing research for any reason. You probably already know what arthritis is and what the underlying causes of the different forms of arthritis are. But just in case you don't know and are just looking for some natural medicine for arthritis. I am going to give a very brief explanation of what arthritis is.

Arthritis is very simply put damage and inflammation of the joints in the body. Now in order to understand how natural medicine for arthritis can be helpful we need to have a bit of basic understanding of the joints in our body. So let's explain this short and simple. The joints usually effected are synovial joints.

There are three main parts of the joint

1. Bone
   
2. Cartilage
   
3. Synovial membrane and fluid
   

The joint is made of two bone ends coated with cartilage with a space which is filled with the synovial fluid that lubricates the joint so the cartilage slide over each other smoothly. The entire joint is also covered in the synovial membrane which renews the synovial fluids.

Now either because of wearing out of the cartilage (osteoarthritis) or inflammation caused by over stimulation of the immune system (rheumatoid arthritis), the synovial fluid in the joint dries up and the cartilage starts to grind against each other. Eventually what can happen is that even the actual bones can start to rub against each other. This damaging of cartilage and bone causes pain and more inflammation.

Supplement	Dosage	What does it do?
Bromelain	Bromelain should be taken three times a day or as suggested on label, preferably between meals	Bromelain is an enzyme which helps the body to reduce inflammation
Chondroitin sulfate	500-100 mg per day	Helps to strengthen joints ligaments and tendons
Omega 3 fatty acids	1000-3000 mg per day taken with meals	Helps to control inflammation as well as pain
Glucosamine sulfate	500-100mg per day	Help to protect and rejuvenate bones, cartilage and synovial fluids and membrane
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)	500-1000 mg three times per day	Helps to reduce inflammation, aid joint and tissue repair and reduce pain
S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)	400 mg two times per day	Helps to reduce pain and inflammation Warning – should not be taken if you suffer from depression
Sea cucumber (beche-de-mer)	Should be taken as directed on label	Contains lubricating compounds which are also found in joint and synovial fluids
Silica	Should be taken as directed on label	Helps rejuvenation of bones
Superoxide dismutase (SOD)	Should be taken as directed on label	Antioxidant which protects the joints from free radical damage
Calcium and magnesium + copper, vitamin D3 and zinc	Should be taken as directed on label	They all are helpful to protect and rejuvenate bone and protective tissue

 
These are not the only supplements that can be take to help treat arthritis with natural medicine but the top ten.

Bilberry - Monograph

Common Name – Bilberry

Botanical Name – Vaccinium Myrtillus

Parts Used – Entire Plant

Active Constituents – Bioflavonoids (anthocyanosides), beta-carotene, quercitin, quercitrin

So what is Bilberry good for?

Therapeutic Properties – antioxidant, diuretic, blood vessel tonic, anti-inflammatory

Bilberry can help to keep the blood vessels flexible which helps to increase blood flow

Bilberry can be helpful to diabetic by helping to control insulin levels

Bilberry may be useful as a urinary tract antiseptic

Bilberry may be useful to try and treat allergies as an anti-histamine

Dosage

Dry extract – 240-480 mg per day

Tincture – 15-40 drops three times a day

Berries – one teaspoon dried berries per day

Contraindications

None

Research articles with links

Isolation of high quality RNA from bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruit

Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and the anthocyanins

One of the famous stories of bilberry is that of the British fighter pilots during World War 2. They said that they could see better during their night time raids when they would eat bilberry jam before going out.

Bayberry - Monograph

Common Name – Bayberry

Botanical Name – Myrica Cerifera

Parts Used – Root bark

Active Constituents – Beta-carotene, gallic acid, myrisic acid, phenol

So what is Bayberry good for?

Therapeutic Properties – astringent, decongestant, febrifuges, circulatory tonic

Bayberry can be used to help reduce fever

Bayberry can be used to help improve circulation

Bayberry can be used as a decongestant

Bayberry can be used to stop bleeding

Bayberry is also good for the eyes and the immune system

Dosage

Tincture – 50 drops twice a day

Tea form – two cups a day

How do you make bayberry tea?

Boil one teaspoon of the dry root bark in two cups for ten minutes, strain out the usd herbs and let cool before drinking.

Contraindications

You should not use Bayberry if you have a history of stomach or colon cancer

You should not use Bayberry when pregnant or nursing

You should not take Bayberry if you have kidney problems

You should not take Bayberry if you have high blood pressure

You should not take Bayberry if you have any gastrointestinal disorders

You should not take Bayberry if you have congestive heart failure


 

Chuchuhuasi - Monograph

Common Name – Chuchuhuasi

Botanical Name – Maytenus Krukovit

Parts Used – Bark

Active Constituents – Anthocyanidins, catechin, maytensine, nocotinyl, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, tannins

So what is Chuchuhuasi good for?

Therapeutic Properties – anti-inflammatory, immune stimulant

Chuchuhuasi may be useful in regulating menstrual cycles

Chuchuhuasi is useful in treating rheumatism, arthritis, back pain and muscle spasms.

Chuchuhuasi is good for treating fever, skin tumors, bronchitis and diarrhea.

Dosage

Tea form – one cup three times a day in between meals

How do you make Chuchuhuasi tea?

Boil one table spoon of dry herb in one liter of water for ten minutes, strain out the used herb and let cool before drinking.

Contraindications

Chuchuhuasi should not be taken by pregnant or nursing women

Research articles with links

Antimutagenic, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Maytenus krukovii bark

Guarana - Monograph

Common Name – Guarana

Botanical Name – Paullinia

Parts Used – Seeds

Active Constituents – Adenine, caffeine, D-catechin, saponin, tannins, theobromine, theophylline

So what is Guarana good for?

Guarana is good as a general tonic.

Guarana can help to cleans out the intestines.

Guarana increases mental alertness, improves stamina and improves endurance.

Guarana may be useful in treating headaches, urinary tract irritation and diarrhea.

Dosage

Dry herb as capsules – 150–500 mg per day

Herbal tea – one to three cups a day

How to make Guarana tea?

Add one or two grams of crushed seeds to one cup of water and boil for ten minutes, strain out used herb and let cool before drinking.

Contraindications

Should not be taken by pregnant or nursing wemon

Should not be taken by people who suffer from high blood pressure or heart conditions

Research articles with links

Pharmacological activity of Guarana (Paullinia cupana Mart.) in laboratory animals

Improved cognitive performance in human volunteers following administration of guarana (Paullinia cupana) extract: comparison and interaction with Panax ginseng

Gravel Root - Monograph

Common Name – Gravel Root

Botanical Name – Eupatorium Purpureum

Parts Used – Flowers and Root

Active Constituents – Euparin, Eupatorine and Resin

So what is Gravel Root good for?

Therapeutic Properties – Diuretic, anti-lithic, anti-rheumatic, stimulant, tonic, astringent, relaxant

Gravel Root can help with the treatment of kidney stones and gravel.

Gravel Root may be helpful in the treatment of urinary tract infections.

Gravel Root may be useful in the treatment of prostate disorders.

Gravel Root may also be useful for treating rheumatism.

Dosage

Tincture – 20-40 drops three times a day

Tea form – three cups per day

How do you make Gravel Root tea?

Boil one teaspoon of dry Gravel Root in one cup of water for ten minutes, strain out the used herb and let cool before drinking.

Contraindications   

There are no known contraindications

Research articles with links

Antiinflammatory activity of the antirheumatic herbal drug, gravel root (Eupatorium purpureum): further biological activities and constituents

Warning Cinnamon Causes constipation When Eaten in Excess

Well I think that as much as people say that it grosses them out to talk and think about problems related to defecating, everyone is interested to read about it. This is very natural because it is something that we all have in common.

So this is a bit of a story that has a very important lesson to be learnt from it. This past weekend friends who came to us for the weekend had brought for desert a cinnamon cake. Now this was no normal cinnamon cake, this was the best cinnamon cake I had ever eaten, really rich and tasty with lots of cinnamon. You know how sometimes you eat a cinnamon pastry and it's a bit week on that gooey cinnamon flavor. Well this was nothing like that I`ll tell you that much. So I indulged, ate a lot of this cake. Now the next morning things just were not flowing the way they usually do for me and I usually have a pretty good flow if you know what I mean. I figured it was be because I hadn't eaten enough fiber at dinner so at lunch I made sure to eat lots of salad. But we had another guest over for Saturday lunch that brought these really good cinnamon cookies. Low and behold my slight problem kept on through Sunday as well.

Now I use cinnamon a lot when treating diarrhea so it binding power is nothing new to me. But it wasn't until Sunday afternoon when I looked for something to satisfy my sweet tooth and saw what was left of the cinnamon cake sitting in the fridge that I realized the source of my problem. Well I didn't eat any more of the cinnamon goodies and by Monday it was business as usual.

Cinnamon is a great herbal remedy when used properly but in excess its binding capability can cause constipation.

If you are constipated or suffer from constipation regularly you should avoid all cinnamon products altogether.

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