Email this article to a friend

Printable Version

Articles Related to This Article: • Exercise Does Not Hurt Joints: Study Debunks Common Myth • Glucosamine and Omega-3s are a Winning Com-bone-ation • Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Fails to Bring Desired Benefits NaturalNews Store Specials: • Astaxanthin and Hawaiian spirulina at 50% off • Raw organic Vanilla powder at 40% off • Revolutionary new Hurom Slow Juicer at the lowest price on the 'net + FREE shipping! • Certified Organic Nutiva Hemp Seeds at a huge discount (+ FREE bottle of hemp oil) See more at the NN store...

(NaturalNews) An herb known as the "Indian Frankincense" can dramatically improve the symptoms of the most common form of arthritis –- osteoarthritis. What's even more amazing is the treatment appears to provide relief within just one week.

That's the good news from University of California at Davis scientists who published their research conclusions about this herbal therapy recently in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy. They specifically tested an extract dubbed AKBA (3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid) from the herb Boswellia serrata on 70 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. B. serrata has been used for thousands of years in the system of traditional medicine known in India as "Ayurveda".

The research subjects were suffering from pain, limited movement, stiffness and other symptoms of osteoarthritis, which most commonly affects weight-bearing joints like knees and hips, as well as the hands, wrists, feet and spine. Symptoms were relieved in about seven days in this study -- which is the first to show that an enriched extract of B. serrata herb be used as a successful treatment in humans. The same scientists tested the herbal remedy earlier in animal experiments for safety.

In a statement for the press, the lead researcher of the study, Siba Raychaudhuri, a faculty member of the University of California at Davis, noted that "AKBA has anti-inflammatory properties, and we have shown that B. serrata enriched with AKBA can be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee... In this study, the compound was shown to have no major adverse effects in our osteoarthritis patients. It is safe for human consumption and even for long-term use".

This is important news for osteoarthritis sufferers who, according to the National Institutes of Health, number nearly 21 million in the U.S. alone. Although you are more likely to have this form of arthritis as you grow older, younger people can develop it as a result of genetic defects or joint injuries and malformations.

As the Baby Boomer population continues to age, the NIH estimates about 72 million Americans, 20 percent of the population, will be at high risk for osteoporosis by 2030. Medications currently often used to control pain from the disorder include acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and narcotics –- all of which can have serious side effects, including liver damage.

Share

About the author

Related CounterThink Cartoons:

Related Articles: • Exercise Does Not Hurt Joints: Study Debunks Common Myth • Glucosamine and Omega-3s are a Winning Com-bone-ation • Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Fails to Bring Desired Benefits	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/023854_osteoarthritis_symptoms_frankincense.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/023854_osteoarthritis_symptoms_frankincense.html">Indian Frankincense Herb Shown to Relieve Osteoarthritis Symptoms </a>