Researchers believe that one fine treatment in the battle against arthritis is the centuries-old herb frankincense. From deep in the annals of herbal remedies and natural supplements, frankincense has been found to potentially relieve and alleviate the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis.
Medical science has long been trying to uncover new and more effective ways of killing the pain for those who suffer arthritis. Osteoarthritis, one potential focus for frankincense, is the world’s most common form of joint pain. It is caused by the gradual breakdown of cartilage, which cushions the bones in every joint in the body. With no cartilage, bones rub on bones and the ensuing feeling is just as painful as it sounds.
Extracts of frankincense have been used as a traditional herbal remedy for arthritic conditions. In the latest bit of health news, researchers focused on whether and how these extracts could relieve the inflammation that causes the pain. They believe that they’ve shown that treatment with an extract of “Boswellia frereana” — a rare frankincense species — inhibits the production of key inflammatory molecules, helping to prevent the breakdown of the cartilage tissue, which causes the condition.
The team, in essence, has used special techniques to determine the active ingredient in frankincense. This complete, they are now able to further examine the chemical entity and compare its success against other anti-inflammatory drugs used for arthritis.
In herbal medicine, frankincense is better known as “boswellia.” There is now considerable evidence that it exerts anti-inflammatory effects. For this reason, it has been tried for a number of conditions in which inflammation is involved, including bursitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and tendonitis. Also, outside of joint pain, it has been tested for asthma and inflammatory bowel disease.
A typical dose of frankincense is 300 to 400 milligrams, taken three times a day. It should contain an extract with 37.5% boswellic acids. Some studies have used dosages as high as 1,200 mg three times daily, but don’t attempt this unless your doctor recommends it.