Unlocking the mechanistic potential of clinically proven natural products against Arthritis

Abstract

Background

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from joint illnesses. In terms of joint diseases, arthritis is the most common. Almost 100 different rheumatic diseases that impact muscles, joints, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons are collectively referred to as arthritis, which literally means "joint inflammation”.

Objectives

The mechanisms, safety, and efficacy of natural products that have been clinically studied in the treatment of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis and knee osteoarthritis, are comprehensively discussed in this article.

Methods

PubMed, Science Direct, Elsevier, and Google Scholar databases were searched for suitable articles about arthritis using the keywords- “natural products used in arthritis”, “clinically proven natural products against arthritis”, “rheumatoid arthritis”, “knee osteoarthritis” or keywords similar to those. This review has only included natural products whose anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties have been clinically demonstrated.

Result

Clinically proven natural products that are reported to exhibit anti-arthritic potential include Burdock root, Avocado, Honey bee, Devil’s claw, Boswellia serrate, Clausena anisata, Rose hips, Feverfew, Evening primrose oil, Sesame seed, Eggshell membrane, Resveratrol, Ginger extract, Silymarin, Gamma-linoleic acid, Curcuminoid, magnesium, Andrographis paniculata, Elaeagnus angustifolia extract, Peganum oil. All those natural products seemed to work on some common pathways such as inhibition of nitric oxide production, COX-2 enzyme, interleukin-2 production, nuclear factor-κB, etc.

Conclusion

According to our review, the above natural products can effectively treat arthritis without causing any significant side effects. Anyone can consider the aforementioned products as dietary supplements for the management of arthritis.