Few among us can escape at least some joint pain or pain from arthritis. For many unfortunate people, arthritis pain becomes so severe that they are no longer able to function normally. And for a vast number of other arthritis sufferers, even simple tasks like opening a bottle can become an insurmountable challenge because of inflammation in the joints.
Nature’s pharmacy comes well-stocked with remedies that for many people can help diminish the debilitating effects of arthritis and in some cases eliminate them altogether.
For example over the past several years, I’ve received many reports of simple sea salt (¼ to ½ teaspoon per day) in a glass of water allegedly curing people of many types of pain as well as various forms of arthritis.
But there’s more…
It has been known in medical science for some time that our bodies produce two enzymes — COX-1 and COX-2 — that cause inflammation when overproduced, resulting in swelling and pain. Blocking these enzymes makes the pain subside.
Salt doesn’t block these enzymes, but popular pain relievers purport to do so… except they don’t always work, either. Here’s why: There’s another enzyme called 5-LO that releases chemicals more troublesome than those from COX-2. When pain relievers don’t work, it’s likely because they don’t block the effects of the 5-LO enzyme.
Medical researchers tested more than 1,000 plant extracts trying to find any that would block all three enzymes. They found two: Chinese skullcap and acacia.
Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. But until a few years ago, it was hardly known in Western cultures. Chinese skullcap is not the same thing as American skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia), though the two are related.
Chinese skullcap, also known as Baikal skullcap root, contains baicalin, known to be beneficial as an anti-inflammatory. It has the bonus effects of being anticancer, antifungal and antiviral, as well as being useful in controlling high blood pressure and diabetes.
For arthritis sufferers, though, the important characteristic of Chinese skullcap is that it exhibits confirmed anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory properties that effectively block the painful symptoms of all three enzymes: COX-1, COX-2 and 5-LO.
The healing power of Chinese skullcap is not fully known, but it appears to be related to the high content of flavonoid molecules, which are extremely potent antioxidants and free-radical scavenging compounds. It is similar in therapeutic effect to the prescription drugs phenyl-butazone and indomethacin. But unlike those drugs, Chinese skullcap does not appear to have any toxicity or adverse effect at therapeutic levels.
Acacia extract also helps block all three enzymes that can cause arthritic inflammation. It has shown beneficial effects in relieving the pain of osteoarthritis (deterioration of joints) or rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune disease that attacks cartilage and synovial fluid in joints).
A third member of the “anti-arthritis” herb group is Chlorella.
Chlorella is like a breath of fresh air for people suffering from joint or arthritis pain. Chlorella is an algae. It contains many antioxidant vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that reduce inflammation, and therefore pain.
Joint pain is often worse when there are toxic substances like chemical pesticides and heavy metals like mercury present inside you. With the unique ability to bind with these toxins and usher them out of your body, chlorella can fight joint paint by detoxifying cells and tissues.
In the journal Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, researchers showed in an animal study that there was a distinct “anti-arthritic effect” from “the algae Chlorella marina.” They saw “inflammatory marker enzymes like cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase (LOX) and myeloperoxidase (MPO)” were decreased by intake of chlorella. Blood levels of rheumatoid factor (RF) were “brought back to normal” by chlorella ingestion.
This is yet another reason to take a greens drink supplement, as the good ones contain pure, clean chlorella. Take it with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some people are sensitive to chlorella. If you start experiencing nausea or burping, it means your body can’t tolerate it well, and you should go for another option. You can increase the dose to up to 3 grams 3 to 4 times a day.
