Scientists examine the effects of a curcumin blend on arthritis patients

Armenian researchers investigated the synergy of boswellic acid and curcumin in the treatment of osteoarthritis patients. They reported that a supplemental blend of boswellic acid and curcumin was more effective in relieving the painful symptoms of the disease than turmeric-derived curcumin alone.

The study was supported by the Yerevan State Medical University of Armenia and the Erebouni Medical Center. Its findings were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• The study involved 201 patients who suffered from osteoarthritis. The age of the participants ranged from 40 to 70 years.
• Participants took either a placebo, 333 milligrams (mg) of curcuminoid supplements, or a blend of 350 mg curcuminoids and 150 mg boswellic acid, thrice a day. The treatment period lasted for 12 weeks.
• Various tests measured the capacity of patients to perform physical functions, the limitations of their physical functions, the pain in their joints, the stiffness they felt in the morning, and their overall appraisal of their own conditions.
• Both curcumin and the boswellic acid-curcumin blend were able to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. The curcumin supplement was shown to be more effective than the placebo during the physical performance tests, while the boswellic acid and curcumin mixture improved the joint paint index as well as the physical performance.
• The effect size of the boswellic acid-curcumin blend group was better than that of the curcumin-only treatment group. Both treatments were also determined to be safe with few adverse effects.

The researchers concluded that combining curcumin with boswellic acid increases its effectiveness as a treatment method for osteoarthritis.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

More articles about the healing properties of curcumin can be found at Turmeric.news.

Journal reference

Haroyan A, Mukuchyan V, Mkrtchyan N, Minasyan N, Gasparyan S, Sargsyan A, Narimanyan M, Hovhannisyan A. EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF CURCUMIN AND ITS COMBINATION WITH BOSWELLIC ACID IN OSTEOARTHRITIS: A COMPARATIVE, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2018;18(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-2062-z