Ashwagandha Extract Significantly Reduces Knee Joint Pain

Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. Participating subjects experienced a significant reduction in osteoarthritic knee joint pain and discomfort following a twelve-week supplementation with either 250 or 125 mg of ashwagandha.

Joint pain, one of the leading causes of disability globally, is associated with osteoarthritis and represents an increasingly prevalent condition among men and women of middle age ¹. Conventional treatment for joint pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) involves a group of drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), which focus on symptom management. While such medications include side effects that can negatively impact gastrointestinal function ², they appear to be more effective when compared to pharmaceutical drugs like analgesics and intra-articular steroids ³. As an alternative to pharmaceutical treatments in general, Ayurvedic medicine relies on the use of medicinal herbs with unique therapeutic, rejuvenating properties. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is one of the most powerful herbs in Ayurvedic medicine and is purported to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects at varying levels, based on specific areas of the plant structure ⁴. A growing body of evidence supports the effective treatment of rheumatologic conditions using ashwagandha ⁵, and clinical trials suggest that the analgesic activity of the herb is useful in reducing severity of pain and disability in patients with OA ⁶. In a study published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (2016), researchers at Hyderabad, India examined the efficacy and tolerability of ashwagandha in patients with knee pain and discomfort, using a unique standardized aqueous extract consisting of W. somnifera roots plus leaves.

A total of 60 patients (aged 40 to 70 years) suffering from knee joint pain and discomfort (based on criteria from the American Rheumatology Association) for at least six months participated in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Subjects were weaned off all medications 7-10 days prior to randomization and were assigned to receive 250 mg W. somnifera, 125 mg W. somnifera, or identical placebo capsules daily for 12 weeks. At baseline and at Week 4, 6, and 12, researchers evaluated pain symptoms using the Modified Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (mWOMAC), Knee Swelling Index (KSI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

A comparison of mean scores from baseline to the end of 12 weeks revealed significant reductions on the mWOMAC and KSI for the 250 mg W. somnifera group and 125 mg W. somnifera, in comparison to placebo (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). A significant reduction in pain, stiffness, and disability was also evident based on VAS scores for both the 250 mg W. somnifera group and the 125 mg W. somnifera group at the end of 12 weeks (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Data also indicated that the 250 mg W. somnifera group exhibited improvement in pain symptoms as early as four weeks.

Treatment with ashwagandha, both at low and high doses, was seen to significantly reduce symptoms of pain and discomfort in the knee joint, when compared to baseline and placebo. Further analysis also indicates that the therapeutic response associated with the particular type of W. somnifera extract used in the study functions in a dose-dependent manner. The overall profile of ashwagandha as a medicinal herb for rheumatologic conditions presents as safe, well-tolerated, and effective. 

Source: Ramakanth GSH, Kumar CU, Kishan PV, et al. A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study of efficacy and tolerability of Withania somnifera extract in knee joint pain. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. 2016; 7: 151-157. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaim.2016.05.003.

© 2016 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Publishing Services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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Posted February 8, 2018.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.

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