Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Participating osteoarthritic participants who took a combination of curcumin and Boswellia for twelve weeks experienced the greatest improvement in pain-related symptoms of arthritis compared to those who took curcumin or Boswellia alone.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and affects an estimated 30 million adults in the United States 1. It is also the leading cause of disability in the elderly 2. The most common treatments include NSAIDs and cortisol, which have multiple side effects and do not address the cause 2. For this reason many people search for alternatives. Recent research has found that curcumin and curcumin in combination with Boswellia reduced pain in participants suffering from osteoarthritis 2.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints and symptoms include: pain, morning stiffness, joint swelling, limited range of motion and decreased physical function 1,2. Curcumin and Boswellia serrata are natural anti-inflammatories and therefore were considered as possible safe option to help with joint pain due to osteoarthritis 2-4.
The research included 201 males and females (age 40-77 years) with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
- Curcumin only (n=66; 552-578 mg Curcuma longa)
- Curcumin and Boswellia (n=67; 350 mg Curcuma longa and 150 mg Boswellia serrata)
- Placebo (n=68; made to look like above supplements)
The participants took 1 capsule, three times daily for 12 weeks.
Favorable results were observed for both curcumin and curcumin with Boswellia in reducing pain related symptoms of osteoarthritis after 3 months. A significant effect of curcumin and Boswellia was observed in both the physical performance tests and the WOMAC joint pain index compared to placebo, while curcumin alone only helped in physical performance tests (see table below) 2.
Specific results are as follows based on the average change from baseline to week 12:
| Curcumin | Placebo | Curcumin & Boswellia | Placebo vs. Curcumin | Placebo vs. Curcumin & Boswellia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WOMAC osteoarthritis total index | -6.34 +/- 11.38 | -2.26 +/- 10.39 | -7.38 +/- 10.02 | -4.08 (NS) | -5.12 (P<0.05) |
| WOMAC joint pain index | -1.86 +/- 2.95 | -0.69 +/- 2.70 | -2.02 +/- 2.93 | -1.167 (NS) | -1.32 (P<0.05) |
| Chair Stand Test Score | 1.87 +/- 2.41 | 0.44 +/- 2.91 | 1.74 +/-2.18 | 1.44 (P<0.01) | 1.30 (P<0.05) |
| Fasted paced walk test (m/s) | 0.08 +/- 0.05 | 0.01 +/- 0.22 | 0.10 +/- 0.18 | 0.10 (P<0.05) | 0.12 (P<0.01) |
| Time up and go test (sec) | -0.78 +/- 1.98 | -0.17 +/- 0.84 | -1.56 +/- 2.04 | -0.59 (NS) | -1.39 (P<0.01) |
| Stair Climb Test (sec) | -1.66 +/- 2.37 | -0.22 +/- 2.84 | -2.03 +/- 3.60 | -0.95 (NS) | -1.82 (P<0.01) |
NS=not significant; Chair stand test score is the maximum number of chair stands in 30-seconds; Faced paced walk test is the walked speed of a 40-m distance; Time up and go test is the time taken to rise from a chair, walk 3-meters, turn and walk back; Stair climb test is the time required to ascend and descend a flight of stairs.
In conclusion, curcumin and curcumin with Boswellia reduced pain and pain-related symptoms of osteoarthritis 2. Although, curcumin in combination with Boswellia showed the most improvement. This was the first study to look at the combination of curcumin and Boswellia on the pain of osteoarthritis 2.
Source: Haroyan, Armine, Vahan Mukuchyan, Nana Mkrtchyan, Naira Minasyan, Srbuhi Gasparyan, Aida Sargsyan, Mikael Narimanyan, and Areg Hovhannisyan. “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 18, no. 1 (2018): 7.
© The Author(s). 2018 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
Click here to read the full text study.
Posted April 23, 2018.
References:
- CDC. Osteoarthritis (OA). 2017; Overview of osteoarthitis. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis.htm. Accessed April 18, 2017, 2018.
- Haroyan A, Mukuchyan V, Mkrtchyan N, et al. 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):7.
- Aggarwal BB, Gupta SC, Sung B. Curcumin: an orally bioavailable blocker of TNF and other pro‐inflammatory biomarkers. British journal of pharmacology. 2013;169(8):1672-1692.
- Ammon H. Boswellic acids in chronic inflammatory diseases. Planta medica. 2006;72(12):1100-1116.
