Peppermint is one of the most commonly consumed herbs. That said, unless you drink peppermint tea, you might seldom encounter real peppermint, as the use of real peppermint in diverse products has been largely replaced by the use of less expensive, more easily obtained synthetic flavorings.
Of interest, rosemary is often mentioned as an herb useful in the treatment of inflammation. Peppermint is seldom mentioned in that regard, except in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. However, the primary active ingredient thought responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of rosemary is rosmarinic acid. Rosemary contains, on average, 38,000 ppm of rosmarinic acid. Peppermint contains, on average, 30,000 ppm of rosmarinic acid. As such, the general anti-inflammatory effects of rosemary might also be manifest by peppermint. Peppermint excels (and is included in Banjo) on account of both its flavor and the additional benefits it provides.
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Lemon peel is a rich source of nobiletin, found in this study to inhibit NF-kB. Inhibition of NF-kB was associated with a decrease in: NO production, PGE-2, and COX-2, each of which is an important mediator of pain and inflammation in arthritis.
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Sunflower seeds are a rich source of alpha-amyrin palmitate. In the study briefly summarized below, administration of alpha-amyrin palmitate was shown to substantially improve arthritis in the animal model. This might account, in part, for the fact that sunflower seeds have long been used in traditional medicines – they reduce inflammation.
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Turmeric (curcumin) and resveratrol found to act synergistically in the treatment of arthritis.
This is an essential publication because it demonstrates that by combining different natural inhibitors of NF-kB, a greater anti-inflammatory effect may be achieved than is possible with either agent alone. The study further suggests that this might be especially true when the different agents act to inhibit NF-kB through different mechanisms.
By implication, the observed synergy will not be limited to the specific combination studied (curcumin + resveratrol.)
Banjo combines a number of different natural NF-kB inhibitors, each of which may act through a slightly different mechanism in the inhibition of NF-kB. While many of the individual agents might provide some benefit, Banjo is expected to provide a substantially greater benefit than any single agent. That possibility is confirmed by the study briefly summarized below.
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Ginger has been used safely for thousands of years in traditional and folk medicine. Advanced technology enables the validation of these traditional experiences.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has evaluated the results of the available studies, rating the reports from “suggestive” (for short-term use of Ginger for safe relief from pregnancy related nausea and vomiting), to “mixed” (when used for nausea caused by motion sickness, chemotherapy, or surgery), and to “unclear” for treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or joint and muscle pain).
The scope of ginger’s use will soon be clearly identified and incorporated into mainstream therapeutic options, thereby integrating east and west, old with new, to render ginger as a true “Universal Remedy”.
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The role of NO as either beneficial or detrimental in the arthritic joint has long been debated. NO appears to act in a very complex manner. However, the fact that it inhibits NF-kB and therefore serves an anti-inflammatoey roles suggests that NO inhibition may have detrimental effects in osteoarthritis.
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Glucosamine is a weak inhibitor of NF-kB, and thus an anti-inflammatory agent with potential therapeutic use in the treatment of inflammation, such as in osteoarthritis.
A new derivative of glucosamine was examined it was likewise found to be an inhibitor of NF-kB.
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CNS regulation of peripheral inflammation, implications in fibromyalgia?
The central nervous system (CNS = brain and spinal cord) can regulate peripheral inflammation, but the pathways and mechanisms by which it does so remain unclear.
The study summarized below investigates the possibility that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) exerts an anti-inflammatory effect via binding to a specific receptor found primarily on the synovial lining of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis joints.
That possibility is confirmed by observations of reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine activity as a result of such binding.
While the authors suggest that the receptor identified in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis joints might be a potential target for drug development, I am curious if a similar mechanism might explain the connection between observed neurotransmitter abnormalities seen in fibromyalgia and the persistence of peripheral inflammation.
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Inhibiting NF-kB in an affected joint resulted in marked suppression of joint destruction, with a great reduction in inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinase production from stimulated synovial cells derived from rheumatoid arthritis patients.
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One common effect of NF-kB over-activation in Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis & Crohn’s Disease
Key points:
A receptor [A(3)AR] is associated with inflammation.
It turns out that in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn’s, there is ‘too much’ of this receptor on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) – a common thread.
These same PBMCs also have ‘too much’ activated NF-kB – [...]
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Osteoarthritis has been called “wear and tear” arthritis. But that’s somewhat misleading. Osteoarthritis results not from years of use, but from years of chronic, low grade inflammation.
Yes, mechanical stress (the pounding your knee joint takes every time you walk or run) does cause mild inflammation. But that inflammation would normally resolve quickly and entirely. When it doesn’t – when your body can’t entirely turn off the inflammation – chronic inflammation results.
Chronic, mild inflammation eventually progresses to chronic severe inflammation. Osteoarthritis results when that inflammation begins causing pain.
One reason your body might have trouble turning off the inflammation is “leptin.”
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Etanercept (Enbrel) inhibits NF-kB when used in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. The immune system is extremely complex and includes many feedback loops (positive and negative) as well as much ‘cross talk’ between its various components. The relationship between NF-kB and TNF is defined (in part) by a positive feedback loop.
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Americans spend approximately $1 billion each year on various forms of glucosamine supplements, primarily for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Is that money well spent, or wasted?
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In rheumatoid arthritis the synovium becomes thickened and develops finger-like projections extending out into the joint space. This thickening process is called “hyperplasia,”and typically leads to pannus formation. Pannus means “flap” – and the pannus in rhuematoid arthritis contributes to the joint destruction characteristic of that disease.
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Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound isolated from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa (turmeric) that has traditionally been used for pain and wound-healing. Recent studies have shown that curcumin ameliorates (improves, helps with) multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease in human or animal models.
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When treated with the NF-kB inhibitor early in the course of knee inflammation, or before it begins, the result is “total prevention” of the “hyperexcitability” of the neurons – taken to be an indication of pain signaling.
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You don’t really need to grind up a seahorse to get relief from arthritis pain. Though it might be one way, it’s probably not the best way and definitely not the easiest way. NF-kB inhibitors are all around us.
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Bone undergoes continuous remodeling through bone formation and resorption, and maintaining the balance for skeletal rigidity. Bone resorption and loss are generally attributed to osteoclasts. Osteoclast activity is inhibited by turmeric and dandelion, probably by means of NF-kB.
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This study suggests that a combination of turmeric (curcumin) and ginger extract might provide a novel approach to improving structure and function in skin and, concomitantly, reducing formation of non-healing wounds.
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The origins of aspirin date back over 3500 years. The Eberus papyrus (a collection of medicinal recipes dating back to the middle of the second millennium BC) describes an infusion of dried myrtle leaves used to ease the pain of rheumatism and for back problems. Juice extracted from the bark of willow trees was later used by Hippocrates, the celebrated ‘father of medicine’, in the fifth century BC to ease pain and fevers. Both of these preparations contain salicylic acid, the precursor of modern aspirin.
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