Re: Turmeric Extract Puts Drugs For Knee Osteoarthritis To Shame (Ask Trapper) 12/19/2012 2017936

Re: Turmeric Extract Puts Drugs For Knee Osteoarthritis To Shame

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Re: Turmeric Extract Puts Drugs For Knee Osteoarthritis To Shame

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Excellent - thank you. Fresh ginger is another good anti-inflammatory herb.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_433324.htm

Ginger has painkilling properties: research

Thursday, 6 December 2001

Ginger may be an alternative to painkillers and anti-inflammatories. (Pic: University of Sydney)

Ginger has long been known to help relieve nausea, and research at the University of Sydney has found it may also reduce pain and inflammation.

Initial studies have shown that the active ingredients in ginger — compounds called gingerols — have a similar structure to capsaicin, the active ingredient of chilli peppers and capsicum, a known pain reliever.

"We would like to find out exactly what sort of pain would best be treated or relieved by the various ginger extracts," explained study leader Professor Basil Roufogalis, executive director of the Herbal Medicine Research and Education Centre.

"We might create new drugs in the future."

Capsaicin acts on a specific receptor in the body called the vanilloid receptor, which sits on pain sensory nerve endings. Vallinoid receptors normally react to heat and acidity. The 'hot' sensation experienced when eating chilli arises from the capsaicin in the chilli reacting with those pain receptors.

Capsaicin is used on the skin as a pain reliever — for herpes, for example.

But the problem with capsaicin is that it dulls pain receptors only after setting them off. "Capsaicin initially causes pain, but eventually it can block the sensation of pain," explained Professor Roufogalis.

And this is where ginger comes in. It turns out that gingerol also acts on the vanilloid receptor.

"By using ginger molecules that are less pungent than capsicum, we are hoping to achieve the same effect but without the initial painful response," he said. "It would be used as an alternative to capsaicin."

A study on rats, in collaboration with the University of Queensland, showed that ginger helped withstand pain in the form of heat applied to the rats' tails.

The most likely way to administer ginger as a painkiller would be in the form of a tea taken several times a day, but more work needs to be done on the amount of ginger powder needed per dose to take effect, and the time required between doses.

A paper detailing this work is being prepared for publication in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

Ginger also helps control inflammation, said Professor Roufogalis.

"That's the nice thing about ginger, it affects the pain pathways directly but also relieves the inflammation which in itself causes pain."

In test-tube trials, his group has found that gingerols inhibit an enzyme that causes inflammation, cyclooxygenase (or COX for short). It has two forms: COX-1, which is always present in the body, and COX-2, which is produced during inflammation.

Newer anti-inflammatory drugs, such as celecoxib (trade name Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx), work selectively against COX-2. "But they are very expensive, and currently a very significant contributor to the PBS," explained Professor Roufogalis.

Gingerols work like the older anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, which inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2. "But they are quite potent against COX-2," he explained.

COX-1 is important for platelet aggregation (clumping), so newer drugs that don't inhibit COX-1 don't have the benefit of a 'blood thinning' effect. People on the newer drugs who have certain heart conditions are usually given aspirin as well.

According to Professor Roufogalis, gingerols prevent the aggregation of platelets, so as well as reducing inflammation, they can help to thin the blood. And unlike aspirin, he says, ginger has a calming effect on the intestinal tract.

Studies on humans are necessary to properly investigate the potential uses for ginger, he said.

The team is seeking funding for a trial with 20 to 30 patients using ginger to treat inflammation and pain. The results would be available within about a year, said Professor Roufogalis.