Herbs for Arthritis

Approximately 2.1 million Americans have a chronic disease known as Rheumatoid arthritis. This disease affects primarily women though, with about 70% of sufferers being female. Men and children can get the disease too, even though it's more rare, but when men get it they tend to have more severe symptoms from it than women.

Rheumatoid arthritis is simply an inflammation of the tissue which lines your joints. Since this inflammation is chronic though, time will cause the tissue to cause joint damage, limit movement abilities of the affected joints, and cause increasing amounts of pain.

There are currently no known modern medical cures for Rheumatoid arthritis, so doctors often treat the symptoms instead. Common treatments include the use of strong prescription pain relievers known as NSAIDS. Over the counter versions include products known as Aleve, Ibuprofin, and Motrin. NSAIDS work to relieve pain by reducing the inflammation which is causing the pain. Unfortunately, prescription NSAIDS have some dangerous side effects associated with them, including kidney and liver damage. Over the counter versions have the same risks, but since doses are lower it can take much more time and misuse of the products to cause these types of problems.

Herbal remedies also include using anti inflammatory solutions though. In fact, a completely natural herb known as White Willow was the basis for most of the modern day painkillers we use today.

White willow can be used safely both internally and externally to help reduce inflammation and relieve pain caused by inflammation. And it doesn't have the same side effects as prescription synthetics do.

To use white willow externally, open a powdered herbal gelcap and shake out the powder. Mix some pure aloe vera juice or mineral water with the powder to make a thin paste, then simply rub that over the painful joint areas.

When using white willow for arthritis pain or any other health purposes of course, be sure you're using 100% pure herbal supplements in powdered form. If you buy the hard tablets and products which say they "contain" an herb, you're not likely getting the full strength of the herb and it may not help as much as it could.

Burdock is another excellent herb to use for arthritis, because it helps reduce the swelling of joints, plus it helps break down calcification deposits that build up over time. Burdock should be taken orally for the best effects, but it too can be applied externally to help reduce swelling.

Chaparral is an herb which has been used specifically for arthritis for hundreds of years. It helps relieve pain, it purifies the blood, and it helps tone the body by rebuilding new tissue.

Source: http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com