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Have You Heard About These Best Natural Sup-
plements For Inflammation?

Imagine that youre a bacteria, going inside your bodys enemy to seek revenge. You
go about and found your way inside your enemys body, looking for the best place to
transfer your pathogens. In a short while, you see some friendly-looking entities, but
these are macrophages, ready to flick your bad intentions away. Upon contact, they
release the cytokines, histamines and prostaglandins. Before you know it, your evil plan
was already stopped by your enemys innate immune system.

Normally, this is how inflammation works in the body

Upon stimulation due to a damaging stimuli or pathogen, our body has an innate im-
mune system that activates inflammation. This response is normal, if acute and in ac-
cordance with the perceived stimuli. The cytokines and prostaglandins make way for
vasodilation, which allows for the blood flow and transfer of necessary nutrients to the
area. Thats when youd experience the redness, swelling, warmth and pain.

But there are times when inflammation is not normal

Now imagine that youre one of the macrophages in your body, making rounds, making
sure everythings okay. You saw a bunch of other macrophages trying to invade a tis-
sue, perhaps theres an enemy in there. So you go ahead and join them, after all, thats
your job. The problem is, you have started the inflammation process without any for-
eign stimuli at all. You have mistakenly thought of your bodys own tissue as a damag-
ing stimuli. And you just wont stop unless someone else blocks your actions.

This is when anti-inflammatory medications are needed

You can get them over the counter, but theyre basically chemical ones. Sure, they
work, but NSAIDs and its derivatives can have adverse side eects. They can aect the
kidneys and liver with long-term use. Unfortunately, for patients with chronic inflamma-
tion, they cant get away with not using medications. Fortunately, there are less risky
alternatives in the form of natural supplements that one can turn to.

1. Silybum Marianum

What Is It: Silybum marianum is commonly referred to as milk thistle. This flowering
plant is native to the continents of Europe and Asia, but is cultivated around the world.
The seeds of silybum marianum contains mainly silymarin. From silymarin, the phenol
silybin is extracted. This wonder phenol is known for its detoxifying eects on the liver.

Why It Works: Like any other anti-inflammatory medication, silybin acts by inhibiting
the mediators of inflammation. In this case, it works by suppressing the NF-KB path-
way and thereby blocking the formation of mediators such as IL-6, IL-1, TNF-A and
GM-CSF. Silybin has a number of other anti-inflammatory actions, like deactivating
neutrophils in arthritic diseases and reducing cell replication in various forms of cancer.
The many benefits of silybin are discussed here.

Recommended Brands: LiverSmart European Milk Thistle and Jarrow Formulas Milk
Thistle

2. Magnesium (With Glycinate, Citrate or Oxide)

What Is It: Magnesium is an important element required for many bodily functions.
Doctor Eades highlighted its importance in his blog. According to recent studies, heart
disease risk is better gauged by the combination of cholesterol levels and inflammation
levels. This is in contrast in the past wherein only cholesterol levels were used to gauge
the risk of the patient for heart disease. More interesting than that, they have also
found out that with lower magnesium levels, the higher the inflammation levels of the
patients are.

Why It Works: With increased magnesium levels in the blood, calcium influx lowers.
Since calcium influx lowers, it remains where it is supposed to be, which is in the
bones. Therefore, calcium calcification lowers, which is one of the main reasons for in-
flammation in diseases like gout and osteoarthritis. Its important to note though that
magnesium is an unstable molecule and it needs to be bounded to another molecule to
be better absorbed by the body. As such, the most common oral preparations in the
market are magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide.

Recommended Brands: Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate, Jigsaw Magne-

sium With SRT and Superior Labs Magnesium Oxide

3. Cinnamomum Verum

What Is It: The common name of cinnamomum verum is Ceylon cinnamon. This tree
grows natively in the country of Sri Lanka and is known as the more expensive type of
cinnamon. We know cinnamon very well, as it gives an exotic aroma and flavor to many
baked goods. Ceylon cinnamon diers from all the other types because of its milder
flavor and enchanting sweetness. Its best feature is that aside from its anti-inflammato-
ry eects, it has the least amount of coumarin, potent liver toxin, from the other types
of cinnamon.

Why It Works: Extracts from the bark of cinnamon verum are rich in various com-
pounds such as trans-cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and linalool. These compounds are
the main reasons for the anti-inflammatory eects of the tree. In this comprehensive
research, it is shown that cinnamon extract increases tristetraprolin levels, this protein
is a potent anti-inflammatory mediator. In addition, cinnamon extract suppresses the
production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-A, IL-1B and IL-6.

Recommended Brands: Zhou Nutrition Ceylon Cinnamon and Swanson Premium

Brand True Cinnamon

4. Astaxanthin

What Is It: Astaxanthin gives that red or pink color to many aquatic species. It is a
carotenoid and is a potent anti-oxidative supplement. According to Dr. Jay Davidson,
astaxanthin is more powerful than other anti-oxidant supplements, primarily because it
remains in the body longer and fat-soluble too. While you can get your supply of astax-
anthin in aquatic animals like salmon and shrimp, it is also okay to supplement using
capsules or tablets.

Why It Works: Astaxanthin works primarily by inhibiting the inflammation pathway via
NF-KB inactivation. In this study, the researchers even emphasized how astaxanthin
was able to lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In another study, it was shown
that there might be a link with regards to SHP-1 deficiency and inflammation. Astaxan-
thin also works to restore SHP-1 and thereby reducing again the potential for inflam-
matory reactions.

Recommended Brands: BioAstin Hawaiian Astaxanthin and Viva Naturals Premium

Astaxanthin

5. Berberine

What Is It: Berberine is an active component of many plants such as barberry and
Chinese goldthread. In history, berberine was a favorite herb amongst the Chinese and
Indians due to its many health benefits. It has both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties. According to Dr. Sara Gottfried, berberine can also help patients suering
from diabetes, PCOS and obesity.

Why It Works: Berberine suppresses the inflammatory pathway by inactivation of vari-

ous cytokine mediators. These include the following: IL-1B, IL-6 and MCP-1. Further,
as highlighted in this study, TLR-4 and NF-KB were also inhibited by berberine. Thus,
with these numerous inhibitory eects, berberine can help reduce the pain that patients
feel due to inflammatory diseases.

Recommended Brands: Havasu Nutrition Premium Berberine Supplement and We

Like Vitamins Berberine

6. Quercetin

What Is It: Quercetin is a naturally-occurring polyphenol in foods like capers, radish

and cilantro. According to Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, quercetin is a potent anti-inflammatory
compound that can help in various diseases such as Hashimotos disease, rheumatoid
arthritis and lupus. It also has practical therapeutic applications in oncology. You can
usually find it in supplements combined with bromelain, yet another potent anti-in-
flammatory compound that we have already discussed before.

Why It Works: In this study, the researchers have discussed quite intensively how
quercetin works to stop inflammation. It mainly inhibits TNF-A production, which sur-
passes the inflammatory pathway. Similarly, it can inhibit the production of IL-8 and IL-
1A, leading to a modulation of the inflammatory cytokines. It also works to inhibit per-
oxisome proliferator-activated receptor c (PPARY), which in turn, suppresses the NF-
KB pathway.

Recommended Brands: Doctors Best Quercetin Bromelain and Solaray QBC Plex

7. Moringa Oleifera

What Is It: Moringa oleifera is natively cultivated in Asian countries such as India, In-
donesia and the Philippines. The leaves of the herb are an important culinary ingredient
for these countries. For medicinal purposes, most parts of the herb can be used, from
the leaves, to the seeds, to the flowers. For nursing mothers, moringa is believed to in-
crease the milk supply because of the many nutrients and vitamins that it has.

Why It Works: Moringa oleifera contains various phenols, they vary on number and
type depending on the genus of the herb. These phenols are the primary anti-inflam-
matory compounds of the herb. They work to inhibit the production of nitric oxide, a
pro-inflammatory enzyme in the body. They also inhibit various inflammatory pathways
such as COX-2 and NF-KB. Also important is their ability to induce the production of
anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 and IKB-A.

Recommended Brands: Organic India Moringa Capsules and Royal Life Essentials
Moringa Oleifera Leaf Powder

8. Glucosamine

What Is It: Glucosamine is usually manufactured from the shells of shrimps or crabs.
For vegetarians, theres a version of glucosamine manufactured from corn or from a
fungi called aspergillus niger. In this list, glucosamine is perhaps the most advertised
anti-inflammatory compound, especially for those suering from arthritis. You can easi-
ly find it on local health stores or online health stores.

Why It Works: In this 2013 study, the mechanism of action of glucosamine was inves-
tigated. The researchers concluded that glucosamine is able to block inflammation by
suppressing the NF-KB pathway. In another study, glucosamine hydrochloride was in-
vestigated and the result was that this substrate modulates the release of inflammatory
mediators such as PGE3 and nitric oxide. Yet in another study, researchers put togeth-
er the information gathered from other studies about glucosamine sulfate. The result
was that glucosamine sulfate shows promising anti-inflammatory eects for os-
teoarthritic patients without the adverse eects like NSAIDs.

Recommended Brands: Schi Glucosamine With Hyaluronic Acid and Viva Naturals
Triple Strength Glucosamine Chondroitin & MSM

9. Chaga Mushroom Extract

What Is It: Nature is a weird yet amazing vast world of its own. Take for instance cha-
ga, a parasitic fungus that grows in birch trees. While it wreaks havoc on its host, it has
a number of health benefits for us humans. If you remember in our previous article,
birch tree has a compound known as betulin, which has anti-inflammatory eects.
Since chaga grows on this tree, it also absorbs this compound and in turn, has the
same anti-inflammatory eects. Additionally, chaga has other anti-inflammatory com-
pounds such as oxalic acid, phenols and more.

Why It Works: In this study, chaga mushroom was compared with other supposed
anti-inflammatory herbal remedies in terms of their eectiveness. While the three herbal
remedies reduced the levels of IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-A, only chaga was able to reduce
the level of nitric oxide as well. Perhaps this is why chaga mushroom extract is a very
potent anti-inflammatory remedy.

Recommended Brands: Vimergy Chaga Extract Powder and Sayan Siberian Wild For-
est Chaga Mushroom Extract Powder

10. Avocado-Soybean Unsaponifiables

What Is It: A novel addition to the natural anti-inflammatory remedies world is avoca-
do-soybean unsaponifiables, or simply ASUs. According to Dr. Theo, ASUs are derived
from the oils of avocado and soybean. If youre wondering about the term unsaponifi-
ables, it simply means that it resembles the skin lipids and it has properties that cannot
form soap. ASUs therefore can help with skin regeneration greatly but for this guide,
were more concerned with its anti-inflammatory properties.

Why It Works: In this study, the anti-inflammatory actions of ASUs were investigated. It
was found out that ASUs work primarily by inhibiting the COX pathway and iNOS pro-
duction which greatly reduced the nitric oxide release. In parallel with these, ASUs
were also able to reduce the production of TNF-A and IL-1B, which are mediators of
the inflammatory pathway as well.

Recommended Brands: Nutramax Cosamin ASU Advance Formula and Arthrocen

Avocado Soy Unsaponifiables Joint Health Supplement

Natural is the way to go

At least if you want to heal your body in line with the way nature works. We have chem-
ical medications and theyre not going anywhere. Why not turn to natural herbal reme-
dies as our first aid of defense when it comes to inflammation? After all, these are the
very products from where synthetic medications were taken from. The best part is that
they are safer and pose less risks for us humans.

Have you tried any of the natural supplements for inflammation above? Were they ef-
fective for you? You can share your experiences below, we always welcome them here.