Pine Bark Powerful Against Pain

tidbits that tantalizeModern Medicine...

If you’re concerned about the medications you’re taking, including the over-the-counter stuff, there’s a bit of good news. A new study reveals a natural remedy may be effective in treating minor knee arthritis. As a matter of fact, if you have a green thumb and bit of science knowledge you may be able to grow your own treatment in your backyard.

Well…

So, it may be a bit more difficult than the backyard approach, but the new treatment is indeed from a likely backyard resident: the French maritime pine tree. Oh, yes – it would also help if your backyard were in France.

Scientists recently studied the effect of an extract of the French maritime pine tree’s bark on early-stage osteoarthritis. They gave one group the pine bark extract, and a second group a placebo. They then followed the groups for 90 days to assess their pain levels.

The pine bark group reported an improvement in their pain, while the placebo group did not. The pine barkers were also able to lower their non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by 33 percent, compared to just 8 percent for the control group. And, the improvements lasted for a full 2 weeks after they stopped using the pine bark extract.

The researchers say the pine bark extract appears to be a powerful anti-inflammatory. Their study confirms the findings of 2 earlier studies.

It’s nice to have an alternative to NSAIDs, which can have serious side effects. And, taking the pine bark extract not only relieves pain, but it gives you that nice outdoorsy feel…

To read more about the study, see this from Reuters. To learn more about pine bark extract, see this from Drug Digest.