Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

A wise man’s treatment for arthritis – frankincense?
Cardiff University ^ | June 1, 2011 | Unknown

Posted on 06/21/2011 5:58:17 PM PDT by decimon

The answer to treating painful arthritis could lie in an age old herbal remedy - frankincense, according to Cardiff University scientists.

Cardiff scientists have been examining the potential benefits of frankincense to help relieve and alleviate the symptoms of the condition.

"The search for new ways of relieving the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis is a long and difficult one," according to Dr Emma Blain, who leads the research with her co-investigators Professor Vic Duance from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences and Dr Ahmed Ali of the Compton Group.

"The South West of England and Wales has a long standing connection with the Somali community who have used extracts of frankincense as a traditional herbal remedy for arthritic conditions.

"What our research has focused on is whether and how these extracts can help relieve the inflammation that causes the pain," she added.

The Cardiff scientists believe they have been able to demonstrate that treatment with an extract of Boswellia frereana – a rare frankincense species – inhibits the production of key inflammatory molecules which helps prevent the breakdown of the cartilage tissue which causes the condition.

(Excerpt) Read more at cardiff.ac.uk ...


TOPICS: Food; Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: arthritis; frankincense; godsgravesglyphs
The South West of England and Wales has a long standing connection with the Somali community...

That should surprise many people.

1 posted on 06/21/2011 5:58:19 PM PDT by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: neverdem; DvdMom; grey_whiskers; Ladysmith; Roos_Girl; Silentgypsy; conservative cat; ...

Magi ping.


2 posted on 06/21/2011 5:58:55 PM PDT by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: decimon

Are they trying to come up with a pill? What’s the current usage by the Somali’s? How effective is the current treatment?


3 posted on 06/21/2011 6:05:16 PM PDT by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: decimon

This is old news amongst people who use herbal medicine. The only problem is that it usually has to be ordered from companies that sell nutritional supplements. Otherwise, sometimes GNC carries it. My mom tried it for awhile and said she really didn’t notice a difference. But it doesn’t hurt to try it.


4 posted on 06/21/2011 6:07:53 PM PDT by toothfairy86
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: decimon

Is it the same as qat?


5 posted on 06/21/2011 6:08:40 PM PDT by nkycincinnatikid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sten

You can get Boswelia in pill form or as a tincture that you add to water.


6 posted on 06/21/2011 6:11:04 PM PDT by toothfairy86
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: decimon
We use "therapeutic" Frankincense oil daily (from Young Living). Stuff is awesome for solid emotional health (the oils at the health food stores do little or nothing as they are not therapeutic). While I'm sure Frankincense can be helpful for arthritis, we have found Wobenzymn to be excellent!
7 posted on 06/21/2011 6:11:17 PM PDT by mlizzy (Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sten

**How effective is the current treatment?**

doesn’t matter how well it works ...it’s ... “HERBAL” so the FDA won’t allow it .. no where, no way, no how!!


8 posted on 06/21/2011 6:12:28 PM PDT by gwilhelm56 (islam ... church of the Perpetually Offended!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: decimon

Boswellia has been known for centuries. It’s great for reducing inflammation.

I know some people who swear by the stuff.


9 posted on 06/21/2011 8:35:02 PM PDT by webstersII
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: decimon

Thanks decimon


10 posted on 06/22/2011 6:35:25 PM PDT by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: decimon; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...

· GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach ·
· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·

 
 Antiquity Journal
 & archive
 Archaeologica
 Archaeology
 Archaeology Channel
 BAR
 Bronze Age Forum
 Discover
 Dogpile
 Eurekalert
 Google
 LiveScience
 Mirabilis.ca
 Nat Geographic
 PhysOrg
 Science Daily
 Science News
 Texas AM
 Yahoo
 Excerpt, or Link only?
 


Thanks decimon.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
 

· History topic · history keyword · archaeology keyword · paleontology keyword ·
· Science topic · science keyword · Books/Literature topic · pages keyword ·


11 posted on 06/23/2011 4:53:41 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: decimon; SunkenCiv

I de-myrrh.


12 posted on 06/23/2011 5:53:01 AM PDT by wildbill (You're just jealous because the Voices talk only to me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wildbill

I always liked the gold part of that triad, myself.


13 posted on 06/23/2011 1:21:32 PM PDT by colorado tanker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: decimon

My doc turned me on to golden raisins soaked in gin.

Works like a charm. My hands haven’t hurt in weeks.


14 posted on 06/23/2011 11:16:33 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Gore Lauds Romney on Climate Position; 0bamaCare was based on RomneyCare.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Miltie

Gin-Soaked Raisins May Alleviate Pain

By Chris Kilham

Published April 11, 2011 | FoxNews.com

advertisement

Periodically, certain folk remedies recirculate and garner fresh attention.

We have seen it happen with bee sting therapy for joint pain, lavender under a pillow for sleep and chicken soup for colds. Almost invariably, long-standing folk remedies appear to demonstrate real value when closely scrutinized, and scientists eventually figure out how they work.

Enter gin-soaked golden raisins, a folk remedy for relieving arthritis pain. Like stories of other remedies, this one won’t quit. We can thank the late inveterate radio celebrity Paul Harvey for helping to make this popular, at least over the past 20 years. And given the number of people who have tried this remedy and had relief, it’s fair to say that this one works. How? We’re not completely sure, but we have some very good ideas.

For starters, the remedy is as follows. Place a box full of golden raisins (must be golden) in a glass vessel, like a canning jar. Pour in gin specifically made with Juniper berries, until the raisins are completely covered. Let the raisins sit for a week at room temperature and soak up the gin. After that, eat 10 raisins per day. Theoretically, if you have arthritis pain, this will help.

OK, what a strange remedy. Let’s do a little digging, and see what we can figure. Golden raisins are sultana grapes, to which sulfur dioxide has been added to keep them golden. Sultana grapes are from Turkey, Greece, Iran or South Africa. In the U.S., they are cultivated under the name Thompson seedless grapes. These grapes are rich in the compounds resveratrol, catechins, potassium and vitamin C. Both resveratrol and catechins are antioxidant compounds, which also demonstrate anti-inflammatory activity. Arthritis pain involves inflammation of the joints. So possibly, these compounds are implicated in the efficacy of the gin-soaked raisin arthritis remedy.

Then there is the gin, made specifically from Juniper berries. As it turns out, juniper berries are laden with anti-inflammatory compounds, including catechin, alpha-pinene, alpha-terpineol, beta-pinene, betulin, caryophyllene, delta-3-carene, epicatechin, limonene, menthol and rutin. They are packed with anti-arthritic activity!

On top of that, the sulfur dioxide used to keep golden raisins golden also possesses anti-inflammatory properties.

When you soak the golden raisins in the juniper berry gin, the gin extracts many of the compounds in the raisins, making them more readily absorbed when you consume the raisins. As far as eating only 10 raisins per day? What would happen if you ate only nine? Or 11? It would still work.

The deductions here do not add up to an absolute guarantee that gin-soaked raisins will work to relieve your arthritis pain. But without question, there are enough anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving compounds in the golden raisins, the sulfur dioxide and the juniper gin to add up to a lot of very likely pain relief.

So here is a recommendation: Unless you are allergic to sulfites, go ahead and give the juniper gin-soaked golden raisin remedy a try. Remember, it’s always best to talk to your doctor first before trying something new. Raisins are basically good for you, and the tiny bit of gin that will plump up 10 raisins is not likely to get you loopy. You might even try getting some organic Thompson seedless raisins, which do not contain sulfur dioxide, and make the recipe. I am always for organic. But with all the powerful anti-inflammatory compounds in the mixture, you may in fact experience relief. For a fair trial, stick with the regimen for a couple of weeks. If it works, keep going.

Nature provides an abundance of remedies, and some of them may seem quite strange at first blush. But often a bit of scientific detective work reveals good reasons for their purported effectiveness. Gin-soaked raisins, advocated by Paul Harvey and a multitude of arthritis sufferers, appear to be a worthwhile remedy.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide. His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/04/11/gin-soaked-raisins-alleviate-pain/#ixzz1QAf5lHfL


15 posted on 06/23/2011 11:21:27 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Gore Lauds Romney on Climate Position; 0bamaCare was based on RomneyCare.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: decimon

I know someone who had very bad deforming and painful rheumatoid arthritis and took Artho 7 and MSM by GVI and has really amazing results. This is after trying almost every drug in the book without results except compromised kidneys and liver. I wish that everyone with RA would realize that there are supplements that really work but too bad that so many only rely on their doctors and nearly worthless and harmful drugs.


16 posted on 06/26/2011 1:40:24 AM PDT by Bellflower (Isa 32:5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said [to be] bountiful.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: decimon

bflr


17 posted on 06/26/2011 1:52:11 AM PDT by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson