Basil Plants Can Fight Arthritis Hot Springs National Park AR
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Basil Plants Can Fight Arthritis
If you have been trying to fight arthritis the natural way, there may be another weapon you can add to your arsenal. A study presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, England, revealed basil can help to relieve arthritis symptoms.
Basil is rich in anti-inflammatories and antioxidants . Two varieties of this herb, Ocimum tenuiflorum Linn and Ocimum americanum Linn, which are commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine, have been scientifically proven to reduce inflammation and swelling. The researchers suggest that these properties make them potential treatments for arthritis.
In the study, 24 hours after treatment with O. tenuiflorum swelling was reduced by up to 73 percent. Treatment with O. americanum was similarly effective. The results were even more impressive as these two herbs were as effective as diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used by many people suffering from arthritis.
"Our results supported the use of these traditional treatments in inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis," said Vaibhav Shinde from Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune, India, who presented the study at the conference. "And we will now carry out more detailed evaluation of the plants for active compounds which could be developed into new medicines."
The results of this study provide more support for using basil to treat arthritis, among other conditions. A previous study found that the active compound responsible for basil's therapeutic benefits was eugenol. In mouse studies, eugenol was able to help relieve pain. Another potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant found in basil is ursolic acid...
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