October 12-20 is Bone and Joint Health National Action Week, and we’d like to share tips and new insights into what you can do to make a difference in your bone and joint health.
You’ve heard it before. The major contributors to joint problems are: inflammation, wear and tear on the joints, obesity, repetitive stress, aging, certain metabolic diseases, and injuries.
Commonly used pain relievers provided temporary relief and often lead to undesirable side effects. But did you know that two culinary herbs have been shown to support bone and joint health?
Scientific studies have uncovered how you can support your bones and joints with two readily-available herbal extracts. Take a look.
Support Healthy Bones & Joints Naturally With Two Herbal Extracts
Do you wake up feeling stiff and achy? Do your knees and/or hips suffer after hiking or playing racquet ball, or even after walking your dog? Stiffness can result from an injury, stress on the joints, or from inflammation and thickening of the synovial lining —a joint lubricant that acts as a shock absorber fluid. As the condition worsens, the cartilage begins to wear and break down, which is what causes joint pain and reduced mobility. Scientists have extracted the bio-available components of turmeric (curcumin), and ginger (gingerols and shogoals), and found they inhibit the negative inflammatory effects of cytokines.1
What Are Cytokines?
Cytokines are small proteins that act as messengers that tell cells how to behave. They help regulate the immune system. However, an overproduction of them contribute to inflammation and tissue damage.
- Pro-inflammatory cytokines help your body’s immune system fend off attackers like bacteria and viruses.
- Anti-inflammatory cytokines lessen inflammation. They send messages that prevent an excessive immune response that can lead to tissue damage.
Turmeric

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is the best known source of curcumin. It’s a yellow perennial root belonging to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) and is a native to South Asia. If you’ve eaten Indian food — or if you make it — you’re familiar with turmeric’s rich color that has recently made Golden Lattes a popular beverage. Its use as a dye and herbal medicine dates back 4,000 years.2
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties are important to Chinese and Indian herbal medicine, and now — thanks to scientific studies — we know why. Curcumin makes up about 5% of the bioactive compounds in the herb. It acts as an antioxidant and natural analgesic that may help ease sore muscles and joints by inhibiting pain-inducing enzymes (cytokines) in the body from expressing themselves. The mechanism works similarly to the way some over-the-counter pain relievers work.3,4
Curcumin may also help with low bone density. As we age, our bones thin due to an imbalance of bone resorption versus bone formation. A study found that taking a curcumin supplement for six months showed significant improvements in 57 people with low bone density by reducing the rate of bone reabsorption.5
By decreasing inflammation, curcumin decreases osteoclasts, the cells that dissolve and break down old or damaged bone cells. This makes space for osteoblasts to create new bone tissue. Curcumin decreases osteoclast activity through its ability to modulate inflammation. By decreasing the activity of bone-breaking cells, curcumin may reduce bone loss.6
Ginger

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been a folk remedy for centuries for digestive issues as well as joint pain. Modern research shows that ginger contain high levels of 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol, anti-inflammatory compounds that inhibit inflammatory cytochines.7
Turmeric and Ginger contain bone-strengthening compounds that may improve bone growth, as well as reduce inflammation associated with joint stiffness and pain. An important thing to remember is that it may take longer for herbal remedies to work their magic than an OTC pain reliever. So give them a try. Your joints and bones will thank you.
What Else Can You Do?
- Move! Your bones get stronger when you use them, just as your muscles get stronger when you use them.
- Avoid habits that don’t support your bones and joints. Maintain a healthy body weight, don’t smoke, reduce or eliminate alcohol intake and carbonated, sweetened beverages, as well as excess sugar.
- Eat a diet with plenty of the bone supporting nutrients: calcium vitamin D, vitamin K, protein
- Learn about your personal risk factors: genetic predispositions, family history, medical conditions and medications, menopause factors, inactivity.