Too many Australians suffer from joint pain, stiffness and inflammation. Arthritis means inflammation of the joints and this affects nearly 1 in 5 Australians.1 Although there are over 100 different types of arthritis the most common form is osteoarthritis present in nearly 1.4 million Australians.2 The main joints affected are the weight bearing joints such as the hips, knees and lower back, as well as the neck and hands. Many seek relief of their symptoms from traditional means such as dietary (e.g. herbal or plant) supplements, or from conventional means in the form of pills from their chemist or doctor.
The search for naturally-sourced alternatives
Unigen Pharmaceuticals screened over 1200 plants for their anti-inflammatory activity. Two plants were identified: Scutellaria baicalensis and Acacia catechu, and both of these have been used traditionally in oriental and ayurvedic medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties.
Cararthron®
Cararthron® uses these plant extracts for arthritis relief and numerous studies have been conducted to ascertain their safety and efficacy to relieve the symptoms of arthritis. The active ingredients are natural anti-inflammatory agents called flavonoids.4 Scutellaria baicalensis contains the flavonoids — baicalin, baicalein and wogonin, and Acacia catechu contains the flavonoids — catechin and epicatechin. They work by inhibiting all 3 enzymatic pathways involved in inflammation (COX-1, COX-2 and LOX).5
Efficacy
In clinical trials conducted using the same herbs, regular intake over 4-12 weeks of UP446 resulted in an improvement of mobility and a reduction in stiffness. They also helped provide relief of pain and stiffness associated with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, and may help improve overall joint function. It also had an excellent tolerability profile with minimal side effects and no interactions with blood thinning drugs such as aspirin.6,7 A pilot study conducted recently showed comparable safety and efficacy of UP446 compared with current anti-inflammatory agents.8
The herbs used in Cararthron® also helps to maintain healthy cardiovascular function, so it is reassuring to know that not only will this natural product help to provide relief of pain, stiffness and improvement in overall joint function but there may be benefits to your heart as well.
It is available at your local pharmacy or healthfood store, or can be purchased directly from the Chalmers Dale online store.
- Arthritis Australia 2009. http://www.rheumatology.org.au/community/documents/Whatisarthritis.pdf
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Guideline for the non-surgical management of hip and knee arthritis. Available at http://www.racgp.org.au/Content/NavigationMenu/ClinicalResources/RACGPGuidelines/Arthritis/200812OsteoarthritisGuideline.pdf Accessed June 2009.
- National Prescribing Service. Elevated cardiovascular risk with NSAIDs? NPS RADAR; 2005 Aug.
http://www.nps.org.au/health_professionals/publications/nps_radar/issues/archive/august_2005/nsaids [cited 2009 Jul 14] - Lim H, et al. Inhibition of chronic skin inflammation by topical anti-inflammatory flavonoid preparation, Ato Formula. Arch Pharm Res 2006; 29: 503-7.
- Burnett BP, et al. A medicinal extract of Scutellaria baicalensis and Acacia catechu acts as a dual inhibitor of cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase to reduce inflammation. J Med Food 2007; 10: 442-51. Unigen Pharmaceuticals were the financial sponsors of this study.
- Univestin UP446 data package, Unigen USA, 2660 Willamette Dr. NE, Lacey, WA 98516, USA.
- Burnett BP, et al. Safety evaluation of a combination, defined extract of Scutellaria baicalensis and Acacia catechu. J Food Biochem 2007; 31: 797-825. Unigen Pharmaceuticals were the financial sponsors of this study.
- Sampalis, J & Brownell, LA. A randomized, double blind, placebo and active comparator controlled pilot study of UP446, a novel dual pathway inhibitor anti-inflammatory agent of botanical origin. Nutrition Journal 2012, 11:21 doi:10.1186/1475-2891-11-21