Turmeric reduces the pain in knee osteoarthritis, according to the new study. New research by, The University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research, states that Curcuma longa (Turmeric) is effective more than placebo in reducing the knee pain by osteoarthritis.    

The principal investigator of the trial and author of the paper, Dr Benny Eathakkattu Antony, said that a large number of people have arthritis all around the world. However, there are no clinically approved drugs available that are effective in treating osteoarthritis. Therefore, it can be a milestone.

What is Knee Osteoarthritis?  

Knee osteoarthritis is a painful condition in which the cartilage (natural cushioning) between knee joint damages due to underlying conditions. It is common in old age people, but young people may also have arthritis.   

The most common treatment for knee osteoarthritis is paracetamol and NSAIDs. But According to this new research turmeric can help reduce or manage the pain. Knee osteoarthritis can be hereditary, due to an injury, extensive physical activity that wears on knees, obesity and some other conditions. Because cartilage is a natural cushioning between joints. If it disrupts, bones start rubbing together, causing a lot of pain and discomfort.  

How Turmeric Reduces Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis?

Turmeric has been used for food in almost all the traditions as well as its well known for its medicinal properties.   

Scientists invited 70 people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to participate in this study. Each of them got two capsules per day – some got turmeric, others – placebo. This experiment lasted for 12 weeks. The scientists wanted to see if turmeric helps reduce swelling and pain in the knees of these patients. Scientists assessed each patient with questionnaires and MRI tests. They found that after 12 weeks turmeric group patients felt less pain than those in the placebo group. Furthermore, they felt no adverse side effects of those capsules.  

Rheumatologist Professor Graeme Jones, who was also a contributor in the study, said: “Despite the positive findings, due to the modest effect of the turmeric, small sample size of the study, short-duration of follow-up and the single research centre the researchers suggest that multicentre trials with larger sample sizes and longer duration of follow-up are needed to assess the clinical significance of their findings.”  

However, this topic requires more research and study. These findings are quite significant, as they can be helpful for millions of people suffering from the knee osteoarthritis. In addition, that turmeric reduces pain in knee osteoarthritis, it can also help in avoiding health-damaging pain killers and addiction to them. Besides, it is also cheap, easy to find in every kitchen and free of any side effects. Turmeric is not a disease-modifying drug, but its use alleviates the pain.  

Turmeric does not change the structural aspect of knee osteoarthritis, like the composition of cartilage, swelling and inflammation. How it affects the pain will need further research on larger sample sizes to find the more clinical significance of turmeric.