Alternative Health Blog

Anyone struggling with chronic knee pain is all too familiar with the temptation of medications. One capsule a day might turn to, oh, three to control pain, especially if you are active. When a natural pain-relief remedy for knee pain appears on the health horizon, the Alternative Health Blog is eager to report it.

So here goes: A new study published in the mainstream Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery shows that the herb Garcinia kola or bitter kola is effective in significantly reducing the pain and swelling of osteoarthritis in the knee joint compared to a control group taking placebo. The study also included volunteers with knee pain who took the prescription drug Celebrex or over-the-counter naproxen (most commonly branded as Aleve).

While it is encouraging that Garcinia kola, also called G. kola, not only fared better than the placebo but held its own therapeutically when matched against Celebrex or naproxen. Both the Rx and OTC drugs relieved pain faster than G. kola and lasted longer, but, and here’s an important point, the African herbal remedy showed no adverse effects on heart, kidney or digestive health. The other painkillers have well-documented potential side effects in those areas when taken for extended periods. The G. kola dose of 100 milligrams was equivalent to 200 milligrams of Celebrex and 500 milligrams of naproxen.

After six weeks of treatment, G. kola was comparable to the medications in terms of increased mobility and reduced knee joint stiffness, both major elements in quality of life when confronting chronic pain. Bottom line: It appears G. kola takes a bit longer to build up a lasting effect to offset knee pain, yet once at that status there is significantly less risk of side effects.

The African researchers acknowledged that more research is needed to standardize G. kola doses (especially to control that you get the same dosage each time) and determine whether the bitter kola plant has any unwanted long-term effects.

Yet, honestly, publishing the study in a medically conservative American professional journal is a big step. We can anticipate some manufacturers looking for ways to bring the herb to market as quickly as is possible and safe.

It is no coincidence the research was conducted by African collaborators. G. kola is a tree than grows up to about 12 feet high and is cultivated throughout west and central Africa. The plant remedy has been used on that continent to treat bronchitis, throat infections, colic in babies, liver disorders and all symptoms of a common cold.