Lowering patient stress, cholesterol and inflammation with anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herbs and supplements

While patients may be more familiar with East Asian herbs, certain anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herbs and supplements can be just as effective

When it comes to herbs and supplements, there is no question that the ones your patients are most likely to recognize will be within the East Asian (mainly Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) armamentarium. Part of the reason for this is because the East Asian herbal tradition works hand in hand with the acupuncture tradition, so both are equally popular. On the other hand, fewer of your patients likely know about herbs and supplements within the Ayurvedic medicinal tradition from India. Although it is true that Ayurvedic medicine also encompasses the practice of yoga, few people know about other areas of this healing tradition. As with herbs in the East Asian tradition, Ayurvedic herbs may be used alone or in combination preparations. Below are just a few of the more popular anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herbs and supplements within the Ayurvedic tradition.

Anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herbs and supplements: curcumin

Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, which comes from the root of the Curcuma domestica plant and is part of the ginger family. Both curcumin and turmeric are probably the best known of all the Ayurvedic medicinals, as turmeric is a key ingredient in the Indian spice blend curry, while curcumin provides it with its distinct golden yellow color and tangy flavor. While both turmeric and curcumin have healing properties, each is quite distinct. Curcumin is particularly well known as one of the anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herbs or supplements.

A 2014 article in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging compared the use of curcumin to ibuprofen for a group of 367 patients with knee osteoarthritis.¹ Patients received either 1,500 mg/day of curcumin or 1,200 mg/day of ibuprofen for four weeks. Overall, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of pain improvement and function over the course of the four weeks. Almost all patients in both groups were satisfied with their treatment, and 75% rated themselves as globally improved.¹

However, patients taking ibuprofen reported significantly more instances of abdominal pain/discomfort than did those taking curcumin. This can be particularly important for any of your patients with a particular sensitivity to ibuprofen.

Holy basil (tulsi)

If you are at all handy in the kitchen, basil is probably one of your staple herbs. While most people are only familiar with a few types, there are in fact 150 variants of basil, including holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn), which is sometimes also known as tulsi. Similar to curcumin, this form of basil is also used within Ayurvedic medicine for a variety of conditions, most notably stress and anxiety.

A 2012 study in the journal Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine examined the effectiveness of an extract of holy basil for controlling symptoms of general stress.² A group of 150 patients received either placebo or holy basil (1200 mg/day) for six weeks. At the end of the study period, those patients taking the holy basil extract reported a significantly greater decrease in symptoms of forgetfulness, sexual problems, exhaustion, and sleep problems. This overall improvement was found to be at least 39% greater than that for those taking placebo, with no adverse events.²

Guggulipid

According to the American Heart Association, 95 million American adults have total cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dL. Almost 29 million adults have total levels higher than 240 mg/dL.

Furthermore, most American adults do not have sufficient high-density lipoprotein (“good”) cholesterol levels. In fact, some studies have estimated that only 18% of the general population has sufficient HDL levels.

The Ayurvedic resinous compound guggulipid comes from the bark of the guggul tree (Commiphora wightii) and is thought to improve total cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of cholesterol that the body excretes in fecal waste.³ A 2009 article in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine measured the effect of taking a guggulipid supplement for a group of 43 patients with moderately high cholesterol levels. At the end of the four-week study, those patients taking the guggulipid supplement had significantly-improved mean total and HDL cholesterol levels compared to those taking the placebo.³

While your patients may be much more familiar with East Asian herbal preparation, they may find that certain anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herbs and supplements can be just as effective. This may be an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge of ancient healing traditions.

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