Study Promotes Use of Borage Oil for Arthritis
BOSTON - In a study conducted a Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston, participants suffering with rheumatoid arthritis responded favorably to treatment with Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA). The study is the latest in a growing body of evidence that GLA may be an effective adjunct in arthritis treatment.
In the mid 1990s, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Massachusetts observed that adult rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving borage oil capsules in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies experienced reductions in severity of paid, morning stiffness, joint tenderness and swelling. Similar results were obtained in the Shriners Hospital study. In addition, observations from a study published in Annals of Rheumatoid Disease (vol. 47, 1988) indicated that patients may reduce their dependence on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by adding GLA to their treatment regimens.
Source: Natural Products Industry, Insider®, Volume 5, No. 2, February 7, 2000
Flaxseed Oil And Borage Seed Oil Among Others To Be Studied For Anti-Inflammatory Actions
Wake Forest University School of Medicine has recently received a $7.5 million grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) to open a research center to study dietary supplements. The Wake Forest center is a partnership with Harvard Medical Center and will be known as the Wake Forest and Harvard Center for Botanical Lipids. The new center will examine a variety of health promoting oils, such as flaxseed oil, borage oil and echium oil, for their specific biological mechanisms and clinical applications. The main focus will be on the anti-inflammatory actions of these oils and their potential to treat inflammatory diseases. Source: Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Read More.