The ancient herb that works BETTER than arthritis drugs

Dr. Fred Pescatore admits that he doesn’t spend a lot of time discussing Chinese herbs, but he’s made an exception for one…

It’s an ancient herb called “thunder god vine” and research shows that it may actually work better than methotrexate—an extremely harsh prescription drug—in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

RA is a debilitating autoimmune condition that afflicts joints with inflammation and pain. But it can also wreak havoc in other parts of your body such as your heart, blood vessels, skin, nerve tissue, and even your eyes.

In the new thunder god vine study, researchers recruited more than 200 patients with active RA—their goal was to achieve at least a 50 percent improvement in both joint swelling and inflammation.

Dr. Pescatore explains the results, “After six months…Response rates reached 46 percent with methotrexate—and 55 percent with thunder god vine. But combining the two treatments delivered even better results, improving disease markers by more than 75 percent.”

And in another study funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, researchers compared a thunder god vine extract with an RA drug called sulfasalazine. Results showed that thunder god vine reduced inflammation, swelling, and joint pain significantly more than the drug.

So where can you get thunder god vine for yourself?

You should be able to find it in your local Chinese herb shop or health and wellness store.

But Dr. Pescatore advises you to use caution. He explains, “The herbal extract used in this study appeared to be safe as prepared. But the leaves, flowers, and outer layers of thunder god vine are notoriously toxic.”

So needless to say, thunder god vine really isn’t suitable as a do-it-yourself therapy. You should definitely work with a specialist in Chinese herbology if you want to try this treatment.

Many acupuncturists are well versed in traditional Chinese medicine, and you can find one near you by searching the website of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, at www.nccaom.org.

But if you don’t have access to thunder god vine, there are still many safe and effective strategies for dealing with RA.

Part of thunder god vine’s effectiveness stems from its unique effects on the immune system. After all, rheumatoid arthritis results when your body starts attacking itself. So, a supplement that works to restore balance to your immunity will likely help with symptom relief.

One of Dr. Pescatore’s personal favorites is active hexose correlated compound—or AHCC. This medicinal mushroom extract is safe, powerful, and effective against everything from colds to cancer to lupus to RA.

He recommends starting with 3,000 mg daily, divided into three 1,000 milligram doses one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.

SOURCES

“Thunder God Vine” National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, September 2016. (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/thunder-god-vine)