Active Ingredient Glucosamine

glucosamine is a natural compound that is found in healthy cartilage. glucosamine sulfate is a normal constituent of glycoaminoglycans in cartilage matrix and synovial fluid.

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: glucosamine

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
chronic venous hypertension without complications	"chronic venous insufficiency" is a syndrome that includes leg swelling, varicose veins, pain, itching, skin changes, and skin ulcers. the term is more commonly used in europe than in the united states. currently, there is not enough reliable scientific evidence to recommend glucosamine in the treatment of this condition.	c
crushing injury of knee	glucosamine has been given to athletes with acute knee injuries. although glucosamine did not improve pain, it did help improve flexibility. additional research is needed to confirm these early findings.	c
diabetes mellitus without mention of complication	early research suggests that glucosamine does not improve blood sugar control, lipid levels, or apolipoprotein levels in diabetics. additional research is needed in this area.	c
general symptoms	several human studies and animal experiments report benefits of glucosamine in treating osteoarthritis of various joints of the body, although the evidence is less plentiful than that for knee osteoarthritis. some of these benefits include pain relief, possibly due to an anti-inflammatory effect of glucosamine, and improved joint function. overall, these studies have not been well designed. although there is some promising research, more study is needed in this area before a firm conclusion can	b
neoplasm of unspecified nature of bone soft tissue and skin	there is a lack of sufficient evidence to recommend for or against the use of glucosamine (or the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin) in the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders.	c
other ulcerative colitis	preliminary research reports improvements with n-acetyl glucosamine as an added therapy in inflammatory bowel disease. further scientific evidence is necessary before a strong recommendation can be made.	c
pain	preliminary human research reports benefits of injected glucosamine plus chondroitin in the treatment of leg pain arising from advanced lumbar degenerative disc disease. further scientific evidence is necessary before a firm recommendation can be made.	c
rheumatoid arthritis	early human research reports benefits of glucosamine in the treatment of joint pain and swelling in rheumatoid arthritis. in other research, glucosamine did not exert anti-rheumatic effects, but it did improve symptoms of the disease. however, this is early information, and additional research is needed before a conclusion can be drawn. the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis can be complicated, and a qualified healthcare provider should follow patients with this disease.	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.