Chenland delivers joint health solution with traditional Chinese medicine

10 Aug 2020 --- Chenland has launched JointAlive, a botanical blend of three traditional Chinese herbs for joint pain relief. A company-commissioned open-label study showed that 69 percent of test participants with arthritis aged 60 to 75 reported joint comfort after 60 days of supplementation with JointAlive. The study’s findings highlight JointAlive downregulates core protein factors, inhibits inflammation and improves overall joint health. The company states that this launch aims to address “unmet” needs for natural solutions to joint afflictions.

“As worsening osteoarthritis trends continually threaten to negatively affect joint health for many generations, individuals directly impacted create a considerable market demand for a joint health solution. [While] consumers become increasingly health-conscious, many seek to increase overall health by taking various supplements – including those for bones and joints – as a preventative measure and to boost holistic health,” Chenland states.

JointAlive is sourced from traditional Chinese herbs used for their joint relief properties (Photo credit: Chenland).In its recently conducted study, the company had the aforementioned 98 test participants supplement with 600 mg of JointAlive for 60 days. The Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to assess pain and stiffness scores at seven, 14, 21, 28, 45 and 60 days. Hematology, urine, blood pressure and electrocardiogram measurements were collected before the study and on the 30th day.

The results found 11 percent of test subjects felt less pain and stiffness within seven days, jumping to 48 percent within 30 days. On day 45, 60 percent of patients reported joint comfort. The pain scores reduced from 6.71 at baseline to 4.14 on the last day of measurement, while the stiffness scores attenuated from 5.39 at baseline to 3.32.

In a previous mice study, taking JointAlive for four weeks resulted in significant joint pain relief, inflammation reduction and improvement of the joint flexibility in arthritic rats. In terms of pain sensitivity, supplementation was superior to the placebo and 6.5 times more effective than the glucosamine group.

TCM and natural ingredients to treat osteoarthritis
Global estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO) state that 10 percent of men and 18 percent of women over 60 years have symptomatic osteoarthritis. The degenerative joint disease mainly affects the articular cartilage.

It is associated with aging and frequently affects the joints that have been continually stressed throughout the years, including the knees, hips, fingers and lower spine region. For example, the WHO highlights that farming for up to nine years increases the risk of osteoarthritis 4.5 times, while farming for a decade or longer increases the risk 9.3 times.

The development of JointAlive is based on two millennia of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) history. Chenland hand-selects its Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, Discorea nipponica Makino and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge from its “authentic medicinal cultivation areas” with full traceability from harvest to extract, the company underscores. JointAlive arrives as a yellow-brown, free-flowing powder and is recommended at 300 to 600 mg per day.

The scope of TCM comprises forms of acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, gua sha (back scraping), massage, bone-setting (joint manipulation), exercise and dietary therapy. Used separately or in combination with one another, some research has also outlined the value of TCM in treating heart disease, memory disorders and mental health. 

Natural solutions in the growing joint health sector are keeping seniors active and mobile.In the past few weeks, the nutrition industry saw a slew of natural ingredient developments in the muscle and joint health sector. Nestlé Health Science joined forces with Bioiberica to integrate the latter’s collagen ingredient Mobilee into the former’s joint health drink mix called Meritene Mobilis. Addressing the need for muscle health solutions for an aging population, Arla Foods Ingredients launched Lacprodan HYDRO.Rebuild.

Lonza’s range of ready-to-market solutions, including UC-II undenatured type II collagen, can address the needs of a growing consumer base seeking to maintain joint health. Meanwhile, PLT Health Solutions is set to globally market its novel active and sports nutrition ingredient Dynaleve Muscle+Joint Formula, which is touted as a water-soluble, low-dose solution to post-exercise recovery.

In April, NutritionInsight spoke with key suppliers in this space on how they are adapting to shifts in the category, including new delivery formats to reduce pill fatigue, as well as animal-free ingredients for vegetarian consumers.

Edited by Anni Schleicher