Joints

Nutrients connected to Joints

A link means the body needs the nutrient for this, or that low intake is linked to it. It does not mean extra supplements help if your intake is already adequate; each link shows how strong the evidence is.

• UC-II (Undenatured Type II Collagen)Preliminary or mixed

  The knee joint is the only site studied in the trials we read.

• Joint Formulas (Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, Turmeric)Preliminary or mixed

  Knee joint pain is the main outcome studied; benefit is uncertain.

• IronDocumented risk

  Untreated iron build-up in haemochromatosis can damage the joints and cause joint pain.

• Curcumin (turmeric supplements)Preliminary or mixed

  Early reviews report positive results for knee osteoarthritis pain and stiffness; NCCIH says better studies are needed and the evidence is not conclusive.

• TurmericPreliminary or mixed

  Early studies of turmeric or curcumin taken by mouth report some improvement in knee osteoarthritis pain and stiffness, but NIH says better-quality studies are needed. A review of supplement trials rated the overall evidence very low quality.

• ArnicaPreliminary or mixed

  Studied as a gel on the finger joints in osteoarthritis; evidence limited to one trial.

• BoswelliaPreliminary or mixed

  Some trials and pooled analyses of oral boswellia extracts in osteoarthritis report less pain and stiffness, but studies are small, one 2024 analysis found no significant overall effect, and NCCIH says evidence is not enough to call it useful.

• Devil's clawPreliminary or mixed

  Some short-term trials of standardized root extracts found less joint or back pain than placebo, but the Cochrane review rated this evidence low quality and the EU committee accepted it only as traditional use.

• Nirgundi (Chinese chaste tree)Preliminary or mixed

  Used traditionally for joint pain. Only a branded nirgundi and ginger blend has been tested in small, company-linked human trials; nirgundi alone has no human trials.

• TurmericPreliminary or mixed

  Early meta-analyses of oral turmeric or curcumin are positive for knee osteoarthritis; better research is needed. Not shown for food amounts.

• Dead Sea MudPreliminary or mixed

  Studied as a pack or bath on the knee.

• Peloids and Mud TherapyPreliminary or mixed

  Packs and baths applied to the knee in trials.

• Balneotherapy (Spa Therapy)Preliminary or mixed

  Osteoarthritis reviews found improvement with weak study quality.

• Sulfur (Sulphur) BathsPreliminary or mixed

  Spa baths studied for osteoarthritis of knee, hip, hand and spine; evidence weak.

• Collagen Peptides (Hydrolyzed Collagen)Preliminary or mixed

  Studied mainly in knee osteoarthritis for pain and function scores.

• Bovine Collagen (Types I and III)Preliminary or mixed

  One 13-week trial of pork-skin and bovine-bone peptides and a meta-analysis of four high-risk-of-bias trials reported less knee osteoarthritis pain; findings are limited.

• Chicken Collagen (Type II)Preliminary or mixed

  Knee osteoarthritis symptom scores improved in several small trials of UC-II; one 2026 trial found no benefit over placebo.

• Eggshell Membrane (NEM)Preliminary or mixed

  Trials in knee osteoarthritis reported less pain and stiffness; no human evidence yet of changes to joint structure.

• Vitamin CEstablished role

  Vitamin C helps repair and maintain cartilage. No source we read shows joint benefit from supplements.

• SeleniumDeficiency link

  Kashin-Beck disease (joint and bone disease) has been linked to selenium deficiency.

• MolybdenumDocumented risk

  The NHS says there is some evidence that molybdenum supplements may cause joint pain. Evidence is limited.

• Fish oilPreliminary or mixed

  A 2022 review of 30 studies in rheumatoid arthritis suggested omega-3-rich foods may improve pain and joint swelling; another 2021 review found lower pain but rated the evidence low.

• Krill oilPreliminary or mixed

  Two small meta-analyses of knee osteoarthritis disagree on pain; evidence is mixed.

• Willow barkPreliminary or mixed

  Mixed: traditional use for minor joint pain, but a trial in osteoarthritis found no benefit over placebo.

• ComfreyPreliminary or mixed

  A comfrey extract gel probably reduced knee osteoarthritis pain in one trial of 220 people.

• Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua)Preliminary or mixed

  Same limited pilot evidence in hip or knee osteoarthritis.

• HaritakiPreliminary or mixed

  One trial of knee comfort; evidence limited.

• Dipsacus (xu duan, Japanese teasel)Lab or animal research only

  Protected knee cartilage in rats; human evidence not found.

• Angelica pubescens (du huo)Preliminary or mixed

  Traditional use for joint pain; human evidence is only for a multi-herb formula, not the root alone.

• Bitter kolaPreliminary or mixed

  One small randomized trial (2008) found less knee-osteoarthritis pain than placebo and a result similar to naproxen and celecoxib. It was a single small trial with many dropouts, so the evidence is limited.

• BoragePreliminary or mixed

  Cochrane found moderate evidence that GLA oils, including borage seed oil, give some relief in rheumatoid arthritis. Few trials; applies to the oil only.

• PineapplePreliminary or mixed

  One exploratory trial of a bromelain-containing pill combination reported better knee pain scores; fruit was not tested.

• Passion FruitPreliminary or mixed

  Peel extract supplements ranked best in a network meta-analysis for knee osteoarthritis pain, with low certainty.

• Thunder god vinePreliminary or mixed

  Studied for swollen, tender joints in rheumatoid arthritis; mixed and limited evidence.

• CabbagePreliminary or mixed

  One small randomized trial found cabbage leaf wraps eased knee osteoarthritis pain about as much as a cooling pad.

• Nettle TeaPreliminary or mixed

  Minor joint pain, traditional use.

• Burdock Root TeaPreliminary or mixed

  Knee osteoarthritis blood-marker trial of the tea; pain and function not reported in the abstract.

• Rose Hip TeaPreliminary or mixed

  Hip and knee osteoarthritis were studied with powder, not tea.

• Multi-Collagen Blends (Types I, II, III, V, X)Preliminary or mixed

  One small blend trial (meniscus) and one single type II trial (knee osteoarthritis) reported lower symptom scores than placebo.

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