In The joint health ingredients market is seeing a flurry of new activity as demand for a new generation of products leads formulators to eschew legacy ingredients like glucosamine and chondroitin in favor of emerging ingredients like collagen and turmeric. To gain validation, these next-generation joint health ingredients are focusing on robust clinical trials and formulation.

“Another rich source of emerging joint health botanicals is the

 world of traditional Chinese medicine.”

Another rich source of emerging joint health botanicals is the world of traditional Chinese
medicine. David Liu, PhD, is the chief technology officer for Chenland Nutritionals (Irvine, CA). Liu says the reputation of certain joint health ingredients in traditional folk medicine systems like traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda is prompting researchers to take a closer look at these ingredients. “With the development and utilization of omics and bioinformatics in these research fields, the scientific implication of herbal formulas has been elucidated, which has led to a better understanding of and acceptance by the western science community,” Liu explains. “Herbs like Dioscorea nipponica, Andrographis paniculata, and Acacia catechu have been clinically studied for their effcacies in relieving joint discomfort relatedto knee osteoarthritis.” Chenland recently completed a six-month, open-label human clinical trial on its JointAlive® ingredient, which contains extracts of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, Dioscorea nipponica Makino, and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. Liu says that in this yet-to-be-published trial, JointAlive® was 85% effective at reducing WOMAC scores. He says this trial also found that JointAlive® begins to relieve joint discomfort in as little as two days. Chenland is also actively pursuing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on JointAlive® in partnership with KGK Science (London, ON, Canada). This study, which is currently recruiting participants, will examine the effcacy of JointAlive® in alleviating joint pain and improving knee function in an otherwise healthy population with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. Liu says the last subject will be enrolled in September 2021, and a final report on the clinical trial is expected by the end of this year.

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