Milkvetch root is good for treating degenerative arthritis, researchers say.

Milkvetch root extract has been found to be effective in helping suppress the progress of arthritis and inflammatory diseases and in protecting cartilage, announced the Rural Development Administration (RDA) on August 13.

Milkvetch -- any one of several species of flowering plant of the genus Astragalus -- is a medicinal herb used to help overcome fatigue, loss of appetite, natural perspiration and difficulty in breathing, and can help to recover one's stamina. It has also been found effective in fighting high blood pressure, oxidation and aging, and in improving one's immune system.


In an animal experiment, RDA researchers injected 200 milligrams of milkvetch root extract into arthritis-induced mice. The mice with the injection showed that damage to their cartilage tissue was suppressed compared to the control mice. Their arthritis index also improved 31.4 percent over that of the mice in other groups.

In an experiment on pain and inflammation, the extract was also found effective. Mice with a shot of 200 milligrams of the extract showed 50 percent fewer occurrences of pain-caused writhing than the other mice. Mice with a shot of 400 milligrams of extract showed 27 percent less inflammation than the other mice.

The active material that protects cartilage has also been found in milkvetch root. The root extract includes Iso-Astragaloside II and calycosin, both found to be more effective than flavonoids, which are known to be effective in protecting cartilage. The root extract was also found to be effective in suppressing matrix metalloproteinase, (MMP), which are capable of degrading all kinds of extracellular matrix proteins, including tissues that compose or secrete cartilage matrix.



"With these results, milkvetch root can now be used as a material to produce herbal medicine or other health supplements that treat degenerative arthritis," said an RDA researcher.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
jun2@korea.kr