ParActin®: A Potent Form of Andrographis Paniculata for Pain Support & More – Episode

This “king of bitters” (so-called because of its flavor) has been used for centuries in Asia to treat gut and upper respiratory infections, fever, herpes, sore throat, and other chronic and infectious disease conditions. However, modern research is demonstrating Andrographis paniculata’s benefits include aiding with joint conditions such as arthritis.

Empowering you Organically – Season 10 – Episode 87

 

Title: ParActin®: A Potent Form of Andrographis Paniculata for Pain Support & More

Hosts: Jonathan Hunsaker, TeriAnn Trevenen

Description: This “king of bitters” (so-called because of its flavor) has been used for centuries in Asia to treat gut and upper respiratory infections, fever, herpes, sore throat, and other chronic and infectious disease conditions. However, modern research is demonstrating Andrographis paniculata’s benefits include aiding with joint conditions such as arthritis.

 

***

FEATURED PRODUCT

Turmeric T3D - Healthy Inflammation Support

MAINTAIN HEALTHY INFLAMMATION LEVELS: Curcumin, the main healing compound found in turmeric, helps curb inflammation and supports your body in maintaining healthy inflammation levels.

ENHANCE YOUR MOOD: Researchers in a recent study studies found clear evidence that the compounds in turmeric helped maintain a healthy mood and disposition.

SUPPORT HEALTHY JOINTS: In addition to lowering overall pain and inflammation, curcumin has been shown to assist in pain reduction and inflammation, helping to maintain healthy joints.

MAXIMUM BIOAVAILABILITY: The fermentation process helps maximize your body’s intake of the amazing nutrients in this supplement!

***

 

ParActin®: A Potent Form of Andrographis Paniculata for Pain Support & More

The medicinal herb Andrographis paniculata has been traditionally used for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to boost immune system activity.

This “king of bitters” (so-called because of its flavor) has been used for centuries in Asia to treat gut and upper respiratory infections, fever, herpes, sore throat, and other chronic and infectious disease conditions [1]. However, modern research is demonstrating Andrographis paniculata’s benefits include aiding with joint conditions such as arthritis and it may even have anti-cancer benefits.

Andrographis Goes by Many Names

Andrographis is cultivated in many tropical Asian countries including India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, as well as in the West Indies, Brazil, parts of Africa, and Central America.

Known as “chuan-xin-lian” in China, “kalmegh” in India, “senshinren” in Japan, “hempedu bumi” in Malaysia, “fah talai” in Thailand, and “green chiretta” in the Scandinavian countries, Andrographis is listed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia (a publication that lists standards for all drugs that are manufactured, sold, and consumed in India) and in a couple of dozen Ayurvedic formulas [2].

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Andrographis is believed to rid the body of heat (e.g., fevers) and to dispel toxins [3].

Phytochemistry of Andrographis Paniculata

Andrographis leaves are mainly responsible for its biological actions. They contain many bioactive compounds, including diterpene lactones – especially Andrographolide, the main bioactive ingredient that imparts the typical bitter taste.

Andrographolide is an antioxidant that has been shown to be responsible for the herb’s anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Andrographolide is also reported in scientific literature to reduce blood clot formation, help protect the liver, have anti-cancer properties, and manage inflammation within safe levels [4].

What Is ParActin®?

ParActin® is a patented extract of A. Paniculata, standardized to a fixed concentration of Andrographolide and other related compounds including 14-deoxyandrographolides and neoandrographolides [5].

Preliminary research shows that ParActin® promotes a healthy inflammatory response by blocking a powerful chemical known as NF-kappa B, which is known to be a key regulator of the inflammatory response system.

As a result, ParActin® helps support a healthy and appropriate inflammatory response by reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory compounds that trigger the familiar pain and redness associated with inflammation.

The safety and efficacy of ParActin® has been assessed in more than 30 studies, including laboratory experiments on cultured cells and animal models – and even a human clinical trial.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these studies and what they tell us about Andrographis and ParActin®.

Inflammation Is Linked to Many Disease Conditions

Long-term, chronic inflammation that occurs when the immune system goes into overdrive may lie at the root of many otherwise unrelated diseases, including:

  • asthma
  • inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
  • rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
  • autoimmune diseases
  • depression
  • cancer
  • Alzheimer’s disease

Inflammation – which manifests as swelling, redness, heat, and pain – is a normal response of our immune system and our body’s way of defending us from infections and disease. However, if it’s not managed properly, inflammation can harm the body.

Chronic inflammation is the result of an overactive immune system that is constantly turned on – or cannot be turned off – so that it attacks parts of the very body it is supposed to protect.

So-called oxygenated chemical species – including free radicals, oxygen ions, and peroxides – are continuously made in our body’s cells in response to UV radiation and as byproducts of ongoing metabolic activity. They are highly reactive and dangerous, because they can attack cellular DNA and proteins, damaging them.

When oxygenated chemical species are generated in excess, they can overwhelm cellular defense systems, leading to a condition known as oxidative stress along with high levels of inflammation – which, as we discussed earlier, is known to contribute to the development of many diseases.

Andrographolide, the best-known bioactive ingredient in Andrographis, has been shown to directly inactivate free radicals. It also protects mitochondria, blocks pro-oxidant enzymes, and activates other antioxidant enzymes in the body [6].

Andrographis Boosts the Immune System

Andrographolide has been shown to enhance the immune system. For example, it boosts production of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, which scavenge and destroy bacteria and other foreign matter. It also triggers the release of signaling proteins known as interferons, along with enhancing activity of the lymphatic system [7].

Interferons are made and released by our body’s cells when they get infected with viruses, causing nearby cells to strengthen their anti-viral defenses. Interferons are potent antiviral agents that stop viruses from multiplying.

The lymphatic system is another circulatory system in our body that carries a fluid known as lymph, which removes the waste products of cellular metabolism. The lymphatic system also transports invading bacteria and viruses to lymph nodes where the white blood cells (lymphocytes) destroy them.

Andrographis has been shown to trigger our immune system in two ways:

  • Antigen-specific response – specific proteins known as antibodies are made to counteract invading bacteria and viruses.
  • Nonspecific immune response – immune cells known as macrophages are produced, which scavenge and destroy invaders.

Andrographis activates both responses, meaning it is very effective against a variety of infectious and cancer-causing agents [8].

Benefits for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections & Cough

Andrographis has been used for many hundreds of years in traditional medicinal systems to treat upper respiratory infections. Modern research supports this.

For example, a 2004 meta-analysis of the results of seven double-blind, controlled trials (with a total of 896 participants) showed that Andrographis offers significant relief from the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections and may even prevent them from taking hold in the first place.

[Note: A meta-analysis is a quantitative epidemiological study used to systematically assess the results of previous research – typically randomized, controlled clinical trials – to derive overall conclusions about that body of research.]

All the participants in these seven clinical trials reported reduced fever, runny nose, cough, and sore throat on taking Andrographis relative to control patients. Side effects were described as “generally mild and infrequent” [9].

Similarly, another meta-analysis published in 2015 reviewed six randomized controlled clinical trials, which assessed the effects of Andrographis in the treatment of cough.

Combined, these six studies compared 333 patients who took various Andrographis preparations relative to 348 patients in control groups. All of these studies showed that Andrographis preparations reduced cough severity [10].

Andrographis Heals the Gut

As mentioned above, Andrographis has long been used in traditional medicinal systems such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating gut infections.

In a 2013 study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 224 patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis were either given 1200 or 1800 milligrams of Andrographis for 8 weeks. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in the gut, affecting the innermost lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum.

A colonoscopy was performed before the study started and after it ended. Stool frequency and the presence of blood in the stool were also assessed every two weeks.

At the end of the study, 60% of patients who received 1800 mg of Andrographis – relative to 40% of patients in the control group – showed clinical symptoms of healing.

Not only that, 50% of the patients who received the 1800 mg of Andrographis also showed mucosal healing, relative to 33% in the control group [11].

Andrographis & Joint Pain from Arthritis

Arthritis affects more than 70 million Americans, leading to inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the joints and connective tissues. Over time, cartilage breaks down, bones erode, and joints become misshapen [12].

Our modern understanding is that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) happens because of the uncontrolled inflammation that is typical of an autoimmune disease. In such situations, the body’s defense mechanism malfunctions and attacks its own tissues (e.g., healthy joints) for a prolonged period of time.

An immune-signaling protein known as cachexin or tumor necrosis factor-alpha is one of the key drivers of inflammation. Andrographolide has been shown to lower levels of cachexin.

ParActin® and Mild Knee Osteoarthritis

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study the efficacy of ParActin® (300 and 600 mg daily) was assessed on pain reduction in 103 patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis [13].

Patients treated with ParActin® showed a significant reduction in pain relative to the control group. Stiffness, physical function, and fatigue all showed a significant improvement with ParActin® treatment.

At the end of the study, quality of life and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) scores were significantly better in the ParActin®-treated groups compared to the control group.

ParActin® and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Similarly, in a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study published in the journal Clinical Rheumatology in 2009, 60 individuals with compromised joints were given 100 mg of ParActin® or placebo in conjunction with methotrexate, three times a day for 14 weeks [14]. Methotrexate is proven to improve RA symptoms, but long-term use can cause serious infection and liver damage.

In this study, ParActin® was effective in reducing the number and total grade of swollen joints, the number and total grade of tender joints, as well as improving scores on HAQ-52 (52-week Health Assessment Questionnaire), and SF-36 (36-item short form survey) health questionnaires.

ParActin® treatment was associated with a reduction of various proteins, including enzymes, associated with cartilage damage. Currently, a human clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of ParActin® in patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis is ongoing.

In other laboratory experiments, ParActin® and Andrographolide have also been shown to support bone [15]12, cartilage [16]13, and muscle [17]14 health and recovery.

Can Andrographis Help Fight Cancer?

Cancer results when our body’s cells grow uncontrollably. When cells develop normally, they become more and more specialized in their function at each stage of development. For example, immature pancreatic cells that will eventually go on to make insulin will develop the cellular machinery to do so as they become mature pancreatic cells.

When cancer happens, it interferes with normal cellular development and cells do not mature. In fact, cancer cells resemble immature body cells – and the more they resemble immature cells, the more likely it is that they will spread to other locations – known as metastasis, often with fatal consequences.

So, it logically follows that if cancer cells can be made to forcibly undergo maturation or differentiation, they will lose the ability to grow uncontrollably. Indeed, in one laboratory study in mice, researchers showed that Andrographis could induce differentiation in leukemia cells [18]. [Note: Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, which are part of the immune system.]

Andrographis can induce differentiation in laboratory conditions – but does this mean it can fight cancer? Indeed, it can – at least under laboratory conditions. A systematic review of no less than 139 pre-clinical and clinical studies shows that Andrographolide has anticancer effects on almost all types of cell lines in laboratory experiments [19].

Specifically, a 2019 study showed that Andrographolide prevented human colon cancer cells in culture from multiplying by inducing a process known as “programmed cell death” or apoptosis. Further, Andrographolide also displayed a combinatorial effect with chemotherapeutic anticancer drugs in these cells under laboratory conditions [20].

Similarly, the results of a 2019 study showed that a hot water extract of Andrographis could stimulate the production of specific components of the immune system and restore others to a more normal state.

Furthermore, the Andrographis extract prevented tumor growth and metastasis in these mice, once again by inducing apoptosis, but without causing severe body weight loss as many anticancer chemotherapy drugs tend to do.

Blood tests detected multiple bioactive Andrographis-derived diterpene compounds, suggesting that more than one might have contributed towards the beneficial effects seen in this study [21].

Andrographis extracts – especially bioactive lactone and diterpene compounds such as Andrographolide in them – have been shown to be very potent in suppressing the growth of various types of cancer cells in laboratory studies. In particular, Andrographolide has been shown to block the growth of human breast, prostate, and hepatoma tumors. It has even successfully been used in cancer chemotherapy [22].

Can Andrographis Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?

As a closing note, Andrographis is even showing promise in helping to combat Alzheimer’s disease. In a 2019 study published in the journal Plants – Basel, researchers reported that three compounds isolated from Andrographis may help stop the formation of structures known as beta-amyloid plaques, which underlie neurotoxicity and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease [23]. As noted by the researchers “Andrographis paniculata and Spilanthes paniculata are used extensively as medicinal herbs for the treatment of various ailments, and are reported to have neuroprotective properties.”

 

* * *

Subscribe to Empowering You Organically 

Never miss an episode! 

APPLE PODCASTS               SPOTIFY               GOOGLE PODCASTS

Episode 87 – ParActin®: A Potent Form of Andrographis Paniculata for Pain Support & More

 

Subscribe to Empowering You Organically 

Never miss an episode! 

APPLE PODCASTS               SPOTIFY               GOOGLE PODCASTS

Episode 87 – ParActin®: A Potent Form of Andrographis Paniculata for Pain Support & More

* * *

 

Jonathan:

Welcome everyone to another episode of Empowering You Organically. I’m your host, Jonathan Hunsaker, joined by my lovely cohost TeriAnn Tevenan.

TeriAnn:

Hey, everyone.

Jonathan:

All right. Today we’re going to talk about Andrographis Paniculata. I know it’s a mouthful. I’ve been practicing saying it right before we started doing this.

TeriAnn:

Over, over and over and over and over.

Jonathan:

Yes. So what is this, right? What’s his crazy, a botanical that we’re talking about? It is phenomenal for pain relief. Especially if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, you want to listen to this podcast. So it’s great for inflammation support, immune support, and Andrographis, which is… I’m going to just stick with just calling it Andrographis instead of going through the full long name.

TeriAnn:

Well some people just call it Paniculata.

Jonathan:

Do they? Well listen, it goes by many names. So by doing that I would like for you to tell us the names that it goes by in China, India, Japan. That’s all you.

TeriAnn:

Nope, I’m not going to try and say it in other than English.

Jonathan:

Chuan Xin Lian in China. Kalmegh in India. Senshinren in Japan. Hempedu Bumi in Malaysia. I’m just butchering all of these but-

TeriAnn:

I can barely say it in English.

Jonathan:

But anyway, listen, it goes by many names, but this is a botanical that you really should know about. I think it’s really going to do a lot for your health, especially a lot for pain management. Those of you that wake up and just pop a couple of ibuprofens or a couple aspirins, this is a natural solution that I think can give you all of those benefits without the side effects. And again, the inflammation, immune system support. So let’s talk, what is this?

TeriAnn:

So we’re going to talk a little bit about the phytochemistry of Andrographis Paniculata. Andrographis leaves are mainly responsible for its biological actions. They contain many bioactive compounds including diterpene lactones, the main bioactive ingredient that imparts the typical bitter tastes. Andrographolide is an antioxidant that has been shown to be responsible for the herbs antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Andrographolide is also reported in scientific literature to reduce blood clot formation, help protect the liver, have anti-cancer properties, and manage inflammation with safe levels.

Jonathan:

And it’s been used in traditional Chinese medicine. It’s believed to rid the body of heat and to dispel toxins. So this has been around for a long time. And I personally like it when we go back to looking at Chinese medicine, how did they use it because the culture’s been around 5,000 years. There’s been a lot of trial and error with a lot of these different botanicals, herbs, things like that. And so why not reference back to how have they used it and how has it worked in their culture?

TeriAnn:

I think it’s really interesting. We’re so tunnel vision, especially in the United States and mainstream, large, big economies about the food we eat and plants and nature. When you get outside of yourself, when you really look at the world. One of the things my girls and I love to do is watch documentaries and the more we watch them, the more we realize like look at that tree, look at that flower, look at that plant. There are so many plants, botanicals, herbs, things that we don’t even know exist that people have been using for hundreds of years and thousands and thousands of years in medicine, in nutrition. I love learning about things like this and understanding how certain things can really impact our body and our health. Because I do think sometimes we just get so tunnel visioned on eating our mainstream food from the grocery store and we don’t think about all these things that are out there that mother nature provides to help support a healthy body, a healthy lifestyle.

Jonathan:

Well, it’s just interesting because we think about medicine now is just what we’ve used in the last 100 years. What has been developed on the pharmaceutical side is medicine. But prior to 1900, medicine was the herbs that we’ve used for thousands of years. And we have the trial and error to show what did this do? What did it not do? How do you think we learned what was poisonous and what wasn’t? Trial and error. What things can you eat? What can’t you eat?

TeriAnn:

Somebody was the guinea big.

Jonathan:

Some people found out what can you smoke? What can’t you smoke? I mean, all of these things were done throughout time. And we often think that medicine is the last 100 years of these pharmaceutically created ingredients and pills and things like that. And so I think it’s just good for us to take a step back and realize where we are in history, in life, and consider that there’s all sorts of solutions, not just the ones that you see commercials for.

TeriAnn:

Yeah. We’re so disconnected from the actual world and what surrounds us. So anyway, I love topics like this.

TeriAnn:

So let’s jump into what Andrographis Paniculata can do for our bodies, how it can benefit our bodies. One of the things that we look at when it comes to using Andrographis Paniculata is inflammation. Inflammation is linked to many disease conditions. Inflammation can be a powerful warning sign from our body that something’s, but chronic inflammation over time and not managing it and taking care of it is what leads to a lot of disease. And so chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system goes into overdrive and can lie at the root of many other unrelated diseases. Asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases, depression, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, which is a big thing that we’re facing right now in our society. Inflammation which manifests as swelling, redness, heat and pain is a normal response as I mentioned of our immune system and our body’s way of defending us from infections and disease. But again, if it’s not managed properly, it becomes a long term problem. So something we really need to be aware of when it comes to our health.

Jonathan:

Well, again, I think that, everything gets categorized like inflammation. So inflammation is all bad, but when you twist your ankle and your ankle swells, that’s good. That inflammation is good, it’s swelling. It’s helping hold the bones in place, it’s helping hold things in place. That should be inflamed. That’s a good natural response. That’s how our body responds to stress when something gets stressed, like twisting your ankle. The interesting thing is though is that’s how our body responds to all sorts of stressors. So even if it’s an emotional or mental stressor, now your body’s releasing all of this inflammation to try to protect it. But that we’re constantly stressed, we’re constantly going, we’re constantly under this fight or flight mode. And so that’s where chronic inflammation comes from and then that’s too much.

Jonathan:

So consider what happens to wood when it stays wet constantly. It rots. Inflammation is the same way when we’re chronically inflamed and we have all of this extra moisture surrounding all of our body and all throughout our body, it’s causing us to rot, so to speak. And so that’s just the understanding the difference between that acute inflammation and chronic inflammation and why everybody’s talking about inflammation now and all these different botanicals that can help decrease it.

TeriAnn:

Yeah, absolutely. And let’s talk about the Andrographis Paniculata and why it’s important when it comes to inflammation. So it promotes a healthy inflammatory response by blocking a powerful chemical known as NF-kappa B, which is known to be a key regulator of the inflammatory response system. It helps support a healthy and appropriate inflammatory response by reducing the levels of pro inflammatory compounds that trigger the familiar pain and redness associated with inflammation. I think one of the biggest benefits we could cover today when it comes to this particular botanical is its anti-inflammatory properties.

Jonathan:

And so I think inflammation, again, it has that broad term. And it’s like, “Hey, turmerics an anti-inflammatory. Ashwagandha is anti-inflammatory.” But these different plants address them in different ways. And Andrographis is specifically really good for rheumatoid arthritis and joint pain and the inflammation that happens around there based off of what you just read in and how it blocks and all of that. So again, it’s great for inflammation, but let’s talk about the specifics. And I think RA is one of those big ones. It’s one that’s very important to me. I mean, I’m 41 years old. I’m getting pain in a couple of my knuckles on my fingers now. I haven’t seen a rheumatologist yet, but I’m pretty confident from the last six months that’s what’s happening there. My grandmother was fully crippled from RA and passed away from it. So I know it’s hereditary in that context. So this is just a very important subject to me and I think that it affects a lot of people. I think they had this joint pain and they wake up and they pop these ibuprofens, these Aleves, the Tylenol, all of that. And there’s just a better solution out there.

TeriAnn:

Absolutely. Well, and also I think it boils down to usually ignoring inflammation looks like taking something to manage the pain. And yes, it says it’s anti-inflammatory and maybe it is for a small period of time. But you’re just covering a long term chronic issue instead of actually facing the problem and correcting the issue. Which as we mentioned, there are other things that go along with inflammation that come into play with inflammation. Chronic inflammation leads to diseases that leads to massive health issues, and so it’s really not something to mess around with. If you’re constantly medicating yourself to take away some type of pain or inflammation, there’s an underlying issue there that needs to be addressed.

TeriAnn:

Let’s talk about a few other things the Andrographis will do to help your body and your health overall. Boosts the immune system. Andrographolide has been shown to enhance the immune system. For example, at boost production of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, which scavenge industry, bacteria and other foreign matter. It also triggers the release of signaling proteins known as interferons along with enhancing activity of the lymphatic system.

TeriAnn:

It also has benefits for upper respiratory tract infections and cough. It’s been used for hundreds of years in traditional medicinal systems to treat upper respiratory infections. Modern research also supports this. One example of this: in a 2004 meta analysis of the results of seven double blind controlled trials with a total of 896 participants showed the Andrographis offers significant relief from the systems of upper respiratory tract infections and may even prevent them from taking hold in the first place. So this is one that I had no idea when it comes to this specific botanical, this specific point that it can actually help in that way too. Which if you think about what that can lead to, upper respiratory tract infections and cough that can kill people, that’s something can be very significant when it comes to especially health in younger children and older adults. And as you age, that can be a huge factor in the decline of your health. So that was one I didn’t know. That was new to me.

Jonathan:

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this just goes towards the argument of using plants and herbs when you can to help heal your body. Because again, if you’re taking Tylenol or Aleve for pain, you’re just getting that pain relief. You’re not getting all of these beneficial side effects that come from if you take Andrographis, it may decrease the inflammation, which decreases the pain. But now you’re also boosting your immune system. Now you’re also getting all of these other benefits that come along with taking this natural plant as opposed to taking something that was created in a lab.

TeriAnn:

And getting all these benefits.

Jonathan:

Exactly. All these positive side effects rather than the whole list of negative side effects we see from all the pharmaceuticals.

TeriAnn:

Absolutely. So another thing is that it helps to heal the gut. It’s been used for a long time in traditional medicinal systems such as Airavata and traditional Chinese medicine for treating gut infections. It’s super important to keep our gut healthy. And in our show notes, you’re going to see a lot of research around its impact on gut health. But we’ve talked so many times on this podcast, I can’t even count anymore about how important our gut health is in relation to the rest of our body and how it’s kind of the powerhouse for our body with bacteria, with immune system, with digestion, all these important functions of our body.

Jonathan:

I mean, it’s your microbiome. I think that’s really the root cause of most disease and most issues is if your microbiome is out of whack, if your gut is out of whack. And so again, we’ve talked about it so many times and we won’t go down the rabbit hole that deep.

TeriAnn:

Yep. The guts. It’s like when we talk about the microbiome, it’s this little ecosystem in your body that’s the central ecosystem of everything else that goes on. And I learned that more and more as we look at that. So just check out the show notes for the studies around how it impacts gut health and why it’s important there.

Jonathan:

And here’s a fun fact. I think that the microbiome is 40 million cells, whereas our body is only 30 million cells. So we are actually more bacteria, parasites, different things like that. Viruses than we actually are us.

TeriAnn:

Interesting.

Jonathan:

And yeah, it’s a big deal that I think often gets overlooked.

TeriAnn:

Yeah. Yep. Absolutely. That’s really interesting. I actually didn’t know that.

TeriAnn:

So the next benefit of Andrographis is for joint pain from arthritis. And Jonathan already talked about this. This is something that unless you’ve dealt with arthritis, you really don’t know how bad the pain from this is. I remember when I was a little girl, I ended up getting a virus that impacted my joints and one day it just hit me so hard and my mom didn’t even know what to do. I was like crippled in that moment from the pain that was coming from it and we had to go to the doctor, get it checked out. Obviously correct that issue. But I remember being little and just how painful that was and how much it hurt. And so I haven’t dealt with this long term or as I’m aging with arthritis, but also watching people in my life go through dealing with arthritis and how much it can limit you in your life. Why would we not be taking things that can help to combat this issue?

TeriAnn:

Arthritis affects more than 70 million Americans leading to inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the joints and connective tissues. Over time cartilage breaks down, bones erode, and joints become misshapen. It’s extremely painful.

TeriAnn:

Our modern understanding is that rheumatoid arthritis happens because of the uncontrolled inflammation that is typical of an autoimmune disease. In such situations, the body’s defense mechanism malfunctions and attacks its own tissues or healthy joints for a prolonged period of time. An immune signaling protein known as cachexin or tumor necrosis factor alpha is one of the key drivers of inflammation. The Andrographis has been shown to lower levels of cachexin, which leads to these issues.

Jonathan:

Yeah, I mean, again, I’m pretty confident that that’s what I’m starting to experience in the knuckles and my fingers. And you talk about the pain and just bumping my pinky knuckle into something is excruciating. And I remember the first time I was like, “What? What the heck just happened? Why does that hurt?” And then it hurt on the other side as well. And then it starts hurting with other fingers. And so it’s a big deal. And I think a lot of people suffer from it. And we’ve all seen the commercials. Take Aleve and it’ll last 12 hours and blah, blah blah. But that’s not the solution. I mean, yes, there may be certain times when the pain is to a point where you may need something that strong, but taking things like that every single day, ibuprofen and Tylenol, even aspirin, higher doses every single date is not healthy for your body. It’s not healthy for your kidneys. There’s better solutions like Andrographis.

Jonathan:

Now I want to talk about… So we’ve talked about a lot of these studies and I know we did another podcast talking about ashwagandha. I want to talk about the quality of the botanical that you’re taking. So most of us, we’re not going to go and go grow our own Andrew Dreyfus and get it into our body. We’re going to go buy a supplement. The challenge is what’s the quality of the Andrographis that is in that supplement. And so when we were looking at things, and I’m going to talk about our supplement turmeric 3d specifically because it’s for inflammation. When we were looking at different Andrographis to add to it, there were all these studies and it was like, I want to add this to this supplement because look at all these studies.

Jonathan:

Then the challenge came into is when we started sourcing ingredients. It went anywhere from a few dollars a kilo to tens of dollars per kilo. And it’s like what’s the difference? Well the difference is the quality of that ingredient. Was it grown in a field that was over farmed, that there weren’t many nutrients and minerals and vitamins in the soil, and so it didn’t end up in the plant itself? Was it organic or not organic? We’ve talked about the importance of it being organic.

Jonathan:

So after a lot of searching, we actually found a patented version of Andrographis that we put into our turmeric. It’s called parActin, and this actually has double blind placebo controlled studies to actually prove its ethicacy for rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve talked many times… We create supplements that we want to use and this is why I was looking at this. I mean, they have clinical studies that show its ethicacy for the pain for rheumatoid arthritis. They have clinical studies to talk about the inflammation. They have clinical studies that talks about the immune system, the gut health, all of that.

Jonathan:

Now I’m not saying all this to plug our turmeric 3d. I’m saying all this to make sure that if you’re going out there and you’re going to say, “You know what, I’m going to throw away my ibuprofen. I’m going to try this crazy stuff that I heard about on a podcast,” don’t go search Amazon and get the cheapest $10 a bottle, $15 a bottle that you can get because you’re likely you didn’t get something that is so void of nutrients and everything that you need to actually feel the results that you’re not going to get the results you’re looking for. So I personally like parActin because it has all the clinical studies behind it. I know you can go to Amazon, you can buy parActin as a standalone. Personally, I wanted more inflammation control and so that’s why we added it to our turmeric because I’m already taking turmeric.

Jonathan:

So anyway, I just wanted to make that very clear statement that you get what you pay for and really make sure that when you’re reading all these studies about a botanical and I want to start taking it. Well, let’s make sure that the quality of the one you’re taking is equivalent to the ones that were in those studies. Because if it’s not, it’s a waste of money. You may need to take that entire bottle to be equal of two pills or two capsules of a quality one.

TeriAnn:

Absolutely. So let’s talk a little bit about parActin. So parActin is spelled p-a-r-A-c-t-i-n. It’s a trademark ingredient because of all the studies that go behind it. And just like we talked about the Andrographis, it helps promote a healthy inflammatory response in the body amongst other benefits as well. There’s been over 30 massive studies done around parActin to back the benefits and the results of what this particular ingredient can do for you. Many of them linked to some of the benefits we’ve already talked about when it comes to Andrographis Paniculata. So we’re going to talk about a few specifically related today to tests that are run behind parActin, some of the tests and studies that have been done behind parActin.

Jonathan:

And real quick before you get into the test, I want to clarify that they have an organic and a nonorganic version. Obviously we only use the organic version in our turmeric 3d, but I think that makes a big difference. So again, if you’re searching to take this as a standalone supplement, there’s two versions of. Take the organic version. Yes, there’ll be a little bit more expensive, but you won’t get all the poisons in with it.

TeriAnn:

Yep, absolutely. So let’s talk about a few of the studies done around some of the things that people are suffering with and the reason why you would take parActin like osteoarthritis. There have been studies done around mild knee osteoarthritis. In a randomized double blind placebo controlled study, the ethicacy of parActin was assessed on pain reduction in 103 patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. Patients treated with parActin showed a significant reduction in pain relative to the control group. Stiffness, physical function, and fatigue all showed a significant improvement with the parActin treatment.

TeriAnn:

Also, there’s been studies behind rheumatoid arthritis. In a randomized double blind placebo controlled study published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology in 2009, 60 individuals with compromised joints were given 100 milligrams of parActin or a placebo in conjunction with Methotrexate three times a day for 14 weeks. Methotrexate is proven to improve RA symptoms, but long term use can cause serious infection and liver damage. In this study, parActin was effective in reducing the number and total grade of swollen joints, the number and total grade of tenor joints as well as improving scores on HAQ52, and SF36 health questionnaires.

TeriAnn:

So you’ll have to go read more about this research and why and what they did behind this. But this treatment was associated with a reduction of various proteins including enzymes associated with cartilage damage. So huge benefits here for people who are struggling with rheumatoid arthritis.

Jonathan:

Yeah, I mean, listen, this is why we chose it. And again, I don’t want to pat us on the back too much, but I’m going to. I mean, we really do do our research and we only want to put the best stuff in our supplements. And it’s why I’m telling you all about this ingredient that you can go buy on its own, and you don’t have to buy our turmeric three D. But the studies behind this are phenomenal. And that matters to me because I get so frustrated with these crappy supplement companies. They claim all of these results you’re going to get from their product, but they’re just using generic ingredients. They want to claim all these studies were done, but they weren’t done on their product. And they’re not putting a patented ingredient in their product that has those studies to back them up. So again, I think parActin is phenomenal and I’m already starting to feel the effects in my body, and this is why we wanted to do a podcast to really share it with other people.

TeriAnn:

Absolutely. So a couple of other places where they’ve done studies on research behind the parActin is in fighting cancer. In certain laboratory conditions, a systematic review of no less than 139 preclinical and clinical study shows the Andrographolide has anti-cancer effects on almost all types of cell lines in laboratory experiments.

TeriAnn:

Furthermore, there was another test that was done in 2019 showing that a hot water extract of Andrographis could simulate the production of specific components of the immune system and restore others to a more normal state.

TeriAnn:

So here we have some anti-cancer properties going on and we also have immune system boosting going on and really healing and supporting your immune system.

TeriAnn:

And one other really important benefit of the Andrographis is that it can help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. We spoke about this briefly earlier on in the podcast, how rampant Alzheimer’s diseases at this point in time in our society, in the world, and how many people it’s impacting. And we actually have research in the show notes that we’ll talk about how this can benefit those who may have concerns about developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

Jonathan:

Yeah. I had one grandmother who passed from Alzheimer’s and one that passed from rheumatoid arthritis. And so this is really one of those botanicals that I think should be taken on a regular basis, and I think it could produce a lot of stuff. Now I got to be really clear here because I’ve talked about our supplement turmeric 3d and we’re also talking about cancer and things like that. Not making any claims that turmeric 3d cures cancer, does anything like that. And I can’t make any claims turmeric 3d does anything. I just need to make that really clear. So the FDA and FTC don’t come knocking on my door. We’re just sharing what this ingredient has clinical studies proven that what it does. Not making any claims about our products.

TeriAnn:

Absolutely.

Jonathan:

So that’s really it. I mean, the show notes are very extensive. We did not go through every single one of them. I highly encourage you to go to empoweringyouorganically.com. You can read all of the show notes, you can see all of the references and resources there. Transcript from this podcast. You can watch this podcast. You can download the audio of the podcast.

Jonathan:

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes. We would be ever so grateful if you subscribed on iTunes. Give us a four or five star review. It allows us to show up in other people’s podcast feeds. And maybe we will reach some other people that are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or other pain, and they listen to this and they get healthier from it. So your subscribing and giving us a five star could help people that you may never meet in your life simply by showing up in their feed. They learn something about themselves and learn how to get healthier. So please do that on iTunes. It helps us out great. I think it’ll help a lot of other people. I think this is a great podcast. I think there’s a lot of information there.

Jonathan:

Do you have anything else you want to add?

TeriAnn:

Nope.

Jonathan:

Thank you so much for tuning in. We will see you on the next show and if you do want to learn more about turmeric 3D, go to organics.com and you can find us there on the shop page. Thanks for watching.

TeriAnn:

Thanks everyone.

 

* * *

Subscribe to Empowering You Organically 

Never miss an episode! 

APPLE PODCASTS               SPOTIFY               GOOGLE PODCASTS

Episode 87 – ParActin®: A Potent Form of Andrographis Paniculata for Pain Support & More

100% Safe & Secure
100%

Safe & Secure

Free Shipping
Free Shipping

U.S. orders over $99/CAN over $149
Worldwide over $199

1-Year Money-Back Guarantee
1-Year

Money-Back Guarantee

Free Recipe eBook

33 Superfood Smoothie & Drink Recipes For Weight Loss, Immune Support, Detoxing, and More.

Please enter your name.
Please enter your email address.
Please enter a valid email address.

Yes, send me my free recipe ebook along with other health tips, recipes, and discounts from Organixx! I understand that I can change my preferences and unsubscribe at any time. Our Privacy Policy