Introduction

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is widespread with incidence rising among the elderly. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 60 million persons in the U.S. will be affected by arthritis. Therapy for OA is mostly palliative and based on the use of analgesic or anti-inflammatory agents and physical modalities.

There is a new class of agents (COX2) that are used for treating OA. However, it is undecided whether their benefits outweigh the known contraindications. Many individuals are seeking natural remedies for treating this disease in the hope of limiting the side effects.