Inflammation is a natural biological response from the immune system, and is designed to protect the body from ‘harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, toxic compounds, or irradiation, and acts by removing injurious stimuli and initiating the healing process’ (Chen et al, 2018).
Effectively, inflammation is an immune response meant to trigger the body’s healing mechanisms. Unfortunately, sometimes the inflammatory response is overactive, and can send inflammatory cells even when there is no need – as is typically seen in chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. In these cases, natural anti-inflammatories (and supplements) can help potentially moderate the bodily response and reduce unnecessary inflammation.
What are anti-inflammatory supplements?
As the name suggests, anti-inflammatory supplements are designed with ingredients that can reduce the inflammatory response in the body, which can help to alleviate symptoms like swelling, pain, and redness around the affected areas.
We’ve mentioned above that some inflammation is a good thing, particularly if you’ve been injured or have an infection. This is because inflammation widens the blood vessels around the injury, allowing more blood and immune cells to flow into the area and begin the healing process (Informed Health, 2021). Pain also reminds us to be more careful to protect ourselves from further harm.
But, when this immune response overreacts, anti-inflammatory supplements can potentially help to inhibit the movement of inflammatory cells and reduce unnecessary pain.
What ingredients are in the best anti-inflammatory supplements?
Fortunately, there are a broad range of natural anti-inflammatory substances that can support your body to regulate an overactive immune response. To find the best anti-inflammatory supplements, you should be on the lookout for most (if not all) of the following ingredients.
Curcumin
Aside from being a delicious ingredient used across a wide range of cuisines, Turmeric has long been believed to be a valuable natural anti-inflammatory within traditional medicinal practices. Research has shown that this is because of Curcumin, one of the primary bioactive compounds found in this rhizome (underground plant stem).
Curcuminoids are polyphenols, which are a category of organic compounds found in plants known to have high anti-oxidising and anti-inflammatory properties.
Curcumin supplements have been widely studied to explore how effectively they work as an anti-inflammatory. One review collated multiple studies and found that Turmeric/Turcumin supplementation ‘significantly reduced anti-inflammatory markers’ within the body (Dehzad et al, 2023). Curcumin works along a range of molecular pathways to reduce the immune response, increasing xenobiotic metabolism, and resolving inflammation by decreasing neutrophil migration (Amalraj et al, 2017).
To put it more simply, Curcumin supplements reduce inflammation by increasing the removal of foreign compounds from the body, and reducing the transfer of white blood cells.
For premium curcumin supplements, check out Supplement Needs Curcumin with Black Pepper Extract Capsules.
CurcuPrime®
Another - albeit patented and specially-developed - ingredient to look for in anti-inflammatory targeted supplements is CurcuPrime®.
Developed by NNB, CurcuPrime® is composed of Tetrahydrocurcumin (4-HC) - the major bioactive derivative of Curcumin. This form of Curcumin is typically favoured in premium supplements as it overcomes the issues associated with bioavailability of other forms of Curcumin.
With superior bioavailability, CurcuPrime® is able to better contribute towards anti-inflammatory bodily responses. As per NNB, ‘4-HC has been found to inhibit COX2-dependent archidonic acid metabolism and has been shown to suppress an unhealthy, pro-inflammatory cascade.
Tip - if you want to supplement your diet with 4-HC you can easily do so with Supplement Needs Joint Stack, which contains CurcuPrime® at 300 mg per nine capsule serving.
Casperome®
It could potentially be argued that no anti-inflammation supplement is complete unless it contains Casperome®.
Casperome® is a non-generic, specially-developed form of Boswellia extract created by nutraceutical company Indena® and dubbed Boswellia Phytosome®.
This ingredient has been developed specifically to aid against inflammatory bowel conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, as well as to tackle musculoskeletal stress. To address the former claim, consider the study (Riva, et. al. 2019) which showed that Bosweliia ‘can normalise intestinal motility, thus counteracting the formation of loose and watery stools’. To address the latter claim, consider the study (Riva, et. al. 2017) which found the following association with Casperome® supplementation:
‘In a human study on young rugby players with acute knee stress, after a 4-week follow-up, only 6 subjects of those administered with Casperome® show local stress vs. 25 at baseline. Moreover, the administered group has significantly less need of other support compared to the standard-management group’.
Note - Supplement Needs Joint Stack contains Casperome at 300 mg per nine capsule serving.
ParActin®
An extract from the herb Andrographis paniculata, ParActin® is a non-generic, patented form of Andrographolide that has been shown to have inflammatory modulating properties. Thus, making it an ingredient you should certainly look for in an anti-inflammation supplement.
Studies backup this supposition, too. One double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study (Hancke, et. al. 2019) found that in subjects with knee osteoarthritis, ParActin® supplementation was ‘found to be effective and safe in reducing pain in individuals suffering from mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis’.
As you would expect, Supplement Needs Join Stack contains 300 mg of ParActin® per nine capsule serving.
Black pepper
Black pepper is another natural anti-inflammatory, this time largely due to an active compound called piperine. Piperine is an alkaloid that, outside of giving black pepper its distinctive and pungent flavour, is a strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (Dzoyem et al, 2017).
Recent research into piperine has demonstrably shown it to be an excellent natural anti-inflammatory by ‘decreasing the expression of ICAM-1’ (Gholijani, Hashemi & Amirghofran, 2021). ICAM-1 is a molecule that ‘facilitates macrophage polarisation prior to extravasation into inflamed tissue’.
More plainly, this molecule helps white blood cells modify themselves in response to specific stimuli. By decreasing this, piperine is able to reduce the inflammation markers made by white blood cells, which is important for managing chronic inflammation.
Alongside this, black pepper extract can help to improve the bioavailability of Curcumin supplements. This is due again to the high concentration of piperine, which is a known bioavailability enhancer and active compound within Black Pepper (Hewlings & Kalman, 2017).
Supplement Needs Curcumin with Black Pepper Extract should be your go-to supplement if you want to add extract piperine to your diet.
Trans-Resveratrol
Another naturally-occurring polyphenol, Trans-Resveratrol is known to be highly anti-inflammatory - which makes it a useful ingredient for anti-inflammatory supplements for chronic conditions. One way in which it has been shown to work is by reducing the ‘plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines’ (Ramírez-Garza et al, 2018). These are activated macrophages (white blood cells) that trigger inflammation.
By reducing their presence in the blood, Trans-Resveratrol has the potential to assist with reducing the overactive inflammation that’s common in chronic conditions like arthritis.
Glucosamine & Chondroitin
Both Glucosamine and Chondroitin are key components in the formation of cartilage, which is a strong, flexible connective tissue commonly seen in joints (like the knee). ‘Glucosamine is a building block for molecules called glycosaminoglycans that are part of the structure of cartilage’, whilst ‘Chondroitin is a component of cartilage that plays a role in its resistance to compression’ (NCCIH, 2023).
Interestingly, both have also exhibited anti-inflammatory properties to help protect cartilage (and therefore joint health). For example, Glucosamine is believed to reduce collagen degradation by ‘down-regulating the production of inflammatory cytokines’ (Williams & Ampat, 2023). Reducing these inflammation markers can help to slow cartilage damage, making Glucosamine a valuable ingredient in anti-inflammatory supplements.
Chondroitin shows similar success as an anti-inflammatory, with research showing that it can inhibit the activation of some inflammation markers (Stabler et al, 2017). This helps to protect cartilage from further damage, and may even improve the potential conditions to promote cartilage regeneration (Nguyen et al, 2024).
Explore Supplement Needs’ Glucosamine & Chondroitin as part of our Health collection.
Vitamin C
Ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C as you may be more familiar with, is a well-known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. As with other ingredients we’ve explored, Vitamin C decreases pro-inflammatory cytokines that can influence inflammatory markers (Ramón et al, 2023). This effectively means it stops the body from potentially overproducing an inflammatory response, protecting your overall health.
At Supplement Needs, our anti-inflammatory Vitamin C supplements are liposomal, which means they are designed to improve the bioavailability and absorption of this important nutrient.
Interested in a more in-depth explanation? Find out more with our guide to What Does it Mean When a Supplement is Liposomal?
Looking for the best anti-inflammatory supplements?
When it comes to buying anti-inflammatory supplements, you deserve the best. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. At Supplement Needs, there are several key characteristics that we stick to that ensure you’re getting a premium product every time you buy.
Backed by expert knowledge
Developed by renowned industry-expert Dr Dean St Mart PhD, our entire range (including our anti-inflammatory supplements) is expertly researched, developed, and designed to make the most of every ingredient.
Dr Dean has a double first class honours degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry in addition to a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Fluorescence Spectroscopy – and you benefit from all this knowledge and experience when you shop with Supplement Needs.
Full ingredient transparency
You should always know what your dietary supplements contain. At Supplement Needs, we will always clarify not only which ingredients we use, but which part of the plant they come from, or their mineral form. We are also completely transparent about the dosage of each ingredient in our supplements.
Quality manufacturing practices
To achieve safe, consistent, and effective results, all of our supplements are manufactured in the UK in-line with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and ISO standards.
Maintain your health with Supplement Needs
Buy online today to take advantage of our free delivery offer on orders over £20. And, with worldwide delivery available, plus same-day dispatch on orders made before 3pm (Monday to Friday), there’s never been a better time to get the supplements you want.