While your doctor may prescribe medication to control the inflammation, there are additional steps you can take to soothe inflamed joints. One smart move: Adjust your diet to include anti-inflammatory spices with your meals. Just be sure to talk to your doctor first — not all herbs and spices are safe for everyone. Some may interact with your medications, and you should not use herbs or supplements in place of standard medical care for psoriatic arthritis. With your doctor’s go-ahead, here are some of the best spices to add.
1. Turmeric Lowers Levels of Enzymes That Cause Inflammation
According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body — meaning it has potential benefits for people with psoriatic arthritis. A study published in October 2017 in the European Journal of Pharmacology found that curcumin demonstrated an anti-psoriasis effect by helping to reduce the inflammation caused by the condition. The spice, traditionally used in curries, works by lowering levels of certain enzymes in the body that cause inflammation. The Arthritis Foundation recommends that you check the curcumin content of products before using them, noting that the ingredient makes up only about 2 to 6 percent of turmeric. It also emphasizes that high doses of turmeric act as a blood thinner and can cause stomach upset. RELATED: 12 Scientific Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin There’s no specific dose of chili pepper recommended for fighting inflammation, but the hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. Still, Massey emphasizes that consuming too much capsaicin can be harmful, so listen to your body and try to include a little spice in your dishes each day, as tolerated. You can also try topical capsaicin for pain relief: When applied to the skin, capsaicin can temporarily reduce substance P, a chemical that plays a role in arthritis pain and inflammation.
3. Cloves May Help Ease Pain and Inflammation
According to an article published in 2017 in the Royal Society of Chemistry, cloves contain eugenol, a phytogenic bioactive component that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. To incorporate cloves into your diet, Massey suggests the following strategies:
Add two to four whole cloves to a pot of hearty soup or stew for both health and good flavor.Use several whole cloves to infuse both flavor and nutrition into hot drinks. Be sure to take out before consuming.
4. Ginger May Help Manage a Variety of Symptoms, Including Pain
A root with an energizing scent, ginger has been used throughout history to treat a variety of ailments, including nausea, asthma, diabetes, and pain. According to the Arthritis Foundation, ginger has been shown in some studies to reduce pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. Like psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by painful inflammation. And a study published in 2017 in the journal Natural Product Research found that the spice reduced pain and inflammation in people with knee arthrosis. You can incorporate ginger into a psoriatic arthritis diet in a number of tasty ways, including in smoothies, marinades, or stir-fries. However, the exact amount needed to ease psoriatic arthritis isn’t known.
5. Celery Seeds Have Been Used for Millennia to Ease Pain
Fragrant celery seeds, which come from the flowers of the celery plant, have been used since ancient times to treat pain. A review published the journal Progress in Drug Research notes that celery seed extract has been shown to reduce pain and inflammation associated with arthritis in animal models. According to Mount Sinai Health, celery seeds may interact with blood-thinning medications, lithium, and thyroid medications; if you’re taking any of these, it’s important to talk with your doctor before trying celery seed.
6. Cinnamon May Reduce Free Radical Damage
While more research is needed, the Arthritis Foundation points to encouraging studies that show that “cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid, both of which have antioxidant properties that help inhibit cell damage caused by free radicals.” Like cloves, cinnamon contains the anti-inflammatory eugenol as well. Cinnamon is delicious to sprinkle on oatmeal or in a smoothie, but that won’t be enough for a therapeutic dose. However, if used in tandem throughout the day with other antioxidants, you can build up a cumulative effect. Warning: Do not try to up the dose by trying the “cinnamon challenge,” for which people try to swallow heaping teaspoons of the spice in under a minute. A study published in January 2021 in Critical Care Medicine reports that there is a high risk of aspiration, sometimes leading to acute respiratory distress and the need for ventilation.
Spices Are Not a Replacement for Medication
As promising as some of these ingredients and supplements may be, Ana-Maria Orbai, MD, MHS, director of the psoriatic arthritis program at Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center in Baltimore, cautions against viewing them as a cure or a replacement for treatment prescribed by your doctor. That doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t be used in addition to prescribed treatment, though. “As with any health condition, it’s important to watch what you eat carefully and avoid harmful ingredients with psoriatic arthritis,” Dr. Orbai says. “Although some supplements like turmeric help some people with inflammation, more data are needed.” Vinicius Domingues, MD, rheumatologist from Daytona Beach, Florida, and medical advisor to CreakyJoints, cautions, “The use of alternative medications for the treatment of any type of inflammatory arthritis is to be discussed with your medical doctor. At this time, those spices can be added to your current regimen. However, they should not be a replacement of the gold standard therapy, which will be prescribed by your rheumatologist.”
Create a Diet Regimen With Your Doctor
Before you start incorporating any of these herbs and spices into your diet (or make any significant dietary changes), check with your healthcare providers that they are safe for your particular needs. Some of these may interfere with your medical regimen. “Sometimes modifying your diet significantly does result in physical changes that might also warrant changes in your medication regimen. Your provider should be aware so those medication adjustments can be made appropriately,” says Massey. She also adds that discussing your goals regarding dietary and exercise changes provides an opportunity to receive new resources to help achieve those goals, such as a referral to a registered dietitian in your area. Additional reporting by Brian P. Dunleavy.
