Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Generally found in the human body, glucosamine is an amino sugar, a small molecule which is synthesized internally and easily absorbed by the blood stream. Found in nature by two ways, natural and synthetic, it is a special form of sugar found in the human body and synthetically prepared in laboratories. It contains both sugar and protein, it is located in the joint cartilages and the amount found reduces as we age and creates pain in the joints. The Glucosamine supplement stimulates the proteoglycans present in the joints which are used to repair cartilage.
Animal based supplements are taken out from chitin or bovine cartilage, the hardened outer shell part of shrimp, crab and lobsters. A very common plant based supplement is glucosamine hydrochloride which is manufactured by the Aspergillus Niger plant. It plays an important role in the human body because it repairs the damaged cartilages and reduces the Arthritis pain. Arthritis and specially Osteoarthritis sufferers benefit from this treatment. It removes blemishes tracks, dark spots and uneven discoloring when used in skin and face packs. While it can be used to soothe chapped lips and reduce the puffiness and sagging of the eyes, its main purpose is to help eliminate unwanted pigments, scars and wrinkles in the skin. Skin, bones, tendons ligaments, nails and parts of heart, synovial fluids etc are formed as it is the major component of bones, cartilages, tendons and connecting tissues.
Given to patients undergoing surgery, glucosamine supplement is used as it causes hyaluronic acid to be produced which seals wounds and can heal their incision faster. It is essential for the formation of mucous that lines the urinary digestive and respiratory tracks. Glucosamine is freely used in the treatment of Arthritis especially in Osteoarthritis because with this condition, the cartilages of the human body degenerate and cause swelling and pain in the joints. The pain reduces in those sufferers who are severely attacked by Osteoarthritis when glucosamine supplement is given with chondroitin. When a combined dose is given to patients they report they feel good, with less aching in the body, less stiffness in their joints which start to function again.
Glucosamine supplements stimulate the production of cartilage and it prevents the further degeneration but it is also effective in the treatment of Arthritis in the jaw which is called the “Temporomandibular joint” (TMJ). n-acetyl glucosamine is one form that acts as an inhibitor of human glioma cell division and is used in the treatment of glioblastoma. This same type of Glucosamine is effective in some cases of stomach disorder such as Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis. A vital role is played by this wonder chemical as the main component of many products.