Arthritis Treatment from Mint Extract

Research in Canada has indicated that rosmarinic acid, a substance found in some plants including mint, oregano, and rosemary, may be helpful in reducing pain and inflammation for horses with arthritic knees.

Using an extract from a particular type of Mentha spicata bred to produce twenty times as much rosmarinic acid as wild mint plants, researchers supplemented the feed of four study horses for 24 days. A group of four control horses did not receive the extract.

Samples of synovial fluid were taken from the knees of all horses before and after supplementation. Significant reductions in biomarkers of joint inflammation were found in supplemented horses but not in control horses.