Supplement analysis backed by scientific evidence · PT

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Moderate evidenceJoints & skin

Anti-Inflammatory Formulas

Blends built around curcumin and boswellia for joint pain. Both ingredients beat placebo in meta-analyses, but the trials are small and low-quality, and combining them has not been shown to add anything.

Evidence last reviewed: August 2026

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What the science says

  • Knee osteoarthritis pain Moderate evidence

    A systematic review and meta-analysis found curcumin and boswellia both reduced pain and improved function in knee osteoarthritis compared with placebo, with effect sizes comparable to NSAIDs in some trials. The authors rated the evidence as low quality because of small samples, short duration and high risk of bias.

  • Boswellia specifically Moderate evidence

    A separate meta-analysis of boswellia extract trials in osteoarthritis reported reduced pain and stiffness and improved joint function versus placebo, again from small studies with heterogeneous extracts and dosing.

  • Ranking against other joint supplements Limited evidence

    A 2025 network meta-analysis of nutritional supplements for knee osteoarthritis placed curcumin and boswellia among the better-performing options but noted wide confidence intervals and sparse direct comparisons. No trial has shown a fixed multi-ingredient blend outperforms its single components.

Dosage & safety

Studied doseTrials used roughly 500–2,000 mg/day of curcumin in a bioavailability-enhanced form, and 100–400 mg/day of boswellia extract standardized to AKBA. Check that a blend actually delivers these amounts rather than token doses.
SafetyGenerally well tolerated; the commonest complaints are nausea and diarrhoea. Curcumin can inhibit platelet aggregation and interacts with anticoagulants; it may also affect drugs metabolized by CYP enzymes. Rare liver injury has been reported with high-dose curcumin products, particularly piperine-enhanced ones. Avoid with active gallstones and in pregnancy.

Scientific references

Where to buy

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