I'm just about to start on this herbal supplement to see if it helps with my arthritis inflammation.
Has anyone had any experience of it?

for 9 years for my arthritis and joint pain.

I have just stopped it, as an experiment, since I am now trying a new curcumin product called Curcu-gel 500mg. This product was developed to increase the absorption of curcumin, which has a low level when used as an herbal extract.
So far so good. I have not relapsed as I have in the past when I tried to stop the SAMe.

There are more studies now on PubMed about curcumin and inflammation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

And this --a comparison to Lipitor!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum
The curcumin in Zyflamend is not the enhanced absorption type.

One thing I do see is that the amount of each ingredient is rather low. Ginger for example when used as an antioxidant is used in 500mg doses. And the HuZang is low too. You can buy this and get so much more:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....621087047&at=0

I've been trying to drink some red wine to get the benefits of Resveratrol--which are really exciting in the new studies.
example:


I can't seem to tolerate the sulfites in the wine and the headache I get from red wine..so I found this supplement instead from NOW. I think it is so much better than the small amount in Zyflamend.

I see that Zyflamend is advertising alot lately. That supplement is not new you know. There are reviews about it from 2004 on some sellers. When my Iherb order was delivered yesterday, it had Zyflamend samples included!

Zyflamend is one of those combination products with alot of ingredients. When that is done, there typically can be not enough of some of the more valuable ones ...like the reseveratrol and curcumin.

I prefer to use the potent forms of the curcumin and reseveratrol that were used in the studies.
example:
http://www.epic4health.com/cuul500mgena.html

SAMe was wonderful for me. I avoided a knee replacement surgery by using 600mg each morning on an empty stomach.
It improves mood and liver function too. The doctor predicted my left knee would "go" in 5 yrs, and that was 4 yrs ago..and it has not. I think if you have some cartilage left, you may be able to rebuild it with SAMe. It is not a FAST fix, but it does work over time. Studies have shown it comparable to Celebrex after 3 months use.

If you choose Zyflamend... take a look at iherb's prices. They tend to be lower than other places.

Let us know how it works for you.

P.S. If you go to iherb there are alot of reviews about this product:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=77&at=0
Start at the last page and work forward... there are mixed reviews there.

Thanks MrsD.
It is so hard to find independent and reputable reviews of these sorts of things.
There aren't any miracle cures, and there are so many daily variables that it is almost impossible to rate a treatment accurately.
I might give it a try.
I take B12, fish oil, LifeExt super bio-curcumin, Mobic, multi vits, careful diet. So who knows what is making a difference?
My daughter received the Zyflamend with her iHerb order too! Their prices are the best she has found.
The SAMe review I read said it can be a good mood improver. Did you find that?
The final conclusion was that you are probably better off just increasing your B vitamin intake. So I'm on the right track there.

was very energizing. I was working contingent at the time and had to know 6 different computer systems...very difficult...
moving from place to place.

The SAMe really helped with that. And also mood/pain perception.

It can make some people edgy. It seems if you are really young it is more irritating than older. I guess systems start to atrophy
and the SAMe repairs that. My son found tension at the 2 month mark. But I never had that. I did feel really energized tho. The knee was very debilitating and drained me.

If you choose to try it, start at 200mg once a day in the morning on an empty stomach. You should see some effects in 3-6 days.
For me the 200mg lasted about a month, and wore off, and I increased to 400 in the morning, then found that 600 was the magic number for me. At that dose my mood stayed good, and I started to get improvements in swelling and pain in the bad right knee. The energizing effects wear off...you just don't go "down" to where you were.

If you take it later in the day, you may see some insomnia, in the beginning. So start slow, and work up to see how you handle it.

Perhaps people who take it only for depression, have a mood disorder that is more sensitive to SAMe. There is a caution for people with manic tendencies to not use it without medical supervision. But I never had those effects.
As time passed, it became very obvious to me that the knee was healing..after several years of misery. So I really think SAMe is the most effective supplement for joint deterioration.
It also has potent liver effects and helps the liver work better.
There are reports from Europe that some people were able to get off transplant lists by using SAMe. (I think the doses were pretty high).

My ortho said I still had "fair" cartilage amount left. I think if you are "bone on bone" there is less likely a chance for you to see improvements like I had.

Hi MrsD, I have ordered some SAMe to try. Will start with 200 in the morning.
Tramadol keeps me awake so i may be a bit sensitive to SAMe as well.
Also getting Arthromax. Won't bother with the Zyflamend as the others have better ingredient amounts.
My daughter is very good at analysing ingredients and finding the best value ones.
She has ME and takes a lot of supplements and medications. CQ10 is one that has had a good result.

I always have back pain and New Chapters Zyflamend works almost immediately and extremely effectively. I can't say enough good things about it. *edit*
I also take New Chapter's Zyflamend PM and it is awesome for helping me sleep and not feel all out of it in the morning. My mom has arthritis and she's found it really helps her, too. Good luck to you guys!

Well I've been on the SAMe for just on a week now, taking 400mg in the morning. And I'm thinking that i can feel an improvement already!
Had a full day out yesterday, then spent an hour cooking a large stir-fry, and I'm fine. Normally I'd be in bed with a thumping neckache.
I have abusy few days coming up to put it to the test.

I think you are showing the initial improvements. I think these are mostly mood oriented. With chronic pain, there is some depression and when that lifts a bit, the pain improves. When I did my light visor the first season, I had enormous pain improvements too.

In the studies it took about 3 months for SAMe to really get rolling for most people.

I on the other hand am trying a wean off of it. After 10 yrs, I would like to spend that $$ on some other things that I need, specifically the d-chiro inositol.

So far so good, but my knee did flare day before yesterday, but I put on some Salonpas OTC patches and it is better today.
I am using a specifically designed curcumin to see if that can take over for the SAMe. I might have to go back to the SAMe it appears.

I think overall, SAMe is a great intervention for some people.
When it works it is spectacular, especially in the older patients.

Thanks for the update, Peter. Keep 'em coming!

Hi,
I was interested in taking resveratrol but find there are different kinds.... mg's, trans-resveratrol. enteric coating etc....
I would appreciate any info on what to buy.

thanks

I can understand your confusion. I have some too.

I see many expensive types now making huge claims.
If you go to iherb.com and type in resveratrol into the search,
several types will come up.

Each one has some customer reviews. Read some of those.
I read the NOW brand for example, and they seemed favorable.
NOW is a huge company with GMP manufacturing processes, and overall has a very good reputation.
At this point, early in the new hype it is hard to choose, I agree.