Then in 1991, researchers looking into the mysteries of inflammation discovered two distinct COX enzymes. The first, COX-1 enzyme, maintains a healthy stomach lining, kidney, blood flow, and platelet function. The second enzyme, COX-2, is not as wide spread, appearing to fuel inflammation where there is tissue damage, but leaving healthy tissue alone. Put another way, the COX-2 enzyme fuels pain-causing inflammation without stirring up the usual unpleasant side effects. Blocking the COX-2 enzyme could offer benefits without the risks.

 

COX-2 enzymes are not located in the stomach. They are located specifically in the area of the body where inflammation is occurring. Since COX-2 inhibitors only block COX-2 enzymes, they do not affect the stomach in the way.

 

COX-2 regulates prostaglandin production primarily within inflammatory cells. This inflammatory response is a vital part of healing and repairing. Natural fast pain relief herbs, by virtue of their ability to inhibit COX—and thus inhibit the release of prostaglandins—can suppress this biochemical inflammatory response. 

 

Curcumin is one of the pungent active ingredients of turmeric (Curcuma longa), the deep-yellow powder found in virtually every curry dish made in the world. Besides being a culinary delight, several clinical trials have found curcumin to be a notable anti-inflammatory and analgesic compound. Moreover, recent in vitro studies have explored whether curcumin, a chemopreventive agent, inhibits the expression and activity of COX-2 in several different gastrointestinal cell lines: colon, esophagus and small intestine.

Resveratrol, a phytochemical derived from grape skin, is also abundant in members of the Polygonum genus, widely used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol were first described in 1997 after an animal model determined its primary activity to be the inhibition of COX-1. Then a study led by some of the same researchers from Cornell Medical College in New York City revealed resveratrol's COX-2 inhibitory effects.