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Supplements for Joint Pain: What Helps Arthritis Pain, Graded (Turmeric, Glucosamine, Boswellia and More)

For arthritis joint pain, guidelines put exercise and weight loss first, and most supplements help only a little. Turmeric (curcumin) extracts and boswellia eased knee pain in short, mostly small trials (grade B). Glucosamine and chondroitin did no better than placebo in a large publicly funded trial, while maker-funded trials looked better (grade A for little or no benefit). Turmeric has caused rare liver injury, and glucosamine can raise the effect of warfarin.

Published How we grade evidenceEditorial policy

The short version

  • Exercise and weight loss come first: guidelines recommend them strongly; no supplement is on that list. Exercise eased knee pain modestly in many trials, on low-certainty evidence. Grade B (Kolasinski 2020; Lawford 2024).
  • Turmeric (curcumin): eased knee arthritis pain in short trials, but the trials and reviews are low quality. Grade B (Wang 2021; Chen 2025).
  • Boswellia: eased knee pain in small trials of specific extracts. Grade B (Cameron 2014).
  • Glucosamine and chondroitin: little or no benefit in large independent trials; trials paid for by makers looked better. Grade A (Wandel 2010; Clegg 2006).
  • Fish oil and krill oil: a small pooled effect, but the largest trials found none. Grade B (Deng 2023; Laslett 2024).
  • Collagen: a small effect in pooled trials. Grade B (Liang 2024).

This guide covers osteoarthritis, the wear of joint cartilage behind most aching knees, hips and hands in older adults. Rheumatoid arthritis and gout need a doctor's diagnosis and their own treatment.

Start with what works best. The 2019 American College of Rheumatology guideline strongly recommends exercise, weight loss if you carry extra weight, tai chi, a cane, braces, and anti-inflammatory gels or pills for knee pain (Kolasinski 2020). Across 28 trials (2,873 people), exercise cut knee pain by 8.7 points on a 0 to 100 scale against a sham or placebo (Lawford 2024). Supplements, at best, add a little on top.

What is the best supplement for joint pain?

There is no clear winner. A 2018 review of 69 trials of 20 supplements found several with large short-term pain relief on very weak evidence, and none with a clinically important effect over the long term (Liu 2018). Turmeric and boswellia have the most support; the best-known pair, glucosamine and chondroitin, has the least.

SupplementWhat trials foundSize of effectGrade
Turmeric (curcumin) extractLess knee pain than placebo in 11 short trials; about as good as anti-inflammatory pills in 5 more9 points on a 100-point scale in the best trialB
Boswellia extractLess knee pain in small trials of specific extracts17 points on a 100-point scale in 85 peopleB
Glucosamine, chondroitin or bothNo clinically meaningful pain relief in the large trialsBelow the smallest change patients noticeA (little or no benefit)
Chondroitin for hand arthritisLess hand pain in one trial8.7 points on a 100-point scaleC
Fish oil or krill oilSmall pooled effect; the two largest trials found noneSmallB
CollagenSmall pooled effectSmallB
MSMTwo small trials, function better, pain unclearSmallC
Vitamin DNo change in knee pain in the largest trialsNoneB
Multi-ingredient joint formulasNo better than placebo in two trialsNoneC

Does turmeric help joint pain?

Grade B. Turmeric extracts eased knee arthritis pain in short trials. A 2021 meta-analysis of 16 trials (1,810 adults, up to 16 weeks) found less knee pain and better function than with placebo in the 11 placebo-controlled trials, and results similar to anti-inflammatory pills (NSAIDs), with side effects no more common than on placebo. People with a higher body mass index gained less (Wang 2021). In one of the better trials, 70 people with knee arthritis and joint swelling took a turmeric extract or placebo for 12 weeks; pain fell 9 points more on a 100-point scale, but the swelling didn't shrink. An extract maker helped fund it (Wang 2020).

Why only grade B: a 2025 review rated the 7 meta-analyses on curcumin for knee arthritis as extremely low quality (Chen 2025). A separate 2024 review that pooled 11 meta-analyses still pointed to less pain and stiffness (Bideshki 2024), so the direction holds; the size is uncertain. Read the liver warning below before you start. More on our curcumin page.

Does boswellia help knee arthritis?

Grade B. Boswellia (Indian frankincense) extracts eased knee pain in small trials. In the Cochrane review of herbal treatments, 2 high-quality studies (85 people) of 100 mg a day of an enriched boswellia extract for 90 days cut pain by 17 points on a 100-point scale against placebo (Cameron 2014). A 2020 meta-analysis of 7 trials (545 people) found less pain and stiffness and better function than with control (Yu 2020). A 2025 network meta-analysis of 39 trials ranked boswellia first of 7 supplements for knee pain (Zhang 2025). A 2024 meta-analysis of 13 studies found no significant overall effect because the trials disagreed, though the placebo-controlled ones showed a benefit (Dalmonte 2024). The trials used different extracts, and a result for one doesn't carry over to another. Our database grades boswellia A for osteoarthritis pain on the strength of the Cochrane trials; we give B here because the larger 2024 pooling was not significant overall.

Do glucosamine and chondroitin work?

Grade A for little or no benefit. Here, who paid for a trial matters.

  • The large public trial said no. GAIT, a US National Institutes of Health trial, gave 1,583 people with knee arthritis 1,500 mg of glucosamine, 1,200 mg of chondroitin, both, the drug celecoxib, or placebo daily for 24 weeks. On placebo, 60.1% had at least 20% less pain. Glucosamine added 3.9 percentage points, chondroitin 5.3 and the pair 6.5, none significant; celecoxib added a significant 10.0 (Clegg 2006; NCCAM 2008). A subgroup with moderate to severe pain did better on the pair (79.2% vs 54.3%), an exploratory finding.
  • Pooling the big trials agreed. Across 10 large trials (3,803 people), pain fell by 0.4 cm on a 10 cm scale with glucosamine and 0.3 cm with chondroitin, below the 0.9 cm the authors set as the smallest change that matters. Trials funded by industry showed larger effects than independent ones (Wandel 2010).
  • The positive results cluster on one product. In the Cochrane review, 10 trials of one company's glucosamine sulfate found a large benefit; trials of other products, and the 8 best-concealed trials, found none (Towheed 2005).
  • Chondroitin alone: the Cochrane review of 43 trials found pain about 10 points lower on a 100-point scale in trials under 6 months, on low-quality evidence with very mixed results (Singh 2015).
  • Hips: 1,500 mg of glucosamine sulfate a day for 2 years did no better than placebo in 222 people with hip arthritis (Rozendaal 2008).
  • Longer term: in a 2-year trial of 605 people, no group had less pain than placebo; the combination slowed joint-space narrowing on X-ray by 0.10 mm (Fransen 2015). A 606-person trial found the pair about as good as celecoxib, but with no placebo group it can't separate the pair from the placebo response (Hochberg 2016). More on our glucosamine page.

What helps arthritis in the hands?

Grade C for chondroitin. Few supplement trials include hands. In one trial, 162 people with hand arthritis took 800 mg of chondroitin sulfate or placebo daily for 6 months; hand pain fell 8.7 points more on a 100-point scale and hand function improved (Gabay 2011). The American College of Rheumatology gives chondroitin a conditional recommendation for hand arthritis only (Kolasinski 2020). A 4-ingredient formula (boswellia, pine bark, MSM and curcumin) did no better than placebo for hand pain in 106 people (Liu 2021).

Does fish oil help arthritis pain?

Grade B, mixed. A 2023 meta-analysis of 9 trials (2,070 people) found a small drop in osteoarthritis pain with omega-3 fats (Deng 2023). The largest trials point the other way. Among 1,398 older adults with chronic knee pain in a 5-year trial, omega-3 capsules made no difference to pain, stiffness or function (MacFarlane 2020). In 262 people with knee arthritis, 2 g of krill oil a day for 24 weeks did no better than placebo (Laslett 2024). And in a 2-year trial of 202 people, a high dose (4.5 g of omega-3 a day) did no better than a low-dose blend (0.45 g) for pain; the low-dose group improved more on pain and function at 2 years (Hill 2016). Our verdict: not worth taking for joint pain alone. See fish oil for its other uses.

Does collagen help joint pain?

Grade B for a small effect. Pooling 25 trials (2,856 people), collagen products eased osteoarthritis pain and improved function a little more than control, with no more side effects (Liang 2024). The products tested differed, so the pooled number doesn't point to any one type.

Does MSM help joint pain?

Grade C. MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) has two small trials. In 50 people with knee arthritis, 3 g twice a day for 12 weeks improved pain and function scores (Kim 2006). In 49 people, 1.125 g three times a day improved function and a visual pain score, though the main pain scale did not differ significantly and the authors called the gains small (Debbi 2011). A systematic review called the evidence positive but not definitive, with no data on long-term safety (Brien 2008). Our MSM page has more.

Does vitamin D help knee pain?

Grade B for no clear benefit. In 413 people with knee osteoarthritis whose vitamin D levels were low, 50,000 IU of vitamin D3 once a month for 2 years did not change knee pain or cartilage loss (Jin 2016). In the 5-year trial of 1,398 older adults with knee pain, vitamin D made no difference either (MacFarlane 2020). Take vitamin D if a blood test shows you are low, not for your knees.

Do "joint formulas" with several ingredients work?

Grade C for no benefit. A daily mix of boswellia, pine bark, MSM, curcumin and black pepper extract did no better than placebo for knee pain over 12 weeks in 84 people; pain fell by about the same amount in both groups (Yuan 2026). A similar mix failed for hand pain (Liu 2021).

What we'd skip

  • Glucosamine or chondroitin for hip or knee pain. The large independent trials found no meaningful relief (Wandel 2010; Rozendaal 2008).
  • Krill oil for knee arthritis. No better than placebo in a 24-week trial of 262 people (Laslett 2024).
  • Vitamin D for knee pain. Two large trials found no pain benefit, one of them only in people with low vitamin D levels (Jin 2016; MacFarlane 2020).
  • Multi-ingredient joint formulas. Two trials found them no better than placebo (Yuan 2026; Liu 2021).
  • High-dose, high-absorption turmeric products. All 7 Italian liver-injury cases involved them, and 3 of 7 products tested in US cases also had black pepper extract (Lombardi 2021; Halegoua-DeMarzio 2023).

Safety and interactions

  • Turmeric and your liver. Rare but serious. Of 10 turmeric cases in a US liver-injury registry, half needed hospital care and one person died of liver failure; injury began 1 to 4 months after starting, and 7 of the 10 shared one immune gene variant, HLA-B*35:01 (Halegoua-DeMarzio 2023). In Italy, 7 cases all involved high-dose, high-absorption products (Lombardi 2021). Stop at once and get checked if you notice tiredness, nausea, poor appetite, dark urine or yellowing skin (NCCIH).
  • Turmeric and blood thinners. A case report describes a raised INR, the clotting test used for warfarin-type drugs, in a person who took turmeric with one of them (Daveluy 2014). If you take any blood thinner, ask your prescriber or pharmacist before starting turmeric; see turmeric with Eliquis and fish oil with Eliquis for what is known.
  • Glucosamine and blood sugar. In a review of 11 human studies, 4 (3 of them clinical studies of glucosamine by mouth) found lower insulin sensitivity or higher fasting glucose, more often in people who already had trouble controlling blood sugar (Dostrovsky 2011). With diabetes or prediabetes, check your readings if you start it.
  • Glucosamine and warfarin. Reports to the US FDA and the WHO describe raised INR and bleeding in people on warfarin who took glucosamine, including one brain bleed; most INR rises settled when glucosamine stopped (Knudsen 2008; NCCIH).
  • Glucosamine and allergy. Glucosamine is often made from shellfish shells. Of 366 Australian reports of reactions to glucosamine or chondroitin, 263 were allergic-type reactions and 43 were severe; it wasn't clear how many people had a shellfish allergy (Hoban 2020). With a shellfish allergy, ask your doctor first.
  • Vitamin D: in the 2-year knee trial, 56 people on vitamin D had a side effect against 37 on placebo (Jin 2016). Add up all your sources with our upper-limit calculator; the adult upper limit is 4,000 IU a day (NIH ODS).
  • Fish oil and collagen: side effects were no more common than on placebo in pooled trials (Deng 2023; Liang 2024). For boswellia, Cochrane found no serious side effects but couldn't judge the overall risk because trials reported it differently (Cameron 2014). No interaction studies were found for boswellia, collagen or MSM.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding: turmeric supplements in pregnancy may be unsafe, and little is known about glucosamine and chondroitin (NCCIH). Ask your doctor or midwife.

When to see a doctor

  • The same day: a hot, red, swollen joint, especially with fever; a joint that suddenly can't bear weight; or severe pain after a fall or injury.
  • Soon: swelling in several joints, morning stiffness lasting more than about half an hour, night pain, or pain with unexplained weight loss. These can point to inflammatory arthritis or another cause.
  • Before you add a supplement if you take a blood thinner, diabetes medicine or several prescriptions, or have liver disease.

Don't stop a prescribed medicine on your own; ask the prescriber or pharmacist. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your doctor or midwife before taking any of these.

FAQ

What is the best supplement for joint pain? Guidelines put exercise and weight loss first. Turmeric (curcumin) and boswellia extracts have the most support for knee arthritis pain (grade B), with modest effects in short trials.

Do glucosamine and chondroitin actually work? Not by much. In the large publicly funded GAIT trial and in pooled big trials, they did no better than placebo by any margin patients would notice; trials paid for by makers showed larger effects.

Is turmeric safe for your liver? Liver injury is rare but has been reported, mostly with high-dose, high-absorption products, some with black pepper extract. Stop and get checked if you notice dark urine, yellowing skin, nausea or unusual tiredness.

Can I take turmeric or glucosamine with a blood thinner? Ask your prescriber or pharmacist first. Raised INR has been reported with turmeric and with glucosamine in people on warfarin-type drugs.

Does collagen help joint pain? A little. Pooled trials found a small easing of arthritis pain (grade B), but the products tested differed.

Sources

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