Drynaria: Increase Bone Density Naturally
Drynaria, a natural dietary supplement, has been shown to increase bone density, alleviating a fear many have about aging.
The principal mechanism of bone weakening is based on the imbalance between bone resorption (the breaking down of the bone) and bone formation, this process is known as bone remodeling. In normal bone, bone remodeling is constant; up to 10% of all bone mass may be undergoing remodeling at any time. Bone is resorbed by osteoclast cells (derived from bone marrow) and new bone is deposited by osteoblast cells. Those with weak bone density experience increased bone resorption and decreased bone formation.
Thus, the ideal remedy to prevent this situation should stimulate osteoblast/bone formation activity and suppress osteoclast/bone resorption activity.
This ideal remedy can be achieved through a natural dietary supplement known as Drynaria. Drynaria has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for over a thousand years to treat fractures and improve strength of fragile bones. The TCM name for Drynaria is Gu Sui Bu, translated literally as “broken bone repairing”. Drynaria is mainly derived from the roots of Drynaria fortunei (Kunze), a species of basket fern in the family Polypodiaceae.
Referred to as “bone-knitting herbs,” originally these specialized formulas were used to speed up bone healing in fractures resulting from farm work, martial arts training, and construction work.
Modern scientific research shows the bone-preserving activities of Drynaria to be:
- Inhibition of osteoclast function and therefore decreasing bone resorption. Drynaria has been shown to support healthy osteoclast function without entirely halting it, as bisphosphonate drugs (Fosamax, Reclast, Actonel, Boniva etc) do.
- Stimulation of osteoblast function. Drynaria has been shown in multiple studies to stimulate osteoblasts to produce more healthy bone tissue.
- Stimulation of osteogenesis. Osteogenesis is the process by which mesenchymal cells in bone marrow differentiate to become new osteoblast cells capable of producing new bone tissue. Not only is it necessary to stimulate osteoblasts to produce bone, but to also stimulate bone marrow to produce new osteoblast cells to replace those lost to disease or apoptosis, the process of natural cell death. Several studies have shown that Drynaria stimulates osteogenesis to provide bones with an adequate supply of new osteoblasts.
Drynaria possesses other beneficial effects such as:
- Reduction of inflammation
- Pain relieving effect in osteoarthritic joints (knees and shoulders)
- Improvement of low back pain
- Broad antimicrobial activity
- Improvement of gum health
- Prevention of tooth decay
The beneficial effect of Drynaria on bone density can be amplified by using:
- Vitamin D3 (our recommendation is 2-4000 units of vit D3 a day)
- Biotin (vitamin playing a key role in the bone matrix synthesis)
- Calcium (our preferred product is calcium lactate no more than 500mg a day)
- Indian Thorny Bamboo Extract (the organic silica from this remedy increases elastic properties of the bones)
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