Glucosamine

Glucosamine is a natural chemical compound found in the body. As a supplement, glucosamine is most often used to try to ease the joint pain caused by arthritis.

There are two main types of glucosamine: hydrochloride and sulfate.

Why do people take glucosamine?

Glucosamine helps keep the cartilage in joints healthy. But natural glucosamine levels drop as people age. This can lead to gradual deterioration of the joint.

There's some evidence that glucosamine sulfate supplements help counteract this effect, although experts aren’t sure exactly how they work. Specifically, glucosamine has been shown in some studies to help ease the pain of mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee. Glucosamine may also help with other joint pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Glucosamine has also been used to try and treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergies, chronic venous insufficiency, sports injuries, temporomandibular joint problems (TMJ), chronic low back pain, and many others. So far, these uses of glucosamine are not well supported by evidence from research studies.

How much glucosamine should you take?

For osteoarthritis, the typical dose of glucosamine used in most studies was 500 milligrams of glucosamine sulfate taken three times a day. Ask your doctor about specific dosing. Some experts recommend taking glucosamine with meals to prevent stomach upset.

Information taken directly from http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-glucosamine