*This post is strictly informational and does not contain sponsored or promotional links. I am not affiliated with any brand mentioned in this article.
Using an effective and high-quality joint supplement can make a significant difference in your daily life.
Not only does a joint supplement relieve pain and stiffness, it also protects your long-term mobility, strength, and overall joint function.
But finding a joint supplement that works can be money- and time-wasting. Some of them are completely ineffective, and some can even cause side effects.
One way to ensure you aren’t getting a scam supplement is to look at its ingredients and see if they are evidence-backed. Another is to check other people’s reviews. It can give you a general idea of whether the product is worth trying.
I’ve scoured through social media, online forums, and product websites to bring you this compilation of testimonials and user reviews.
Combine these insights with my guidelines on what to look (out) for in joint supplements and you’ll be on a good path to finding the right option for your goals.
User Reviews on Most Effective Joint Supplements
Generally, the most effective supplements considered for joint health include:
- Curcumin (turmeric)
- Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil or algae oil)
- Boswellia Serrata
- Glucosamine & Chondroitin
Let’s look at user reviews for each one.
Curcumin
Some of the most popular curcumin supplements include LifeExtension Curcumin Elite, California Gold Nutrition Curcumin UP, and Doctor’s Best High Absorption Curcumin.
NatureWise Curcumin Turmeric is the best-selling curcumin brand on Amazon and among the top 3 best-selling brands on iHerb, with over 50,000 reviews in total. Its score is hovering over 4.6/5* on Amazon and 4.8/5* on iHerb.
I took to both of these websites as well as Reddit to see what users are saying. Here are some direct quotes:
“I’ve been using NatureWise Curcumin Turmeric 2250mg capsules for quite a while now, and when I ran out and went without, I didn’t feel any difference in the pain level in my knuckle. The capsules are easy to swallow and are consistent in filling and color. The quality is good. The labeling is informative, with much information for the consumer. The bottle is safety sealed for protection. There is a lot to like about these capsules, but unfortunately, they weren’t what my body requires – you may have different results.”
– Heidi (Amazon customer)
“This is my first time buying turmeric curcumin from Naturewise even though I have tried other brands. The composition of ingredients like turmeric curcumin with organic ginger and bioperine black pepper extract makes this a quality blend. I have benefited from regular daily intake of 3 capsules as they have greatly reduced inflammation in my knees and joints. There is significant improvement and reduced pain in these areas. Great product. Worth buying again.”
– iHerb customer
“I don’t know if these pills work or not. I just take them twice a day because I know it is good for my body and health. They seem to have the right ingredients. I take them because health wise it is advised for us to get enough Tumeric and Curcumin, so it is a supplement that I believe in taking. I like the price of this product. Comparably speaking the ingredients are like the more ridiculously expensive brand, so I am hoping this is doing me good. I have had no bad side effects from this product, so I assume it is doing me good and I can afford this product unlike the other overly advertised brand on TV.“
– Victoria AZ (Amazon customer)
“I’ve used multiple brands. Currently using Naturewise Turmeric Curcumin. I think I will stay using them as it was a good price, worked and is easy to order from Amazon.”
Reddit user
Omega-3s
The most popular omega-3 supplement brands include NOW Foods, California Gold Nutrition, Nordic Naturals, and Sports Research.
While California Gold Nutrition has by far the most reviews on iHerb, it makes sense since it’s very cheap. NOW Foods is arguably the most popular quality/value option, depending on which site you look at. Here’s what customers are saying about it:
The whole family takes 1 pill daily during breakfast or lunch (it dissolves better with fatty food so try to take the vitamin according to that rule) and we like it. As for me I take it in order to improve my skin because I struggle with acne and my parents take it to keep their health in a good condition. The size of the pill is pretty big. The sell and the taste is regular omega-3 taste which is fishy and oily. We keep it in our refrigerator because we live in a place where it’s +86 F (+30 C) daily so it doesn’t melt. We really enjoy the quality of this product and brand in general.
– Tanya (iHerb customer)
“I bought omega because , I have carpal tunnel and my hand was getting numb every day in the morning as I woke up , the brace wasn’t cutting it anymore. It was recommended by one of my coworkers that has been taking it for years for the numbing and it worked for her. Well to my surprise it did work my numbing has decreased significantly to the point I don’t sleep with the brace anymore. I wish they were smaller though. I take them every night to me the capsule has a little sweetness to it so is not that bad to swallow. I recommend people with numbing issues related to carpal tunnel to give it a try.“
– Anonymous Amazon customer
“I have nothing to compare this to, it’s my first time taking fish oil. But reading reviews before I purchased, I learned that fish oil burps are a real concern for many lol. I tend to be a fairly gassy person already, so after taking these I can’t say for sure that my burping in general has increased. But I am getting a slight fishy flavor for an hour or two after taking these with food. I don’t eat fish, can’t stomach the taste or smell. These burps are mildly unpleasant but not completely intolerable. I will most likely continue to take this supplement for the health benefits as a pre-menopausal woman.”
– Allyson M. (Amazon customer)
“Now is one of the best price/performance on the market, i have never had a bad Now product in my life, and i take like 50 supplements (tried 300 or so)”.
– Dazed811 (Reddit user)
Boswellia Serrata
Once again we have NOW Foods and California Gold Nutrition as some of the most popular brands. NOW Foods Boswellia Extract has a score of 4.8/5 stars out of over 5,000 reviews on iHerb. Let’s look at some of them;
“I have been taking boswellia extract for a few months now to help manage my osteoarthritis pain. I have found that it has been very effective in reducing my pain and inflammation. I am also able to move more freely and comfortably since | started taking boswellia extract. I am very happy with the results I have experienced from taking boswellia extract. I would definitely recommend this supplement to anyone who is looking for a natural way to manage inflammation and pain.”
– iHerb customer
“My mom (who has UC) is on this daily- 2x a day. I take it when I need an extra boost for an anti inflammatory. Boswellia is also known as “Frankencense” best known to us Westerners in the Bible as one of the gifts of the wise men. There’s a reason it is mentioned along with gold- it would have been an incredibly valuable healing agent. Inflammation is one of the primary causes of pain. The other herb they mention is Myrrh-which fights infection. Keep both on hand in your household. NOW does a good job here.”
– iHerb customer
“I have been using this product for 45 days for arthritis pain for lower back pain but no noticeable improvement. However, I may need to increase the dose to see if any benefit at all in pain reduction.”
– iHerb customer
“I’m not even joking. Without it, I’m a mess. I take 1g twice a day, and it’s made me functional again. My dizziness, vision issues, aches, severe neck and shoulder tightness, inflammation feelings in my head, SOB, brain fog, are ALL better on it. It’s the only supplement I’ve taken that I’ve noticed a tremendous difference between when I take it and when I don’t. It’s worth a try! I take the NOW brand, 500mg. 2 in the AM, 2 in the PM. I hope it helps!”
– Reddit user
Glucosamine & Chondroitin
Glucosamine and chondroitin are two different compounds, both naturally occurring in the body. As supplements, they are often taken together due to their synergistic benefits; relieving aches, enhancing mobility, assisting in cartilage lubrication, and protecting from daily physical impacts.
Some of the most popular glucosamine+chondroitin joint supplements include Schiff Move Free Advances, Doctor’s Best Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM with OptiMSM and Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength with Vitamin D, Glucosamine, Chondroitin.
On iHerb, Doctor’s Best Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM with OptiMSM has by far the most reviews (over 62,732 and counting). Let’s see what people are saying about it:
“At first I didn’t want to take this because I learned that my 70 year old aunt was prescribed this one for her knees. I felt that I was too young for glucosamine. But then I tried it, because my knee pain had become unbearable, and I was willing to try anything. And it worked so well that now I recommend it to everyone I know who even complains about joint pain of any sort. Go and take this, you won’t regret.”
– Janice (iHerb customer)
“Good product for joints In my opinion, this is the best product for joints on this site. I always take myself, my husband and friends. Due to the presence of MSM, inflammatory processes are quickly removed. The bank is designed for 3 months. I recommend.”
– iHerb customer
“My dad was taking these a while ago and the pain in his joints seemed to have subsided but he was having another problem: constipation. Once stopped taking the pills, his bowel movements immediately return.”
– iHerb customer
Experiences With Natural Joint Supplements
Two of the most popular natural joint supplements are turmeric and omega-3s.
Turmeric is known for having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that protect joints from damage, thanks to its active compound curcumin. Omega-3s also relieve excess inflammation. The combination can be potent at helping you move free and without pain.
Let’s have a look at people’s experiences with the best-rated natural turmeric and omega-3 supplements.
Turmeric
NatureWise Curcumin Turmeric is one of the top-selling natural joint supplements in the world. The official marketing material of the company claims it contains organic turmeric curcumin, plus organic ginger and black pepper extract. Here are some reviews:
“I ordered this because I wanted to take curcumin. Like most supplements I would say I don’t really notice a difference as to whether it is working or not. They’re easy to swallow (3 capsules per serving) and seem OK. I really wish I could say “I noticed after taking this that…. ” but I honestly haven’t noticed anything as of yet (sample size of two weeks).“
– William S. (Amazon customer)
“It seems to have some kind of dye, and it is supposed to be organic! I do think it works fine, but I will buy a different brand next time.”
– Jennifer (Amazon customer)
“I use nature wise, organic curcumin with ginger and black pepper. Seems ok!”
– Whentimerunsout (Reddit user)
Omega-3s
One of the most reputable natural omega-3 supplement brands and arguably #1 in the U.S. is Nordic Naturals. Let’s have a look at people’s experiences with their Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega supplement, which provides a total of 1280 mg of omega-3s per serving (out of which is 650mg EPA and 450 mg DHA).
“Best omega supplement l’ve found to date. The gelatin capsules are fairly sturdy and don’t seem to dissolve all at once. Thus I experience little to none of the “fishy” aftertastes of the other fish oil capsules l’ve tried. They aren’t a fan of high humidity, so make sure to store them in a lower humidity room. These don’t have any sort of overwhelming fishy taste to them and the light lemon flavoring masks any taste. Good way to get more fish omegas into one’s life. I also appreciate how this brand sustainably harvests and processes the fish in an ecologically sound way. While this brand may be a touch more pricy, it’s worth it.”
– iHerb customer
“I’ve been using it for almost three now and it’s good for anti-aging. Can be taken at three times a day. Also, the ingredient is good, in size and taste. Gentle dosages. Overall, it’s a great quality and good packaging. A great benefit to hair and heart.”
– iHerb customer
“The ratio of Omega-3 amount per price for this product is just average. It’s lemon-flavored taste and I had never experienced any problem related with fish burp after 2 months of consumption. In term of health benefit, it seems that it’s working on reducing the inflammation, but I could not tell whether if it’s just the placebo effect. Most importantly, the transparency of this product should be praised. Despite not being IFOS-certified, NN has their own lab testing to test the quality of their fish oil. One could simply find the test result on their website by just typing in the lot number printed on the back of the bottle. Overall, I could say this product is above average as a health supplement for general health purpose.”
– iHerb customer
Users’ Feedback on Joint Supplements for Runners
Running is an activity that puts a lot of strain on your joints. It makes sense that regular runners would want to maximize joint function and protect them from long-term damage. While joint supplements aren’t magical pills, they can certainly help, as you can see from some of the users’ feedback below;
“31, trail runner weighing in around 240, here. I take glucosamine pretty regularly, a few times a week at least along with Krill oil daily (any fatty omega is ideal). When I do my weight/plyo workouts, I focus a lot of warmups on walking backward & loading my knees up at a 90 degree walk. Sled pulls & pushes kinda stuff. Walking backwards at an incline on a treadmill as well.”
– aussiez_03 (Reddit user)
“I’m 35, but I have osteoarthritis in my knee. In addition to glucosamine and chondroitin, I take MSM and boswellia. Since I’ve started taking that combo I’ve been able to alleviate most of my pain. Also since taking those I generally only experience flare ups after exceptionally long or strenuous runs.”
– blueshoes44 (Reddit user)
“I have crappy knees and get runner’s knee very easily (I run…and take ballet). I take Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and vitamin d. I really notice how much it works when I forget to take it…my runner’s knee will flare up. I also try to ice my knees immediately after running/ballet, and that helps a lot with inflammation.“
– konfetkak (Reddit user)
Real Experiences of Taking Joint Supplements
I did a little more digging into people’s experiences of taking joint supplements on Reddit, and here’s what I’ve found:
“I did a whole bottle of glucosamine and msm from Costco, I noticed my joints did feel a bit better. I recently swtiched to a collagen supplement (one from Costco as well) and it’s awesome, I notice a much bigger difference after a few weeks.”
– gothgar (Reddit user)
“Depends why you have joint pain. I had severe arthritic pain, stiffness and cold extremities. This was caused by a magnesium, potassium & protein deficiency. Once these were remedied the problem went away.”
– calmly_anxious (Reddit user)
“Research is not in favor of them, maybe inconclusive at best. However I have found curcumunoids+boswelia extract (and cissus) to be very effective. They single handedly got my knee to work again properly after a hiking injury and nothing worked for nearly 3 months until I started curcumunoids+ boswelia. The effect was very clear.”
– rom9 (Reddit user)
“Not sure. We stopped MSM, for about a year, have started it back again. Seems to make a difference.”
– sparky135 (Reddit user)
It’s clear from these testimonials that no two people are the same. You will ultimately need to try out a supplement yourself to see how it works for you.
Customers’ Opinion About Vegan Joint Supplements
Doctor’s Best offers a range of high-rated joint supplements, including their Vegan Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM formula and the standalone Vegan Glucosamine Sulfate product. Let’s look at some reviews for the former first:
“I used it for my tendonitis, don’t know if it helped or if it didn’t. My recommendation would be that if you’re desperate then sure spend some money on stuff like this. Most of the time: not really needed if your nutrition, sleep and exercise is on point. It’s kind of: “just in case it helps”.”
– iHerb customer
“I’ve been looking for a Vegan option of this for arthritis for a while and have been using this one for over a year. While it’s hard to tell what is working, I feel like this has been good at keeping the flar ups at bay and nothing has worsened. So I’ll keep taking it.”
– iHerb customer
“Added this supplement to support joint and connective tissue health. Especially for exercise and running. I found it seems to be helpful. The capsules are not large and easy to swallow. I don’t notice any particular taste or smell with this form.”
– iHerb customer
Let’s now look at people’s opinions of the standalone Vegan Glucosamine Sulfate by Doctor’s Best:
“Long ago, a friend recommended I try glucosamine for joint pain. When I tried it, it gave me excruciating joint pain – the opposite of what it was supposed to do. I never tried it again. I did not know at the time that it was derived from shellfish. After finding out that the glucosamine I took probably came from shellfish, a light bulb went on in my head. I have known since childhood that I am allergic to shellfish. If the glucosamine tends to collect in joints, and is carrying the shellfish allergen, then it would not be surprising if it caused (rather than relieved) severe joint pain.”
– Amazon customer
“Traditional Glucosamine is made from shellfish or corn, both major allergens for me, so when I decided to try this .Vegan alternate. What a great decision! This works great.”
– JoAnn S. (Amazon customer)
User Testimonials on Glucosamine Joint Supplements
Another well-regarded brand of glucosamine is 21st Century. They are known for offering budget-level options. Here’s what users had to testify about it on iHerb:
“Packing and package was good, deliwas within stated time frame, does not have any taste to it, Quality wise is alright I guess. Age wise anyone can take it they need it, the benefit comes from believing it works. Gloucousamine is gloucosamine is suppose. Any effect have taken place a long time ago as been on this for a long time.”
– iHerb customer
“Since I have been using Glucosamine in combination with MSM and chondroitine my knees feel better. I can’t say it repaired the damage but they are not painful as they used to be. 21st Century is definitely a very good quality brand which doesn’t disappoint. One of the benefits is the neat packaging which is sealed by a pull up tab. And the pills have no aftertaste.”
– iHerb customer
“My husband often has creaky joints, so I bought him this product. You have to take it for at least 3 months to feel the change in your joints and then you have to continue taking it. The tablet is large but easy to swallow. It doesn’t hurt the stomach, it doesn’t make you burp.”
– iHerb customer
First-Hand Reviews of Joint Supplements for Athletes
Whether you’re a professional fighter, a CrossFitter, football player, or an endurance runner, you need to keep your joints in top shape to perform best and ensure athletic longevity. Joint supplements can serve both as a training recovery aid and joint function enhancer.
Take it from athletes and their first-hand reviews:
“I know a lot of people s**t on supplements but I take: 2700 mg of Fish oil (EPA + DHA) and 3000 mg of MSM for my joints.
– Reddit user (r/Fitness)
There’s enough studies and good feedback on both of these supplements for me to take it. Fish oil especially has so many benefits outside of joint health, would be crazy not to take it.
EDIT: And for what it’s worth, Weightlifting World Champion silver medalist- Mattie Rogers, also takes the same supplements for her joints. I’m sure she has a good training staff recommending these for her.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/weightlifting/comments/7rletq/its_mattie_rogers_boiiiizzzz_ama_lets_ride/dsxtgto“
“I’ve always found super strength omega 3 help with my joints.“
– Reddit user (r/CrossFit)
“Huge benefits to taking omega 3 (fish oil). It helps control inflammation in the body as well as very important for brain health. It helped to eliminate the pain in my feet from plantar fasciitis. Recommend dose is 3g a day. Careful not to take to much first though as it can cause loose stool.“
– Tall-Ad7787 (Reddit user, r/CrossFit)
Personal Reviews About Joint Supplements for Elders
Getting older can be painful on your joints, but it doesn’t have to be. A quality joint supplement can be a part of a plan of combating joint degradation, osteoarthritis, and loss of mobility in elderly.
Of course, not all joint supplements will give you the same results, this is why reading personal reviews can help to narrow down your choice. Here’s a Reddit joint supplement thread I found:
“The combination of MRM MSM and Swanson Turmeric and Black Pepper have worked wonders for my joints. 2 capsules MSM and 1 turmeric with dinner has basically eliminated all my shit-I’m-getting-old aches and pains that has me popping otc painkillers most nights.”
– LolaBleu (Reddit user, r/Supplements)
“My mum (70) takes marine collagen for her joints and says it helps.”
– jelilikins (Reddit user, r/Supplements)
“Magnesium glycinate, and D2 + K2 for better absorption. The latter cleaned up my potty problems immediately, as an added bonus!”
– PersistentPuma37 (Reddit user, r/AskOldPeople)
“Turmeric. I take Gaia brand, extra strength. My hairdresser has arthritic hands and she swears by it. My arthritis isn’t as bad, but it helps me too.”
– Reddit user (r/AskOldPeople)
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