Glucosamine and/or chondroitin have been successful in treating arthritis patients for a number of years. Glucosamine helps lay down the proteoglycan matrix in joints that help moisturize the cartilage. I have always felt that the chondroitin, which does not exist in plant nature, is less important than the glucosamine portion of such a product. MSM, however, when mixed with glucosamine is known to significantly play a role in joint pain relief, expecially when mixed together. While chondroitin certainly can help the glucosamine work better, glucosamine stimulates your own body to make the necessary components of cartilage so may not be as important as once thought. The product you are thinking of taking with glucosamine and MSM has much more satisfactory research behind it showing its effectiveness against the pain of osteoarthritis and is safer than taking NSAIDS like Advil or Aleve. I have the research articles to back the claims of glucosamine and MSM together; however, I cannot find the actual article in my collection right now
C. Traxler, MD