Here is some info on what I always take:
GLUCOSAMINE is a natural substance found abundantly in the human body, and plays an important role in the health and resiliency of your cartilage. Cartilage forms cushions to keep your bones from grinding against each other. Without cartilage, your knees and elbows would quickly wear out. With age, some of the glucosamine and other substances in our cartilage is lost. This can lead to thinning of the cartilage and to the onset and progression of osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis.
CHONDROITIN is another component of cartilage. It is made from two sugarlike molecules that are attached to each other. Long chains of chondroitins form part of the ground substance of cartilage tissue and help to make cartilage resilient to the pressures it experiences from bearing weight. It appears that CHONDROITIN SULFATE interferes with the enzymes that break down cartilage, has anti-inflammatory properties, and supplies the material for the production of new cartilage. The terms "Chondroitin Sulfate” and "Glycosaminoglycans” are often used interchangeably in medical literature.
GLUCOSAMINE & CHONDROTIN together help cartilage to regrow and stay healthy and strong. They restore cartilage tissue, and have some anti-inflammatory abilities. These natural substances are safer than the pharmaceutical drugs being prescibed. It may take from 2 weeks to 4 months before you see a noticeable improvement because they are not pain killers. They will not mask the pain, but actually repair the cartilage, which in return reduces the pain.