Are you HLA-B27+ or not? That's going to determine a lot about how you react to various compounds. For example, HLA-B27 has a propensity to misfold, causing homodimers to form. These homodimers interact with KIR3DL2 which then interacts with NF-kB to promote inflammation and block the normal cell apoptosis that regular inflammation would cause. Thus, you have cell inflammation and those cells that cause inflammation are allowed to survive for extended periods of time. Baicalein (a compound found in skullcap, which is a flower used in Chinese medicine) is a natural IKB kinase inhibitor. I did some digging on the internet when I found that they often prescribe sulfasalazine to people with AS. In those who were HLA-B27+, they found that sulfasalazine inhibited homodimers through this pathway. So, I took it upon myself to find natural IKB kinase inhibitors. The king of compounds, baicalein (which happens to be INSANELY healthy and promote health in so many different ways [look up some studies online and you'll be shocked,]) works wonders for me. I take half of a scoop of Baicalein in olive oil (it didn't work at all in coconut oil and burned my guts when taken with water [found out that it's not water-soluble so was likely interacting with my mucosal membranes and breaking it down when interacting]) along with the other analog found in Skullcap called baicalin (missing the "e".) Within 10-15 minutes my pain drops to about 20% the level it was at prior to taking it. I now continue to take this 2-3 times a day, about 4-5 hours apart.
What others have mentioned about turmeric/curcumin is indeed true. I recommend a few different versions, which have had varying levels of efficacy in me:
CurQFen (Gamma-Dextrin Delivery System [The Newest Generation])
THC Focused (not cannabis lol) Curcumin Supplement
C3 (The Three Curcuminoids) Standardized to 95%
I also found that berberine functions to reduce TNF-alpha via similar routes but not the same as curcumin, thus it covers a wider spread than just taking curcumin alone. My favorite berberine supplement also contains alkaloids from goldenseal which, for both myself and a friend, had an insane cleansing effect. I had a non-painful intestinal purge after the first two caps. I am not sure but I think it may have changed the way my body communicates its inflammation and this caused my body to realize it was allowing certain bacteria to thrive that it shouldn't...or at least that now that the dynamics of my inflammatory pathways had changed...were no longer permitted to thrive. It resolved within 1 day and has never happened again. Both berberine and curcumin are known to have antibacterial qualities as well. I have tried many versions but the one I'm mentioning has had the best effect:
If you are interested in further joining the discussion on treatment modalities, please join me over on the forums at the Spondylitis Association of America's site. I have started a long-running thread over there. We have been discussing everything under the sun, most recently stem-cell treatments (which look extremely promising) and Helminth therapy (a touch radical, but the science is sound.) I have since found studies that show that scientists are isolating the compounds that Helminths create and studying their immune-suppressing effects. This could fuel a whole new generation of therapies. I have a few other things I'll be posting soon, too. Here's the link to the post (beware, this is a dense read and it's currently 11 pages long since my initial post.)