Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to pain relief.
Golden Revive + (also described as “Golden Revive Plus”) is a dietary supplement for joint pain relief manufactured by a brand called UpWellness. The supplement is available on Amazon and on the UpWellness website. The brand describes this product as a “natural solution for stiff joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles.”
But can a dietary supplement really relieve joint pain? What are the active ingredients in Golden Revive + and are there any potentially harmful additives? How do real customers rate the product?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review every ingredient in Golden Revive + based on published medical research and give our take on whether this supplement is likely to be effective or if it’s a waste of money.
Ingredient Review
Golden Revive + contains a patented turmeric extract called “BCM-95” at a dose of 333 milligrams (mg). A 2012 clinical trial found this ingredient to be effective for reducing pain and other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at a daily dosage of 1,000 mg, or more than 300% of the amount in Golden Revive +.
We cannot locate any medical studies proving that BCM-95 is effective for pain reduction at the dose in Golden Revive +, nor does the brand currently cite any on their product page, so we’ll consider this ingredient underdosed and potentially ineffective.
Boswellia serrata extract is included at the same dose: 333 mg. We consider this an effective dose. A medical review published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies journal analyzed data from seven clinical trials on this ingredient for pain, and reported the minimum effective dose to be 100 mg daily.
Bromelain is an enzyme that’s included at a 167 mg dose. As we documented in our Heal n Soothe reviews article, the only medical studies we could find on bromelain and pain reported a minimum-effective dose of 200 mg, so we consider this ingredient slightly underdosed in Golden Revive +.
Quercetin may be effective for pain, as a 2022 meta-study found quercetin to be effective for various types of chronic pain including cancer pain and inflammatory pain. We cannot locate studies detailing the effective dosing range of this ingredient, so we’ll consider it potentially effective.
Piperine is a black pepper extract that’s included because it’s proven in medical studies to increase the bioavailability of curcumin (the active chemical compound in turmeric) by up to 2,000%. We consider this an effective ingredient inclusion.
We can’t identify any medical studies proving the remaining ingredients (vitamin C and magnesium) to be effective for pain at the dosages used.
Overall we consider this to be an impressive formulation, and one likely to provide some pain relief. Several of the ingredients appear to be effectively dosed based on medical studies, and the good thing about this supplement is it contains no questionable additive ingredients like flavoring agents or added sugar.
We don’t typically recommend dietary supplements with added vitamins and minerals, but there are only two such ingredients in this formulation and their respective doses are relatively low, so we don’t consider them to be concerning.
Questionable Health Claims on Golden Revive + Website
The Golden Revive + website claims that the patented turmeric they use is 200x stronger than raw turmeric. There is no citation for this claim.
While extracts of plants are more potent than the raw material, we have not come across any research suggesting that BCM-95 is 200x more potent than raw turmeric. A clinical trial that the manufacturer of BCM-95 cites on their own website reported that BCM-95 is 6.93x better-absorbed than raw turmeric.
We urge Golden Revive + to either cite this claim or to remove it from their website.
The brand also claims that their supplement only takes 30 seconds per day to “grease your joints and protect your heart and lungs.” This claim is also uncited.
Ignoring the strange “grease your joints” claim, there is no explanation as to how this supplement “protects” the heart and lungs, and we disagree with this claim. We urge the manufacturer to provide proof of these claims or remove them from their website.
Questionable Media Claims
The Golden Revive + website has a banner with the phrase “As Seen On” and the logos of four major media organizations: CBS, NBC, FOX and USA Today. To our knowledge, the brand and product has not been featured or seen on any of those platforms.
We searched for the term “Golden Revive” on all four media organizations’ websites and zero results were returned in all cases.
We suggest that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) look into these claims by UpWellness, and consider this to be a red flag about the brand until they provide proof of these media claims.
Research-Backed Joint Health Supplements
Cinnamon is a spice that has been studied for its ability to reduce pain and support joint health. A clinical trial published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that cinnamon supplementation at a daily dose of 500 mg reduced inflammation and joint swelling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
A 2020 clinical trial found that cinnamon supplementation reduced inflammatory markers. The study authors concluded that “Cinnamon could be regarded as a safe supplement to relieve pain.”
Illuminate Labs manufactures a Ceylon Cinnamon Extract supplement that’s potent (standardized to minimum 8% flavonoids) and third-party tested to ensure purity and label accuracy (test results published transparently on the product page).
Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract at this link.
Collagen is the core structural protein in joints. The body produces it naturally, but its production decreases with age. Medical research has shown that collagen is effective for joint pain in athletes (clinical trial, 10 g daily dose) and for reducing arthritic pain (meta-study, doses ranging between 40 mg and 10 g daily dose).
We recommend Bulletproof Collagen Powder as our top collagen product because it provides an effective collagen dose per serving (20 g) and contains one single ingredient: collagen peptides sourced from grass-fed animals. There are no questionable additives.
Interested consumers can buy Bulletproof Collagen powder at this link.
Golden Revive + Real Customer Reviews
Golden Revive + is sold on Amazon which is a more objective source for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The supplement has been reviewed over 900 times at the time of writing this article and has an average review rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Golden Revive + gets an “A” grade from Fakespot which is a software tool that detects potentially fraudulent reviews. This is a good sign that the reviews of the product are legitimate.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “James Culp, Jr.” who claims it’s the most effective pain supplement they have taken:
“I've been out looking for pain medicine but I don't want to take anything that's going to kill me down the road or make me crazier struck me out so I'm a vegetable I tried this stuff and the best stuff I have ever try I highly recommend it and it's all natural and I noticed a difference in my pain agony after a couple hours”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Beatrice N. Garza” who claims the supplement did not provide pain relief:
“it made my stomach upset , didn't work!! when I purchased it said I would be 100% satified and Was not !! I wasted $40.00 !!!!”
