Chinese Herb Improves Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 4:56AMExtracts of a Chinese herb with a tongue-twister of a name, Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF, for short) may be a useful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Also known as lei gong teng or thunder god vine, the herb was tested in 121 RA patients for 24 weeks against the drug sulfasalazine by researchers at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The study was published in the August 18, 2009 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The investigators randomly assigned patients participating in the study to take TwHF root three times a day or one gram of the anti-inflammatory drug sulfasalazine twice a day. Not all the patients stayed with the study for the entire 24 weeks, but among those who completed the course of treatment the researchers reported that 67 percent taking TwHF improved, compared to only 36 percent of those who received sulfasalazine. Side effects were similar in both groups. Based on their findings the researchers concluded that the rapid improvement in joint symptoms seen in the TwHF group may make the extract an attractive and affordable alternative to the anti-inflammatory drugs currently used to treat RA.
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Reader Comments (4)
TwHF is also a popular herb for other autoimmune issues such as Lupus. It is widely available as a ready-made (pills) remedy in China, however it is somewhat toxic and will probably not make it to the US as an over-the-counter product.
Perhaps the benefits (and profits) will encourage the pharmaceutical community to come up with a strictly regulated manufacturing process and prescription dosage to limit this problem.
There are very specific cooking and dosage instructions available to Chinese herbalists that can help mitigate its toxicity, but this herb should always be prescribed pre-cooked. It is too easy for a patient/consumer to make the mistake of not cooking it long enough.
I guess we'll have to wait for science to catch up before we ever see this showing up in the USA.
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The main symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is joint stiffness in the morning, often in the hands or feet. Stiffness that persists for an hour or more, or swelling and pain that lasts for more than six weeks, may be indicative of rheumatoid arthritis.