biological basis for the use of botanicals in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis a review利用植物的生物学基础骨关节炎和类风湿性关节炎.pdfVIP

eCAM 2005;2(3)301–308 doi:10.1093/ecam/neh117 Review Biological Basis for the Use of Botanicals in Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review Salahuddin Ahmed, Jeremy Anuntiyo, Charles J. Malemud and Tariq M. Haqqi Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH-44106-4946, USA Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and hip is a debilitating disease affecting more women than men and the risk of developing OA increases precipitously with aging. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common form of inflammatory joint diseases, is a disease of unknown etiology and affects 1% of the population worldwide, and unlike OA, generally involves many joints because of the systemic nature of the disease. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the first drugs of choice for the symptomatic treat- ment of both OA and RA. Because of the risks associated with the use of NSAIDs and other limitations, the use of alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and medicinal herbs, is on the rise and according to reports 60–90% of dissatisfied arthritis patients are likely to seek the option of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This paper reviews the efficacy of some of the common herbs that have a history of human use and their anti-inflammatory or antiarthritic properties have been evaluated in a