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An extract
of the Chinese herbal remedy Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F
(TWHF) may alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis,
according to researchers reporting in the journal Arthritis
& Rheumatism.
TWHF has
been used for centuries in China to treat rheumatoid arthritis,
and earlier animal studies have shown that TWHF extracts have
anti- inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects similar to
those of prednisone.
Dr. Xuelian
Tao of the National Institutes of Health said he and his colleagues
gave a small number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
either a low dose or high dose of TWHF, or a placebo, daily
for 20 weeks.
He reported
that of patients who completed the trial, 8 given the high
dose of TWHF and 4 given the low dose experienced more than
a 20 percent improvement in arthritis symptoms, while none
of the patients given a placebo experienced a comparable improvement.
Source:
Arthritis Week
of August 18, 2002
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