![]() ![]() Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of the joints (commonly knee, hip, hands). What is osteoarthritis and what is herbal therapy? This is particularly true for rare but serious side effects. Possible side effects may include skin irritations. Herbal therapies may cause side effects however we do not have precise information about side effects and complications. The review shows that in people with osteoarthritis:Īrnica gel probably improves pain and function as well as non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs do Ĭapsicum extract gel probably will not improve pain or function more than placebo Ĭomfrey extract gel probably improves pain more than placebo Ĭhinese herbal patches probably improve pain and function slightly more than placebo. This summary of a Cochrane review presents what we know from research about the effects of herbal therapies applied to the skin in people with osteoarthritis. Topical herbal therapy for treating osteoarthritis We are also uncertain if other topical herbal products (Marhame‐Mafasel compress, stinging nettle leaf) improve osteoarthritis symptoms due to the very low quality evidence from single trials. Adverse events were similar: 6% (7/110) reported adverse events in the comfrey group compared with 14% (15/110) in the placebo group (RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.20 to 1.10).Īlthough evidence from a single trial indicated that adhesive patches containing Chinese herbal mixtures FNZG and SJG may improve pain and function, the clinical applicability of these findings are uncertain because participants were only treated and followed up for seven days. Treatment with comfrey reduced pain by a mean of 41.5 points (MD ‐41.5, 95% CI ‐48 to ‐34), an absolute reduction of 42% (34% to 48% reduction). At three weeks, the mean pain in the placebo group was 83.5 points on a 100 point scale. Moderate evidence from a single trial of 220 people with knee osteoarthritis suggested that comfrey extract gel probably improves pain without increasing adverse events. The number needed to treat to result in adverse events was 2 (95% CI 1 to 2). ![]() Adverse event rates were greater in the Capsicum extract group (80% compared with 20% in the placebo group, rate ratio 4.12, 95% CI 3.30 to 5.17). Mean knee function in the placebo group was 34.8 points on a 96 point scale at four weeks treatment with Capsicum extract improved function by a mean of 2.6 points (MD ‐2.6, 95% CI ‐9.5 to 4.2), an absolute improvement of 3% (10% improvement to 4% decline). At four weeks follow‐up, mean pain in the placebo group was 46 points on a 100 point scale treatment with Capsicum extract reduced pain by 1 point (MD ‐1, 95% CI ‐6.8 to 4.8), absolute reduction of 1% (7% reduction to 5% increase). Moderate quality evidence from a single trial of 99 people with knee osteoarthritis indicated that compared with placebo, Capsicum extract gel probably does not improve pain or knee function, and is commonly associated with treatment‐related adverse events including skin irritation and a burning sensation. Total adverse events were higher in the Arnica gel group (13% compared to 8% in the ibuprofen group): relative risk (RR) 1.65 (95% CI 0.72 to 3.76). Hand function was 7.5 points on a 30 point scale in the ibuprofen‐treated group treatment with Arnica gel reduced function by 0.4 points (MD ‐0.4, 95% CI ‐1.75 to 0.95), absolute improvement 1% (6% improvement to 3% decline)). Mean pain in the ibuprofen group was 44.2 points on a 100 point scale treatment with Arnica gel reduced the pain by 4 points after three weeks: mean difference (MD) ‐3.8 points (95% confidence intervals (CI) ‐10.1 to 2.5), absolute reduction 4% (10% reduction to 3% increase). Moderate evidence from a single study of 174 people with hand osteoarthritis indicated that treatment with Arnica extract gel probably results in similar benefits as treatment with ibuprofen (non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug) with a similar number of adverse events. Single studies (five studies, six interventions) and non‐comparable studies (two studies, one intervention) precluded pooling of results. Seven studies (seven different medicinal plant interventions 785 participants) were included. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |