Chinese Herb Holds Promise for Easing Rheumatoid ArthritisSymptoms

BETHESDA, Md.--Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TWHF), abotanical used in traditional Chinese medicine, may offer relief for patientswith rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study published in the July 11 issueof Arthritis & Rheumatism (46, 7:1735-43, 2002) (www.rheumatology.org)by researchers at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal andSkin Diseases. The double blind, placebo-controlled study involved 35 patientswith rheumatoid arthritis that had been previously impervious to treatment.Subjects were divided into a placebo group, a low-dose treatment group (180 mg/dof an ethanol/ethyl acetate extract from the roots of TWHF) and a high-dosetreatment group (360 mg/d of TWHF). Of the original 35 patients, 21 completedthe 20-week study--12 in the placebo group and 10 each in the low- and high-dosegroups. Researchers noted that of these patients, eight in the high-dose groupand four in the low-dose group exhibited a clinical response totreatment--defined as a 20-percent improvement in disease activity, according tothe American College of Rheumatology criteria--while no patients in the placebogroup exhibited a response. Researchers concluded that the ethanol/ethyl acetateextract of TWHF demonstrated therapeutic benefit in patients withtreatment-resistant rheumatoid arthritis, and at therapeutic dosages, theextract was well-tolerated by most subjects.