Herbal Formulations Useful in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of joints. About 1% of the world's adult population is affected by RA. The commonly used medications for RA are anti-inflammatory and disease-modifying agents. These drugs revise the pathology and restore the quality of life but fail to completely cure the disease. Furthermore, they cause various side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular toxicity, immunodeficiency, and irreversible organ damage. This has led to greater global interest in herbal medicines due to better tolerance and minimum side effects than synthetic drugs. These herbs are used in traditional forms like vatika, gutika, medicated oils, medicated ghee, or in different modern formulations such as tablets, capsules, gels and ointments. A large segment of RA patients has started adopting herbal formulations and traditional systems of medicines; there is a need to compile the data on herbal formulations used in RA management. This chapter will attempt to review herbal formulations of various systems of medicines used for rheumatoid arthritis. 

Keywords: Ayurveda, Chinese medicines, Choorna, Gutika, Herbal formulation, Joints, Kwath, Marketed herbal formulation, Rheumatoid arthritis, Tablets, Vatika.