Rheumatoid arthritis
The Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) provided better relief of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis than did sulfasalazine, a commonly prescribed medication to treat the disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means the body attacks its own tissues. The disease is characterized by chronic inflammation of the lining of the joints (synovial membranes). The inflammation causes pain, and over time there is progressive joint damage and disability.
What is tripterygium wilfordii?
Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, which is also known as thunder god vine or lei gong teng, has been a mainstay of traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of inflammatory conditions, chills, fever, edema, and carbuncle. Recently it has been studied as a possible treatment for chronic hepatitis, chronic nephritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and in this study, rheumatoid arthritis.
This native of the southern part of mainland China has small whitish flowers which, along with the leaves and roots, are used in herbal remedies. Approximately 380 metabolites have been isolated from TwHF, and the three most abundant ones—triptolide, tripdiolide, and triptonide—are believed to be responsible for the herb’s ability to reduce inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis study
The study included 120 adults who had rheumatoid arthritis. The participants randomly received either 180 mg of TwHF extract or 2 g of sulfasalazine daily for 24 weeks. The patients were allowed to also take prednisone (up to 7.5 mg daily) but no disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.
Significantly more patients who took TwHF reported at least a 20 percent improvement in arthritis symptoms compared with those who took sulfasalazine (65% vs 33%). Improvements were experienced in joint swelling, joint pain, and overall well-being, and in markers of inflammation, such as interleukin-6.
The science backs up the reports. In the patients who took TwHF, plasma interleukin-6 levels were significantly lower after only 4 weeks of treatment and remained low at 24 weeks. Patients who took the herb also had a significant decrease in rheumatoid factor levels at both 4 and 24 weeks compared with the sulfasalazine group, which showed such a decline only at 24 weeks. Rheumatoid factor is an autoantibody, an antibody that is directed against the body’s own tissues.
For more information
It may be too soon to rush out and stock up on Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F supplements. More research is needed to determine the long-term effects and any toxicity, as well as the effects when the herb is combined with other antirheumatic therapies. You can read the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. For more information about rheumatoid arthritis, visit the Arthritis Foundation.
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