Recommendations of the DGRh Committee on Complementary Medicine and Nutrition on the application of selected phytotherapeutic drugs and herbal medicines in rheumatology
Abstract
Background: Herbal preparations and phytotherapeutic substances are offered for symptoms and diseases of the rheumatic spectrum and are often intensively advertised in the lay press. The German Society for Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (DGRh) Committee on Complementary Medicine and Nutrition reviewed the scientific literature on selected over the counter preparations and prescription phytotherapeutic substances and examined the possibilities for their use in rheumatology.
Methods: In an online meeting of the Committee on 8 February 2023 a list of herbal preparations that are frequently used in rheumatology (mostly as self-medication) was drawn up. Each member of the committee then carried out a literature search on one or two substances and summarized the results according to a defined matrix. Research was carried out on borage oil, stinging nettle preparations, cannabis preparations and preparations of dog rose, rosemary, saffron and willow bark. The data on the mixed preparation Phytodolor® (Bayer Vital GmbH, Germany) were also examined. The results were reviewed by a circulation procedure and approved in two further online meetings of the Committee. After review by the DGRh board, the recommendations were transferred to the professional organization's website.
Results: Even though there are reports of anti-inflammatory or immunological effects in vitro and/or in animal models for all the plant substances examined, the evidence for a clinically relevant benefit is…
Read the paper
Related studies
- eggNOG 5.0: a hierarchical, functionally and phylogenetically annotated orthology resource based on 5090 organisms and 2502 viruses
- Online Survival Analysis Software to Assess the Prognostic Value of Biomarkers Using Transcriptomic Data in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
- OptiType: precision HLA typing from next-generation sequencing data
- Nicotinic Cholinergic System and COVID-19: In Silico Identification of an Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and Nicotinic Receptors with Potential Therapeutic Targeting Implications
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells have three Omega class glutathione S-transferases acting as 1-Cys thiol transferases
- Hemolysis at low blood flow rates: in-vitro and in-silico evaluation of a centrifugal blood pump
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.