title: Herbal medicine in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.
abstract: Herbal medicines are popular, self-prescribed treatments for rheumatic conditions. A recent US survey suggested that approximately 90% of arthritic patients use alternative therapies such as herbal medicines. This article provides a brief overview of the evidence on herbal medicines for 4 common rheumatic conditions: back pain, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter, EX2 4NT, UK. Edzard.Ernst@pms.ac.uk
authors.forename: Edzard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D001416:Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000628:therapy*; D029001:Herbal Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators