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.
