Arthritis is the medical term for swelling or inflammation of one or more
joints, ligaments, and surrounding tissues. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an
inflammatory autoimmune arthritis that is one of the 100 forms of arthritis. Currently,
this autoimmune inflammatory arthritis is incurable. Still, treatment is done on an
individual basis of symptoms with the primary goal of minimising joint discomfort and
inflammation, improving joint performance, and preventing cartilage damage and
distortion. Pharmacotherapy of Rheumatoid arthritis includes nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (paracetamol, naproxen sodium, ketoprofen, diclofenac), biological
agents (rituximab, adalimumab, tocilizumab), and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic
drugs (penicillamine, sulfasalazine, gold), immunosuppressants (methotrexate,
cyclophosphamide), and corticosteroids (prednisolone and methylprednisolone) along
with physical therapy. The inability to achieve complete remission from chronic
diseases, as well as the expensive cost of new treatments, and the long-term side effects
and risks of modern medicine, have all contributed to a rise in public interest in
alternative medicine in recent years and different approaches to treating arthritis are
continually being researched. Dietary changes, nutritional supplements, and the use of
botanicals and phytochemicals are some of the more popular alternative treatment
options for RA. Dietary phenolic compounds, terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids,
carotenoids, and alkaloids have effectively slowed the progression of arthritic disease
because of their ability to alter pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory pathways. In addition
to whole herbs and spices and their extract, many isolated phytoconstituents have been
discovered to have healing capability in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. These
compounds include aconite, brucine, kaempferol, tamaractam, andrographolide,
artemisinin, asiaticoside A, bufalin, hecogenin, curcumin, swertiamarin, resveratrol, cardamonin celastrol, lapachol, brazilin, thymoquinone, asperosaponin VI, liquiritin, βelemene, oleanolic acid acetate, ellipticine, hesperidin, and sinomenime. The current
review outlines the role of medicinal plants, herbs, dietary supplements, and isolated
bioactive compounds from plants in the treatment and management of rheumatoid
arthritis, as well as their mechanism of pharmacological action.
