A pilot clinical study to manifest theefficacy of Pankajakasthuri orthoherb cream/thermagel in the treatment of patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major form of arthritis associated with severe joint pain that reduces the quality of life. Various pharmacological interventions may be utilized for arthritis treatment when non-pharmacological therapy is insufficient. However, pharmacological treatment can have serious side effects and high costs. Therefore, alternative therapies have been under investigation to manage this condition. Medicinal plants and their secondary metabolites are significant as alternative treatments available for inflammatory diseases. In the current study, we investigated the efficacy of Pankajakasthuri orthoherb cream/thermagel in managing OA. A total of thirty patients over 18 years of age diagnosed with osteoarthritis were enrolled from July 1 st , 2021 to August 31 st , 2021 for the clinical trial. All subjects were applied with Pankajakasthuri Orthoherb cream/thermagel 1gm (pea size) at a time, externally, thrice daily with an interval of 6 hours. The following clinical parameters, viz. pain, swelling, stiffness, tenderness, pain on movement, were used for evaluating the effect of Pankajakasthuri Orthoherb cream/thermagel in managing osteoarthritis conditions. The intervention was continued for one month and assessments were done before treatment and on the 10 th , 20 th and 30 th days after treatment. The study results showed that Pankajakasthuri orthoherb cream/thermagel recorded significant improvement in the clinical condition associated with osteoarthritis within 30 days of intervention when analyzed using t-test. This clinical study proved that Pankajakasthuri orthoherb cream/thermagel is highly effective in managing the clinical conditions associated with osteoarthritis.