Herbal medicinal products in the treatment of pain as a symptom of osteoarthritis

Herbal medicinal products which are used perorally in the treatment of minor articular pain include those obtained from willow bark, Salicis cortex, devil's claw root, Harpagophyti radix, nettle leaf and herb, Urticae folium/herba, meadowsweet flower and herb, Filipendulae ulmariae flos/herba, ash leaf, Fraxini folium, and blackcurrant leaf, Ribis nigri folium. They can be in the form of a herbal tea or solid and liquid dosage forms. Anti-inflammatory and/or analgetic action form/s basis for their therapeutic usage. Among mentioned herbal drugs, only willow bark, Salicis cortex, is employed for producing herbal medicinal products with well-established use (dry standardised hydroethanolic extract in the solid dosage form intended for oral application). Furthermore, traditional herbal medicines prepared from arnica flower, Arnicae flos, which are intended for dermal application (liquid and semi-solid dosage forms) are used for symptomatic relief of rheumatic complaints, also because of their anti-inflammatory and analgetic effects. Owing to rubefacient activity, herbal medicinal products with well-established use based on the soft extracts of capsicum, Capsici frustus, (medicated plasters and semi-solid dosage forms for cutaneous use), as well as traditional herbal medicines based on rosemary leaf and oil, Rosmarini folium/aetheroleum, juniper oil, Juniperi aetheroleum, and eucalyptus oil, Eucalypti aetheroleum (bath additives and/or liquid and semi-solid dosage forms for dermal application), are used to decrease pain.