Ancient Chinese Remedy Could Be the Secret to Taming Arthritis Pain

by Dr. David Juan

Are you finding that the drugs touted by big pharma and prescribed by most doctors aren’t helping your painful rheumatoid arthritis? You’re not alone. And what other options are there, really? It’s a tough pain to treat. But wait…there’s some news about a natural remedy from China that could actually outdo the most popular pharmaceutical.

The pharmaceutical industry is a billion-dollar industry and one of the biggest forces to be reckoned with in the United States. It has extreme political power and isn’t always motivated by the best intentions. Although the industry’s products are supposed to keep you feeling healthy, at the end of the day, it is all about generating profits. Big pharmacy is great at making money, and they do a great job controlling the healthcare and treatments most Americans receive.

Ancient and alternative treatments not offered by big pharma continue to prove they can hang with the most expensive and newest treatments. This is great news for those of you who choose to stay away from medications created in a lab, instead opting for healing techniques that have worked for centuries.

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF), also known as thunder god vine, is an ancient Chinese herbal remedy that has been used for centuries to relieve joint pain and treat inflammation. And you know what? It works just as well as the rheumatoid arthritis drug treatment that’s widely prescribed.

Results from a recent study published in the Annals of Rheumatoid Arthritis—a medical journal internationally recognized for its work on arthritis—show that TwHF is just as effective as the popular methotrexate for treating rheumatoid arthritis, a condition affecting roughly 1.5 million people in America.

TwHF was found to work just as well on the symptoms of active rheumatoid arthritis in patients and increased patients’ relief when taken in conjunction with methotrexate. The research team randomly assigned 207 patients to one of three treatment groups. One group took 12.5 mg of methotrexate once per week, another took 20 mg of TwHF three times per day, and the last group took a combination of the two.

After the 24-week trial, 46.5% showed significant improvements on methotrexate alone, 55% showed significant improvement on TwHF alone, and a whopping 77% showed improvement when they took a combination of the two.

I always recommend supplemental treatment, and this study proves its effectiveness. Sometimes various compounds can work together to create optimal results. Natural remedies often fill the void where pharmaceuticals don’t, and vice versa. TwHF isn’t currently prescribed in the United States for rheumatoid arthritis and pain relief, but it is in China.

If you’re on medication for rheumatoid arthritis—or any other pharmaceutical for that matter—it’s always wise to check with your doctor about the safety of including natural or herbal remedies in your treatment regimen. You should also consult your doctor about the safety of TwHF.

Source for Today’s Article:

• Zhang, Q., “Chinese Herbal Remedy As Good As Methotrexate for treating rheumatoid arthritis, study finds,” ScienceDaily web site, April 14, 2014; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140414191455.htm, last accessed June 30, 2014.

This article “Ancient Chinese Remedy Could Be the Secret to Taming Arthritis Pain” was originally published on DoctorsHealthPress, visit their site to access their vast database of articles and the latest information in natural health.


David Juan, MD has a distinguished reputation as an authority on nutrition, vitamin D and calcium metabolism, hormones, and medical research. His 30 years of clinical experience, 12 years of medical school teaching experience, and medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania give Dr. Juan a leading edge in his expertise. He is well versed in both traditional and alternative medicine and has written and researched breakthrough papers on a variety of medical subjects. Dr. Juan is currently on the staff of a holistic pain relief center in San Francisco and he lends his experience to The Vitamin Doctor.