ReviewZeitschrift fur Rheumatologie2026
[Recommendations of the German Society for Rheumatology committee for complementary treatment and nutrition on phytotherapy : Supplement on the use of selected phytotherapeutic agents and herbal preparations in rheumatology: extension to include 13 medicinal plants].
Review in Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionMedicinal plants and their preparations are of great interest to many patients with rheumatic diseases. In 2023 the German Society for Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (DGRh) Committee for Complementary Medicine and Nutrition (KHE) began reviewing the scientific literature on selected phytotherapeutic agents and herbal preparations and examining their potential applications in rheumatology. Following the publication of the initial results in 2025, the evaluation of 13 additional phytotherapeutic agents took place later that same year.
methodsIn an online meeting of the KHE Committee on 7 January 2025, a further list of phytotherapeutic agents frequently used in rheumatology (mostly as self-medication) was compiled. Committee members then conducted literature searches on these herbal preparations and summarized the results according to a predefined matrix. Research was conducted on comfrey, arnica, turmeric, ginger, cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa), garlic, cabbage leaves, milk thistle, Pycnogenol (extract from the bark of maritime pine), horsetail, devil's claw (Harpagophytum), frankincense (Boswellia) and Wilford's tripter fruit (Tripterygium wilfordii). The results were reviewed using a circulation procedure, a consensus was agreed upon in an online meeting of the KHE committee and finally confirmed by the German Society for Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (DGRh).
resultsFor all plant substances investigated, there are reports of anti-inflammatory or immunological effects in vitro and/or in animal models; however, the evidence for a clinically relevant benefit is very limited. None of the investigated preparations can be recommended for use in inflammatory joint diseases. If arnica, comfrey, turmeric, ginger, garlic, cabbage leaves, Pycnogenol, devil's claw or frankincense are taken at the patient's own initiative for degenerative joint diseases, rheumatologists do not need to advise against them, provided a sensible treatment plan is otherwise being followed. Ginger, garlic and turmeric in their natural form can be recommended as foods within the framework of a health-conscious diet.
conclusionThe scientific analysis of a second series of herbal preparations has also shown that the confirmed value of phytotherapy for the field is limited; however, for the rheumatological practice a differentiated consideration is needed for the herbal preparations presented here.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42448806What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.