Medicinal Plants from the Flora of Romania Beneficial in Osteoarthritis and Rheumatic Arthritis

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we focus on two arthritic diseases that affect a large part of the population, which cause inflammatory disorders of the joints and oxidative stress, which can cause certain degrees of disability. Arthritis is a chronic disease frequently encountered in the world’s population. Osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, are two extensive forms of arthritis associated with pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints and a low standard of life. Many drugs are used in their treatment, associated with some severe side effects and expensive prices. Today there are many studies carried out with extracts from medicinal plants, used in alternative therapy, and effective in these diseases. They are available for clinical use due to the active phytoconstituents that modulate inflammation and are antioxidants. In carrying out this study, electronic databases were screened: Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar, trying to describe these medicinal plants, and elucidate their biological mechanisms of action. The most numerous references were found on the following plants: Arctium lappa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Nigella sativa, Urtica dioica, etc. vary parts of plants are used such as different types of seeds, roots, leaves, fruit, bark, flowers, or even the whole plant.