Herbal cure for arthritis on anvil

Hope at last

Scientists from the North-East have come out with a herbal balm made out of edible plants found in the region, which can cure the two most common type of arthritis.

Among those who have benefited from the ointment – to be formally released here on Wednesday – is Uma Dutta, the 96-year-old paternal aunt of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who was unable to walk freely due to arthritis. “Fed up with the existing treatment, she tried the new ointment, which acted miraculously,” claimed Samir Bhattacharaya, a scientist at Viswa Bharati University in Santiniketan. Bhattacharaya was associated with the development of the ointment.

Developed by scientists at the North-East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, the balm was found safe and efficacious during animal and human trials. A common ailment for middle aged and old persons, arthritis is caused by inflammation of connective tissues in joints, resulting in pain, swelling and stiffness.

In India, close to 15 per cent of the population suffer from one or the other form of arthritis, two most common forms being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite extensive research, there is still no cure. “Topical application of the ointment reduces inflammation and bring down the level of cytokines which cause arthritis. It is a joint pain reliever that works better than other commercial products,” Bhattacharaya told Deccan Herald.

“Trials on 45 people have shown positive results. Scientists from the biodiversity rich North-East made it using locally available plants. It will also be produced in the North-East,” said Samir K Brahmachari, Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the parent body of NEIST.

Initially, the Jorhat institute plans to manufacture the ointment on a no-profit-no-loss basis and has set up a production unit with a capacity to manufacture one lakh tubes of the ointment daily. The production plant is ready. Talks are on with some companies for marketing and distribution of the ointment. “The product will be in the market by December,” said NEIST director P G Rao.

Rao said the ointment can cure both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. While the ointment may be applied on joints two to three times a day, trials showed it was more effective if applied before going to bed.

“It shows substantial decrease in the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines,” said Bhattacharaya.