Hunt For Bioactive Phytomolecules Against Rheumatoid Arthritis Based On Investigation And Documentation Of Traditional Polyherbal Formulations Used By Indigenous Communities In Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) - an autoimmune disorder (AD), primarily affects the joints leading to their deformities and destruction. In addition, RA leads to the increased risk for cardiovascular disease, lymphoma, and also death in extreme cases.  Excluding few sporadic studies, there is complete paucity of information on prevalence of RA in India and absolutely nothing is known for the Chhattisgarh State that achieved the status of a new geopolitical entity in 2000. In the present study, we designed a protocol for documenting traditional knowledge (TK) currently in use by the indigenous tribal communities for curing RA in those districts. The local names of the medicinal plants were recorded. Medicinal plants, plant parts used and polyherbal formulations were also collected and studied for preservation and analysis purposes. The analysis of data revealed that eighty-one polyherbal formulations were used for the curing RA that included 115 plant species belonging to 57 families. The work is currently under progress to pinpoint the exact phytochemical(s) for control and cure of RA. Till date no potential allopathic drug is available for complete cure of RA. Therefore, the present work is promising and might help in the discovery of potential therapeutic molecule(s) for the control and cure of RA.