May 8, 2006 – The prestigious medical database The Cochrane Collaboration has just published the results of a review of clinical trials1 investigating the effectiveness of devil’s claw root, white willow and cayenne pepper in relieving pain associated with low back pain. The authors conclude that each of the three herbs may constitute an acceptable medical treatment for this condition.
The researchers analyzed the results of ten clinical trials conducted in 1,567 subjects with chronic or acute low back pain with funding from the Natural Health Products Directorate of Health Canada and Canadian health research institutes.
According to their data, 50 mg or 100 mg of a devil’s claw root extract would be more effective than a placebo. A daily dose of 60 mg would have anti-inflammatory effects comparable to 12.5 mg of Vioxx® – withdrawn from the market because of the dangers that this drug represents for the cardiovascular system – without its disadvantages. The authors qualify this evidence as strong because of the very good quality of the trials analyzed. Devil’s claw extract, used in these studies, was standardized to harpagoside, an active ingredient with bitter properties.
The analysis also found that a white willow extract standardized to provide 120 mg or 240 mg of salicin, the active substance, was more effective than a placebo. The 240 mg dose of salicin also had effects comparable to those of Vioxx.® (12.5 mg). In this case, the quality of the trials analyzed allows the authors to rate the evidence as moderately strong.
The researchers also report that a capsicin plaster, extracted from cayenne pepper, would be more effective than a placebo although, in this case, the evidence is less solid than for the other two plants studied.
According to the authors, these results indicate that the three plants may be an acceptable short-term medical treatment. They also stress the importance of conducting clinical trials to compare their long-term effects with those of conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, etc.).
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Webmd.com.
1. Gagnier J, Vantulder M, Berman B, Bombardier C. Herbal medicine for low back pain, Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2006 Apr 19; (2): CD004504.
