Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 1998; 3: 186
We have conducted a randomised placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial with a standardised willow bark extract to investigate whether this extract is an effective and safe analgesic in patients with osteoarthritis.
78 patients were included who suffered from osteoarthritis of the knee and/or hip joint. After a wash-out period of four days, patients received daily 1360 mg willow bark extract (in form of coated tablets) or placebo for two weeks. Verum medication corresponded to 240 mg salinicin/day.
An analgesic effect was observed by monitoring the change of the WOMAC pain index from day 0 to day 14. Using 10 cm visual analogue scales, a difference between verum and placebo group of 0.65 cm was observed in the intention-to-treat evaluation (n = 78 patients), and a difference of 0.73 cm in the per-protocol evaluation (n = 68 patients). In both cases, the effect was statistically significant (p < 0.05). This was also confirmed by final overall assessments both by the MD and by the patients (p < 0.01).
Willow bark extract has an analgesic effect in osteroarthritis patients. It has to be questioned whether the effect can be attributed to salicylic acid alone.
