Comparative clinical trial of castor oil and diclofenac sodium in patients with osteoarthritis

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 23; no. 10; pp. 1469 - 1473
• Main Authors: Medhi, B, Kishore, K, Singh, U, Seth, S.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley '' Sons, Ltd 01.10.2009; John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; Wiley
• Subjects: administration & dosage; Adult; adverse effects; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; castor oil; Castor Oil - administration & dosage; Castor Oil - adverse effects; Castor Oil - therapeutic use; chemistry; Clinical trials; Diclofenac; Diclofenac - administration & dosage; Diclofenac - adverse effects; Diclofenac - therapeutic use; diclofenac sodium; Double-Blind Method; drug therapy; Drug Therapy, Combination; Drugs; Female; General pharmacology; Humans; Knee; knees; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Oil; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Osteoarthritis, Knee - drug therapy; patients; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - adverse effects; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; radiography; Ricinus; Ricinus - chemistry; Side effects; Sodium; therapeutic use; therapeutics; Human; Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase; diclofenac sodium; Enzyme; Pharmacognosy; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Enzyme inhibitor; Edible oil; Diclofenac; Medicinal plant; Non steroidal antiinflammatory agent; Arylacetic acid derivatives; Analgesic; Sodium; Castor oil; Plant origin; Arthropathy; Antipyretic; Clinical trial; Degenerative disease; Oxidoreductases; Osteoarthritis
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2804

A randomized, double-blind, comparative clinical study was conducted to compare the safety and efficacy of castor oil with diclofenac sodium in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Subjects with symptoms of knee osteoarthritis were given a castor oil capsule 0.9 mL (n = 50) thrice daily for 4 weeks or a capsule of diclofenac sodium (n = 50), 50 mg thrice daily for 4 weeks. The subjects completed an overall evaluation of symptom relief at 2 weeks and 4 weeks of completed treatment. The subjects were evaluated by clinical, routine laboratory and radiographic investigations for improvement of disease conditions and also for adverse drug reaction. On completion of 4 weeks treatment it was observed that both drugs were significantly effective in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (p < 0.001) and adverse drug reactions were high with diclofenac sodium, whereas with castor oil there were no adverse effects reported. The present study indicates that castor oil can be used as an effective therapy in primary knee osteoarthritis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley '' Sons, Ltd.