Recent RA Research with the Thunder God Vine

A recent study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases compared the effectiveness of the thunder god vine (Tripterygium wilfordii) to methotrexate for the short term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The study showed the treatment effect of the thunder god vine was not inferior to methotrexate in participants with active RA.  The response rates were 55.1% and 46.4%, respectively.  What's really interesting is that the combination of methotrexate and the thunder god vine was significantly more effective than methotrexate alone, with a response rate of 76.8%.

Many of the thunder god vine’s anti-inflammatory and immune-regulatory properties relate to the ability of diterpenes to inhibit the production of cytokines, COX-2, and other inflammatory substances.

Please note that the study used a pharmaceutical grade extract of the plant prepared from the peeled root.  Other parts of the plant, including skin of the root, leaves, and flowers, are considered toxic.