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Phytodolor® – Effects and efficacy of a Herbal Medicine

Phytodolor® – Einflüsse und Wirksamkeit eines pflanzlichen Arzneimittels

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Zusammenfassung

Pflanzliche Antirheumatika werden erfolgreich insbesondere bei schmerzhaften Beschwerden bei entzündlichen oder degenerativen rheumatischen Erkrankungen eingesetzt. Eines dieser Phytopharmaka ist Phytodolor® (STW 1), eine fixe Kombination von Extrakten aus Pappelrinde und -blättern (Populus tremula), Eschenrinde (Fraxinus excelsior) sowie echtem Goldrutenkraut (Solidago virgaurea). Seine Wirkungen sowie die seiner Komponenten wurden in umfangreichen experimentellen und humanpharmakologischen Untersuchungen verifiziert. Sein Wirkspektrum umfasst antiphlogistische, antiödematöse, antioxidative und analgetische Eigenschaften und erscheint breiter als das synthetischer Antirheumatika. Die in verschiedenen rheumatischen Indikationen durchgeführten offenen klinischen Untersuchungen und randomisierten, placebo- oder verum-kontrollierten Doppelblindstudien bestätigen die pharmakologisch belegte Wirksamkeit des Präparates, unter anderem in der Einsparung nichtsteroidaler Antirheumatika (NSARs). STW 1 besitzt eine hohe Arzneimittelsicherheit. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNG: Phytodolor® (STW 1) ist eine realistische Alternative zu NSAR und zu Cyclooxygenase(COX)-2-Inhibitoren wie Rofecoxib.

Summary

Herbal antirheumatics are successfully used in painful inflammatory or degenerative rheumatic diseases. One of these herbal medicines is Phytodolor® (STW 1), a fixed combination of extracts from aspen leaves and bark (Populus tremula), common ash bark (Fraxinus excelsior), and golden rod herb (Solidago virgaurea). Its effects as well as those of its components have been verified in experimental and human pharmacological investigations. The mode of action of STW 1 includes antiinflammatory, antioedematous, antioxidative and analgesic properties, and it is considered to be broader than that of synthetic antirheumatics. Open clinical studies and randomised, placebo- or verum-controlled double-blind trials, performed in different subtypes of rheumatic diseases, confirm the pharmacological evidence of efficacy, such as by reducing the intake of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). STW 1 has a high drug safety. CONCLUSION: Phytodolor® (STW 1) is a reasonable alternative to NSAIDs and to cyclooxygenase(COX)-2-inhibitors such as rofecoxib.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chair of Pharmacology, Pomeranian Medical Academy, Szczecin, Poland

    Karl-Josef Gundermann

  2. Scientific Department, Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany

    Jürgen Müller

Authors
  1. Karl-Josef Gundermann
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  2. Jürgen Müller
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Correspondence to Karl-Josef Gundermann.

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Gundermann, KJ., Müller, J. Phytodolor® – Effects and efficacy of a Herbal Medicine. Wien Med Wochenschr 157, 343–347 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-007-0436-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-007-0436-4

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