47 Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis were treated with Chinese herbal medicines, acupuncture and moxibustion from May, 1, 1982 to October, 31, 1982. The effectiveness of this therapy was evaluated by the improvement of clinical symptoms and blood examination data such as CRP, RA-test and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicines (fluid-extract) amounted to 57%, but the extract granule or powder of these medicines as made by drug companies showed only 27% of effectiveness, The most frequently used prescription among the herbal medicines was the mixture of Cinnamomi Cortex, Paeoniae Radix. Glychyrrhizae Radix. Zizyphi Fructus, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Atractylodis Lanceae Rhizoma, Hoelen and Aconiti Tuber (named Kei-Shi-Ka-Ryo-Jutsu-Bu-To in Japanese and Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ling-Zhú-Fù-Tang in Chinese) . The effectiveness of this prescription was 55%. 50% of one group showing improvements had received acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, while, on the other hand, only 32% of another group showing no improvement had received acupuncture and moxibustion therapy. Inclusion of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy with the Chinese herbal therapy was thought more useful for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis from this result.
Patients who dropped out of our therapy numbered 21 in all and they had rather severe symptoms.
It was thought that the best therapy is a combination of Chinese herbal medicines (fluidextract), acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, and, in extreme cases, Western analgesic drugs.