Potentially effective natural drugs in treatment for the most common rheumatic disorder: osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition in which imbalance between anabolic and catabolic mediators occurs leading to the destruction of homeostasis of articular cartilage. The current drugs in the management of OA can just alleviate symptoms. Hence, the research tendency toward exploration of novel sources has been grown up in order to achieve safe and efficacious drugs. Meanwhile, various components exist as novel natural drugs that may possess favorable properties for the management of OA. This review focuses on the most efficacious medicinal plants and their phytochemical agents, which have been consumed for the management of OA. Moreover, evaluation of their efficacy and molecular mechanisms of action are discussed based on numerous modern experimental investigations. More research is needed to develop therapeutic agents with disease-modifying properties to treat OA.