• Comparing the Effects of Oleoresin of Pistacia Atlantica (Saqez) Tree and Diclofenac gel in Improving the Knee Osteoarthritis
  • Hesam Adin Atashi,1,*
    1. Young Researchers and Elite Club, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic rheumatoid disease, which affects the cartilage and tissues around the joints. This disease is one of the main causes of the pain and disability among older adults in most countries of the world. This disease does not have definitive treatment, and the used treatment controls the symptoms and pain. Turpentine can inhibit many of the enzymes involved in the inflammation process of osteoarthritis disease. Formulation of turpentine cream was used to reduce the pain, inflammation, and problems of patients with knee osteoarthritis with the aim of reducing the serious side effects of conventional therapies.
  • Methods: Clinical effects of this formulation on 84 patients with knee osteoarthritis (grade 2 and 3) were evaluated in a double-blind clinical trial study for three months, and diclofenac gel was used as a control drug. The mentioned formulation was analyzed for standardization with the GC-Mass apparatus. A WOMAC international questionnaire was used to assess the therapeutic trend. Results were analyzed by using SPSS 19 software
  • Results: According to the results, the improvement trend was observed in both groups, while the percentage of improvement in the symptoms of the disease was significantly higher in the turpentine group than that in diclofenac gel group (P<0.05).
  • Conclusion: According to the studies performed, the turpentine cream significantly reduces the pain and stiffness of patients' joints in performing the daily tasks. It is one of the most common problems of this disease
  • Keywords: Osteoarthritis, Turpentine, Diclofenac, WOMAC questionnaire