RESUMEN
Background: Basil is a widely used herb in Persian medicine and is gaining recognition as a functional food worldwide. Aim of the study: This trial aimed to assess the effectiveness of a traditional formulation of basil oil in comparison with diclofenac gel in treating knee osteoarthritis, considering its established anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and anti-oxidative properties. Materials and methods: One hundred eligible patients were equally randomized to the traditional basil oil (containing sesame oil) and diclofenac gel groups. They used their respective topical treatments thrice daily for 4 weeks. Various measurements were taken at the beginning of the study, 2, and 4 weeks after starting the intervention, including the 8-m walk test, knee pain (based on visual analog scale), flexion angle of the knee joint, analgesic consumption, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire. Results: No significant differences were observed between the basil oil and diclofenac gel groups in any of the measured outcomes. However, significant improvements were noted within each group for most variables. Conclusion: Topical application of the traditional formulation of basil oil appears to improve clinical symptoms and certain functional indicators of knee osteoarthritis to a similar extent as diclofenac gel. This suggests that basil oil could be considered an effective management option for this condition. Clinical Trial Registration: https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/, identifier IRCT2017081711341N7.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Sesame oil is an herbal product that has been used to treat the joints pain in several traditional medicines. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of topical sesame oil versus diclofenac gel in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: One hundred and four patients were randomly enrolled in two arms of the trial. Patients were treated by topical sesame oil or diclofenac (three times a day) for 4 weeks. Outcome measures were knee pain via visual analogue scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire, knee joint's flexion angle, 8-meter walk test and number of used analgesics. Patients were evaluated at baseline, 2 and then 4 weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: At the follow-up visits, sesame oil was not inferior to diclofenac regarding scores of WOMAC pain, 8-meter walk test, and knee flexion angle. Although, its non-inferiority was not proved regarding scores of VAS, WOMAC stiffness, and WOMAC total at the 4th week. Moreover, sesame oil was not inferior to diclofenac regarding consumed analgesics. CONCLUSION: It seems that the topical sesame oil was non-inferior to diclofenac gel on the reduction of the knee OA pain and improvement of some indicators of its function.