AN EFFECTIVENESS STUDY OF HERBAL POULTICE FOR RELIEVING KNEE PAIN

Abstract

The study on the effectiveness of herbal poultices for knee pain relief is Mixed Methods research. Its objectives are to examine the chemical identity of the herbal poultice mixture using thin-layer chromatography, comparing the original poultice form with the new poultice form, and to extract the experiences of 15 Thai traditional medicine practitioners using the herbal poultice form in treating knee pain Thai traditional medicine clinics. The results of the chemical identification study of herbal poultices using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) with a mobile phase of Toluene: Ethyl Acetate: Formic Acid in a ratio of 5:4:1, comparing the original poultice form with the sheet poultice form under natural light, showed no detectable substance bands, one substance band under 254 nm UV light and four substance bands under 366 nm UV light, which were the same for both forms and had similar R_f values. This indicates that the development of the new sheet poultice form using collagen still retains the chemical composition and medicinal properties of the original formula. The experiential study of the 15 patients with knee pain, after continuous use of the herbal poultice sheets for 7 days, the mean knee pain score decreased from 2.97 ± 1.13 to 1.50 ± 0.81, knee stiffness score decreased from 2.77 ± 1.40 to 1.27 ± 0.73, and difficulty in knee movement decreased from 2.31 ± 1.72 to 1.10 ± 1.41 (p < 0.001). In summary, herbal poultices can treat and alleviate knee pain. Therefore, they is an opportunity to develop as an alternative treatment option for knee pain in the public.