Anti-inflammatory effects of Taiwan folk medicine 'Teng-Khia-U' on carrageenan- and adjuvant-induced paw edema in rats.

'Teng-Khia-U' is a folk medicine from Taiwan, derived from the entire plants of Elephantopus scaber L., E. mollis H.B.K. and Pseudoelephantopus spicatus (Juss.) Rohr (Compositae). To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of these crude drugs, models with carrageenan-induced acute arthritis and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced chronic arthritis in rats were conducted. The results indicated that pretreatment with 'Teng-Khia-U' significantly inhibited the carrageenan-induced acute arthritis. Moreover, they also significantly suppressed the development of chronic arthritis induced by CFA.