Compounds in Chinese Ant May Help Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis and Hepatitis, Scientists Say
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
April 24, 2008 — Will rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis meet their match in a certain type of Chinese ant?
The Chinese ant Polyrhacis lamellidens has painkilling and anti-inflammatory properties and is used in Chinese folk medicine to treat rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis, Chinese and Japanese researchers report.
Those scientists have now identified two substances, called polyrhacitides A and B, that may be responsible for the ants' effects. They discovered those substances by studying an extract made from the ants.
The researchers, who included Zhi-Hong Jiang, PhD, of the