Steroids vs herbal medicine

Name of the Student
Professor’s Name
Chemistry
2nd November, 2015
A Comparison between Steroid Based Medicines and Herbal Based Medicines for the Treatment of Inflammation
Inflammation is a condition that occurs as a manifestation of an immune reaction which is marked by pain, swelling and redness. The symptoms are a complete triad and occur together. This condition severely decreases the quality of life in a patient. Inflammation can occur under various circumstances. It is caused by an increased activation and reaction of immune cells to the damaged tissues of the body or foreign antigens (may or may not be in the form of an infection) which affects the body. Inflammation is associated with various chronic diseases like asthma or rheumatoid arthritis. In both these conditions, the patients are crippled by the pain and respiratory distress which hampers their quality of life.
Inflammation may be controlled with both steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Under chronic inflammatory conditions, the drugs of choice are steroids. Steroids belong to natural or synthetic steroids and act by reducing the number of immune cells within the body. A reduction of immune cells decreases the interaction of such cells with the infective pathogens or body’s damaged tissues and leads to an alleviation of inflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like acetaminophen act by inhibiting the cyclo-oxygenase pathway and reduces the formation of prostaglandins. Pros…