Tripterygium wilfordii Hook FResearch appearing in Arthritis and Rheumatism (2002 Jul;46(7):1735-43) looked at the response rheumatoid arthritis patients had to the herb, Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (Tripterygium wilfordii, sometimes called thunder god vine but more properly translated thunder duke vine, is a vine used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of fever, chills, edema and carbuncle. It has been investigated recently as a treatment for a variety of disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, chronic hepatitis, chronic nephritis, ankylosing spondylitis, polycystic kidney disease as well as several skin disorders. It is also under investigation for its apparent antifertility effects, which it is speculated, may provide a basis for a Male oral contraceptive.) (TWHF). The subjects of the study were 35 patients who had not responded to conventional therapy. They were randomly assigned to receive a high dose of TWHF (360 mg/day), a low dose of TWHF (180 mg/day), or a placebo. The study lasted 20 weeks. Subjects were evaluated with criteria from the American College of Rheumatology, and a successful response was defined as a 20% improvement by those standards. None of the patients in the placebo group met the criteria for improvement, but 75% of those in the high dose group and 40% in the low dose group met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for 20% (or more) improvement.