It is a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients with RA. It consists of a 24 - weeks period of randomized double-blind treatment of either TCM(Lingzhi and Sen Miao San)or placebo.
Primary outcome is assessed by showing a clinical response of at least 20% and 50% as defined by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria.Secondary outcome is defined as the changes in the number of swollen and tender joint counts, and the levels of ESR, CRP, the inflammatory markers, cytokine levels and oxidative stress.