Preparation and Evaluation of Clitoria Ternetea & Nyctanthes Arbor-Tritis Emulgel for Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The present study was aimed to design, formulate, and systematically evaluate a polyherbal emulgel containing hydroethanolic extracts of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (Parijat) leaves and Clitoria ternatea (Aparajita) leaves, enhanced with camphor, for the targeted topical management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Topically localized systems offer a viable alternative to conventional oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by preventing first-pass metabolism and severe gastrointestinal side effects. In this study, three distinct emulgel formulations (F1, F2, and F3) were prepared using varying concentrations of the active herbal extracts incorporated into a Carbopol 940 gelling framework. Preformulation and standardization studies of the crude drugs showed acceptable limits for loss on drying, extractive profiles, and total Ash values. Qualitative phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of therapeutic secondary metabolites including flavonoids, iridoid glycosides, steroids, and tannins in both extracts. All prepared emulgel formulations were evaluated for physicochemical parameters including organoleptic appearance, pH, viscosity, spreadability, extrudability, skin irritation, and accelerated stability. The formulations exhibited a skin-compatible pH range (5.5 - 6.5) and uniform macroscopic homogeneity without phase separation. Human volunteer skin irritation studies confirmed that the emulgels were completely safe and non-irritant over 24 hours. Among the batches, formulation F3 (containing 0.937 g of each extract) was identified as the optimized batch based on its ideal rheological behavior and spreadability. The study concludes that the developed polyherbal emulgel provides a stable, safe, and effective transdermal drug delivery vehicle, offering a promising alternative for chronic localized anti-arthritic therapy.