Advances in Herbal Transdermal Patches for Chronic Inflammation Management

Long-standing inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, muscular pain, and connective tissue disorders require prolonged treatment, where conventional oral therapy often leads to gastrointestinal disturbances, fluctuating drug levels, and reduced patient compliance. Herbal medicines possess multi-component anti-inflammatory activity and are generally associated with fewer adverse effects. Incorporation of herbal actives into transdermal drug delivery systems offers a promising alternative by providing sustained drug release, avoiding hepatic first-pass metabolism, and enhancing therapeutic consistency. Recent pharmaceutical developments have emphasized the use of advanced polymers, permeation enhancers, and optimized evaluation strategies to improve the performance of herbal transdermal patches. This review summarizes current progress in herbal transdermal patch technology for chronic inflammation, highlighting formulation components, penetration enhancement techniques, evaluation parameters, stability considerations, existing challenges, and future research directions.