OBJECTIVE:The aims of this study were to determine the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Yaotuitong(translation:low back and leg pain) capsules,a Chinese herbal preparation,and the histological changes it induces in experimental rats with chemically induced radicular neuritis.METHODS:Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal,model,Western medicine,and traditional Chinese medicine groups(n=24 per group).We surgically duplicated a chemical radicular neuritis model to simulate lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion.Granuloma formation was measured on postoperative days(PODs) 3,7,14,and 21.Prostaglandin E 2 and 5-hydroxytryptamine(inflammation mediators) levels in the surrounding tissue and the histology of the nerve root were determined on PODs 7 and 14.RESULTS:Yaotuitong capsules significantly reduced prostaglandin E 2(P