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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered to be an inflammatory disorder whereas OA is not an overtly inflammatory disorder as RA but certain inflammatory cytokines and periodic inflammation are observed to be involved in its progression. The pathophysiology of arthritis involves a cascade of processes taking place; therefore, arthritis necessitates a multidimensional approach for its management. Numerous conventional anti-arthritic drugs have been employed to relieve arthritis conditions but their efficacy and tolerability can be overshadowed by the reported deleterious effects on human health. Therefore, the pressing priority is to explore the complementary and alternative treatment options i.e., traditional medicine, medicinal plants and their phytochemicals, which exhibit significant anti-inflammatory activities with less deleterious effects on human health. The present review summarizes such potential medicinal plants and natural bio-active compounds against arthritis on the basis of their potent anti-inflammatory activities demonstrated in various in vitro, in vivo studies, other preclinical and clinical studies in order to facilitate researchers to develop phytomedicines against arthritis.