Used primarily in the treatment of gout, colchicine helps reduce inflammation and pain during acute gout attacks by inhibiting uric acid crystal-induced neutrophil activation. It is also prescribed for familial Mediterranean fever to prevent recurrent attacks of inflammation. In cardiology, it has been adopted to reduce the risk of pericarditis recurrence.

Additionally, colchicine is utilized in cytogenetics and plant cell culture to arrest cell division at metaphase by disrupting microtubule formation, which allows for chromosome analysis and induction of polyploidy in laboratory settings.