The Comparative Study between the Effect of Herbal Formula in Schoolbook and the Effect deduced from Compositional Herbal Effects

"방제학"에 기재된 방제 효능과 본초 구성을 기반으로 도출된 효능의 비교 연구

Objective The analysis method based on the herbal formula's effects is a general tool, in traditional medicine. In effective applications of herbal formula, Korean herbal medicines traditionally used the classification methods based on the curative effects through the various compositions of herbal formulas. However' the effects of herbal formulas were not filed systemically in ancient literatures, and the standards to confirm their effects are not clear. Thus, it is not easy to classify herbal formulas according to the curative effects. Furthermore, there are no standards to estimate the effects of prescriptions frequently directed in clinic. In this study, we aimed to provide the methodology of classifying the curative effects of herbal formulas by calculating the combination of the effect of each compositional herb through the DB systems. Results : By comparing effects of herbal formula with those of compositional herbs, we found that about 25-50% of the herbal effects were included in herbal formula's effects. These results showed that the prospective estimation of herbal formula's effects may be possible through the DB systems filing herbal effects. To enhance the accuracy in explaining the herbal formula's effect, more studies are needed by giving prominence to major effects and by subtracting minor effects.