• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.75-81
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was performed to investigate the effect of root extract of Pueraria thunbergiana Bentham (Puerariae Radix, PR) in diabetic mice as similar as emaciation-thirst disease in Oriental medicine. Methods : C57BL/6 mice were fed high fat (HF) and high sucrose (HS) for 8 weeks, and then administrated with 90 mg/kg body weight (bw) of streptozotocin (STZ) for induction of diabetes which is similar to the middle emaciation stage. After 5 days, blood glucose levels were measured, and selected the mice with ranges above $250mg/d{\ell}$. PR water extract was administrated orally once a day for 4 weeks with high fat and high sucrose. The levels of glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, ${\gamma}glutamyl$ transpeptidase (${\gamma}GTP$), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) were analysed in the serum. Also, observed their histological changes by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) of different organs, lung, heart, pancreas, stomach, liver, and kidney. Results : PR extract significantly decreased the levels of serum glucose and insulin in diabetic mice. PR extract significantly increased the levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, GOT and GPT in diabetic mice. In H&E stain, PR extract inhibited the histopathological changes of lung (as a channel of the upper emaciation stage in the channel-tropism theory), pancreas (as a channel of the middle emaciation stage) and kidney (as a channel of the lower emaciation stage) in diabetic damage. Conclusions : PR extract has an anti-diabetic effect in HF/HS and low-dose STZ-induced diabetic mice. This result suggests that PR follows the channel-tropism theory in the emaciation-thirst disease through the protection of lung, pancreas and kidney.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

Objectives : To prove the channel-tropism theory of herbal medicines on diabetes mellitus as emaciation-thirst disease in Korean Medicine Theory, we investigated the selective therapeutic effects of Mori Cortex Radidus (MCR), Schisandrae Fructus (SF), Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (AR) for the upper emaciation on different organs in high fat and high sucrose (HF/HS) feeding-induced prediabetic mice. Methods : Diabetes in C57BL/6 mice was induced by the administration of high fat (45 kal%) and high sucrose (32 kal%) for 8 weeks, and them treated with each extract at 250 or 500 mg/kg body weight for 4 weeks (once a day). Oral glucose tolerance test and body weight was measured once a week. Insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, ${\gamma}GTP$, GOT and GPT were measured in the sera of all mice. Histopathological changes of different organs, lung, heart, pancreas, stomach, liver, and kidney were observed by H&E staining. Results : The results revealed that MCR extract inhibited the impaired glucose tolerance and lung damage, and increased serum insulin levels in HF/HS-induced prediabetic mice. SF extract inhibited the impaired glucose tolerance and lung damage, increased serum insulin levels, and decreased serum triglycerige levels. Meanwhile, AR extract inhibited the impaired glucose tolerance and lung damage, and decreased serum levels of insulin, total cholesterol and triglycerige levels. Conclusions : These results demonstrated that MCR, SF, and AR extract as the upper emaciation herbal medicines were followed their channel-tropism theory like a lung, and may have a selective therapeutic potential for control of diabetic stage.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.53-60
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• 2013

Objectives : To prove the channel-tropism theory in herbology, we investigated the anti-diabetic effect of six herbal plants used for lower wasting-thirst in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods : Diabetes was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by consecutive injection of streptozotocin (30 mg/kg i.p.) for 5 days. The rats were divided into normal control, diabetic control, and diabetic treatment with Lycii Radicis Cortex (LRC, 300 mg/kg); Corni Fructus (CF, 300 mg/kg); Bombyx Batryticatus (BB, 50 mg/kg); Lycii Fructus (LF, 300 mg/kg); Phellodendri Cortex (PC, 300 mg/kg); Epimedii Herba (EH, 300 mg/kg); and glibenclimide (10 mg/kg) as a reference drug. Herbal extracts or reference drug were administered orally for 28 days. The changes of body weight, food intake and water intake, and serological markers such as blood glucose, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (Cr) were measured. Results : The decrease of body weight and the increase of food and water intake in STZ-induced diabetic rats was improved by the administration of CF and LF. Also, the enhancement of blood glucose and serum total cholesterol, TG, BUN and Cr in STZ-induced diabetic rats was significantly inhibited by the administration of CF, BB, LF and glibenclimide. On the other hand, EH strongly inhibited the increase of BUN and Cr in the sera of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Conclusions : These results suggest that among six herbal medicines used lower emaciation of emaciation-thirst disease, CF, BB, LF and EH show a characteristics including the channel-tropism theory.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.122-131
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• 2000

This dissertation is try to figure out why chestnut belongs to kidney channel, from the viewpoint of five elements theory. After studying chestnut's property, flavor, channel tropism, main cure ability, prescriptions, shape, sweet, and prohibitions, I came to the following results. 1. Property of chestnut is warm and has no toxicity, so it is less related than kidney property. 2. Flavor of chestnut is salty and sweet, so it has some relation to kidney and spleen properties. 3. Channel tropism of chestnut enters mainly into kidney channel, and then spleen and stomach channels. 4. Chestnut controls kidney function of storing the essence of life, determining the condition of bone and marrow, conduction water metabolism, affecting reasoning activity, and controls activity of nine openings of body. It also has effects on functions of spleen, intestines and stomach. 5. Prescriptions including chestnut is similar to that of human brain, it is possible to reason out that chestnut has some relation to human brain. 7. As flavor of chestnut flower is similar to that of spermatic fluid, so it has som relation to kidney property. 8. As chestnut has property of blocking qi and it causes spleen, stomach and colon system to be confused, so it is suggested that persons with weakende spleen and stomach be not allowed to take in.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.148-154
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• 1997

In the pharmacology of traditional Korean medicine, each drug has its own specific characters. The different characters of drugs are employed to treat diseases, rectify the hyperactivity or hypoactivity of yin or yang, and help the body restore its normal physiological functions, consequently curing the diseases and restoring health. The various characters and functions of these drugs concerning medical treatment include drugs' properties, flavours, actions of lifting, lowering, floating and sinking, channel tropism, toxicity, etc. Among these theories, theory of properties and flavours of drugs provides the basis for drug analysis and application. 'Property' refers to the cold, hot, warm or cool nature of a drug. These properties of drugs are so sorted out according to the different actions of the drugs on the human body and thier therapeutic effects. Drugs which cure heat syndrome(yang syndrome) have a cold or cool property, whereas drugs which cure cold syndrome (yin syndrome) have hot or warm property Drugs of cold and cool-natured and drugs of warm and hot natures are of opposite properties. A cold-natured drug is different from a cool-natured on only in degree, and so is a warm-natured drug from a hot-natured drug. Most of the cool- or cold- natured drugs have the effects of clearing heat, purging fire, removing toxic substances, and nourishing yin, and are uese to cure heat syndromes. On the contrary, drugs of warm or hot nature usually have the effects of dispersing cold, warming up the interior, supporting yang, and treating collapse, and are therefore used to treat cold syndromes. We thought that the property of drug may be related to the autonomic nervous system in western medicine. In other words, drugs of warm or hot nature increase heart rate or acts like sympathomimetics, and drugs of cool or cold nature decrease heart rate or acts like para sympathomimetics . According to this hypothesis, we administrated some drugs to isolated rat right atrium in magnus tube. But there is no correlation between 'property' in traditional Korean medicine and autonomic nervous system in western medicine.