• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.83-87
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• 1990

In terms of regulatory toxicology, especially for the traditional Chinese medicines, problems can be arise from a fact that there is no distinctive barrier between herbal drugs and food/beverage. An example is that many kinds of Chinese herbal materials have been also used as tea materials in Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam. Sixteen tea materials (also used as herbal materials) were extracted with 70% ethanol and the extract further partitioned with chloroform and water. Those ethanol extract and fractions were subjected to the SOS-Chromotest to examine potential mutagenicity. It was found that ethanol extract of Chaenomelis Fructus (Chaenomeles japonica Lindley, 木瓜, Rosaceae) and both ethanol extract and water fraction of Cassiae Semen (Cassia tora Linne, 決明子, Leguminosae) showed relatively high mutagenic activities in SOS-Chromotest.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2020

When extracting semi-volatile components of herbal medicines using hot water vapor, some substances may react with water vapor or oxygen, and some volatile substances may be lost, when using an organic solvent extraction method has the disadvantage that it may contain a non-volatile material and residual organic solvent. In addition, it is inefficient to separate semi-volatile substances from herbal medicines into each single component and conduct biological activity research for each component to determine the effective ingredient, and some components may be lost in the separation process. In this study, semi-volatile substances evaporated under two pressure-reduced conditions in Chinese herbal medicines such as Cnidii Rhizoma, Aucklandiae Radix and Amomum Fructus were separated by cooling with liquid nitrogen. Those were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify the components, and this method may be used to study biological activities at the cellular level. The substances separated under reduced pressure, essential oil obtained by simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) method and substances by using solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) from Cnidii Rhizoma, Aucklandiae Radix and Amomum Fructus were analyzed by GC-MS. In the case of Cnidii Rhizoma and Aucklandiae Radix, there were some differences among the essential oil components obtained by SDE and those identified by low temperature capture (CT) and SPME method, these were believed to be produced by some volatiles reacting with water or oxygen at the boiling point temperature of water.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.82-102
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• 2019

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate clinical studies on the efficacy and safety of herbal medicine inhalation therapy in children by analyzing recent randomized controlled trials conducted in China. Methods We searched the clinical studies from the China Academic Journal (CAJ) in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) using a by key word '霧化吸入' and specific criteria from 1st January 2010 to 2nd July 2019. Data regarding years of publication, demographic information, target diseases or symptoms, treatment methods, outcome measure, results and adverse events are collected for this study. Results Total of 44 randomized controlled trials were selected and analyzed. Respiratory diseases and symptoms (84.1%) were the most frequent target diseases that herbal medicine inhalation therapy was used. Acute stomatitis was another disease state that the therapy was used. In most of the studies, the herbal medicine inhalation in children showed significant efficacies. The most commonly used herbal medicines were Ephedrae Herba (麻黃), Lonicera Flos (金銀花), Armeniacae Semen (杏仁), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (甘草), Scutellaria Radix (黃芩), Forsythia Fructus (連翹) etc. Hardly any adverse effects were reported from the trials selected. Conclusions Based on the results of the clinical studies from China, herbal medicine inhalation therapy in children can be an effective and safe option for treatment and symptom improvement.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.189-197
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to confirm whether Codonopsis Radix(CR) could be used in the same way for expected indications or diseases of adaptation instead of Ginseng Radix(GR), which acts as a principal herb in Sagunja-tang. Methods : The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems pharmacology(TCMSP), a database for the study of systems biology related to Chinese medicine, screened potential active compounds in each quartet. By searching for all the proteins that each compound provides, the target of Sagunja-tang with GR(GRST) and the target of Sagunja-tang with CR(CRST) were compared using the network analysis method, and the top ranked target of each serving was selected. Results : Through TCMSP, a Chinese medicine database, the potential effective ingredients of GRST or CRST screened, and the target proteins related to these substances were found to be the most affected by Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome, an herbal medicine mixed in Sagunja-tang, and the target diseases were the same. And the same were found for the target protein, gene and target diseases of GRST and CRST. Conclusions : The prescription with similar composition is likely to have similar network pharmacology analysis results, and the analysis result may be controlled by the herbal medicines which are assumed to be the main function. Therefore, rich and reproducible basic studies is more important because network pharmacological studies can be dominated by data that has been done a lot of previous studies.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.153-158
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• 2017

As social interest in acne treatment has grown, various external preparations have been developed and studied. So, we investigated the external prescription which can treat acne in medical classics, then reviewed and divided it by dynasty. The data for analysis of Herbal formula was taken from 'medicine Dictionary of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions(中醫方劑大辭典)'. 31 external medicines were searched, 3 were before song(宋) dynasty, 11 were Song(宋) dynasty, 11 were Yuan(元) dynasty, 7 were Ming(明) dynasty and 7 were Qing(淸) dynasty. The recipe and usage were only making them pill(丸) and paste(膏) using grinded medicinal herbs, then rubbing to face. As the age developed, unique manufacturing process(i.e fermentation method), and usage(i.e time-based usage, herbal medicine extracts for wash) were proposed. The external application with oriental medicine for acne used with Angelicae Gahuricae Radix(n=12), Bletillae Rhizoma(n=8), Syzygii Flos, Saposhnikoviae Radix(n=7) and so on. In particular, Bletillae Rhizoma was searched with high frequency in this study, but it was not included or studied in patent composition. The results of this study will provide basic data for future experiments and clinical studies.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2016

Traditional Korean medicines may be managed more scientifically, through the development of logical criterion to verify their cultivation region. It contributes to advance the industry of traditional herbal medicines. Volatile compounds were obtained from 14 samples of domestic Taeksa and 30 samples of Chinese Taeksa by steam distillation. The metabolites were identified by NIST mass spectral library in the obtained gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) data of 35 training samples. The multivariate statistical analysis, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), were performed based on the qualitative and quantitative data. Finally trans-(2,3-diphenylcyclopropyl)methyl phenyl sulfoxide (47.265 min), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-phenyl-naphthalene (47.781 min), spiro[4-oxatricyclo[5.3.0.0.(2,6)]decan-3-one-5,2'-cyclohexane] (54.62 min), 6-[7-nitrobenzofurazan-4-yl]amino-morphinan-4,5-epoxy (54.86 min), p-hydroxynorephedrine (55.14 min) were determined as marker metabolites to verify candidates for the origin of Taeksa. The statistical model was well established to determine the origin of Taeksa. The cultivation areas of test samples, each 3 domestic and 6 Chinese Taeksa were predicted by the established OPLS-DA model and it was confirmed that all 9 samples were precisely classified.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.193-207
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of traditional herbal medicine as a stand-alone treatment group through major English databases due to the lack of RCTs in Korea, and to provide a review of the herbal interventions used. Methods: Using four databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, OASIS, RISS), combination of words such as "Coronavirus" "RCT" "Herb" "Decoction" "TCM" were used. RCTs using herbal medicines to treat coronavirus were searched. Final 4 studies were selected by two authors according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: A total of 1,435 patients were studied. The Chinese herbs used in the treatment group were Shengmai Yin, JingYinGuBiao granules, Jinhua Qinggan granules, and Bufei Huoxue capsules. The intervention group showed greater attenuation of pneumonia lesions on CT. Also, improvement in 6-min walk distance (6MWD), and negative conversion rate in treatment group were reported. Furthermore, scores on the Fatigue Assessment Inventory (FAI) were lower in the herbal group than in the placebo group. The median time to recovery of COVID-19 related symptoms was shorter in TCM group compared to the control group. Reported adverse effects were diarrhea, liver dysfunction, and excessive menstruation, and two papers did not mention side effects in detail. Conclusion: Herbal medicine alone can increase the conversion rate of viral negativity and relieve COVID-19 related symptoms without significant adverse effects.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.588-593
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• 2002

Paraquat, one of the potent herbicides, causes fatal damage to many vital organs, when orally ingested, resulting in circulatory failure, respiratory distress syndrome, and a few other serious problems, but there is no known specific antidote against it. Of the possible problems related to paraquat intoxication, oliguric acute renal failure, which has been known to develop within 24 or 48 hours after intoxication, are notoriously life-threatening. So we attempted to investigate the clinical characteristics and progress of paraquat-induced acute renal failure and the therapeutic possibilities of herbal medicines. All of the fifteen subjects were treated with intravenous fluid injection of 5% dextrose saline or 10% dextrose water in conjunction with herbal medicines which were used for oral administration or gargling. Gamdutang, a decoction of Semen Glycin(黑豆 200g) and Radix Glycyrrhizae(甘草 100g) with addition of other herbs when necessary, was administered orally. At the same time, gargling fluid, consisted of Chinese ink(墨汁), char-frying powder of Rhei Rhizoma(大黃炒炭末), Succus phyllostachyos(竹瀝), was used to detoxify the oral cavity. Serum levels of Blood Urea Nitrogen(BUN) and Creatinine reached its peak on the third day of hospitalization, but then decreased and fell within the normal range on the 7th day and remained there. Serum levels of Na+ and K+ decreased down below the lower limits of normal range on the 7th day and on the 3rd day, respectively. Then they returned back within normal limits. Mean urine output on the 1st day of hospitalization was 1,050ml and it continuously increased to reach more than 2,000ml on the 14th day. From that day on, it stayed over 2,000ml. Fifteen cases of acute renal failure caused by paraquat intoxication were treated with combined treatments of oriental and western medicine in our hospital. However, we think that it is necessary to study further about the way to combine oriental and western medicine, to find out a more effective treatment method.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.225-241
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• 2012

Panax ginseng Meyer has been widely used as a tonic in traditional Korean, Chinese, and Japanese herbal medicines and in Western herbal preparations for thousands of years. In the past, ginseng was very rare and was considered to have mysterious powers. Today, the efficacy of drugs must be tested through well-designed clinical trials or meta-analyses, and ginseng is no exception. In the present review, we discuss the functions of ginseng described in historical documents and describe how these functions are taken into account in herbal prescriptions. We also discuss the findings of experimental pharmacological research on the functions of ginseng in ginseng-containing prescriptions and how these prescriptions have been applied in modern therapeutic interventions. The present review on the functions of ginseng in traditional prescriptions helps to demystify ginseng and, as a result, may contribute to expanding the use of ginseng or ginseng-containing prescriptions.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.42-56
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• 2024

Objectives : The purpose of this literature review is to analyze herbal medicine's efficacy in pediatric otitis media. Methods : Six databases(Pubmed, CNKI, RISS, KISS, KCI, OASIS) were used to search randomized controlled trials related to pediatric otitis media until October 2023. Total nine studies written in Korean, English, Chinese, and German were selected and analyzed. Results : Recurrent otitis media was treated with Kami-hyunggyeyungyo-tang, Echinacea purpurea, and Sipjeondaebo-tang. For acute otitis media, Otovowen and Sopunghaedok capsule were administered, while Oryung-san, Chongyi-tang, and Changyija-san were used for otitis media with effusion. Glycyrrhizae Radix(甘草) and Cnidii Rhizome(川芎) were the most frequently used. Objective measures showed superior effects in the herbal medicine group for otoscopic examination, impedance test, audiometry, and fever. Sipjeondaebo-tang exhibited significant efficacy in recurrent otitis media treatment, possibly related to warming-interior medicine(溫裏藥) or blood-invigorating medicine(血分藥). Conclusion : Analyzing studies revealed herbal medicine's superiority for pediatric otitis media over conventional approaches.