• 대한약침학회지
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.241-248
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• 2018

Objectives: Pharmacopuncture is a treatment that medicinal fluid including herbal extract is injected in body under qi/flavor theory and meridian theories. There are a number of studies investigating the efficacy of pharmacopuncture for cervicogenic dizziness but its usage differs in each study. This study aimed to review previous studies of pharmacopuncture treatment for cervicogenic dizziness to navigate the direction of improvement. Methods: Literature review was conducted on studies aimed at pharmacopuncture for cervicogenic dizziness. The randomized controlled studies which assessed the efficacy of pharmacopuncture on cervicogenic dizziness were selected. The studies were searched in Pubmed, RISS, OASIS and CNKI. After selecting eligible studies, the authors read the articles and summarized the points those are necessary in pharmacopuncture treatment for cervicogenic dizziness. Results: Twenty seven studies and 2,709 participants were included. The diverse solutions were used and the most popular were Salvia miltiorrhiza, Angelica gigas, a compound in Gastrodia elata, Panax notoginseng saponins. Some studies investigated the efficacy of conventional medical compounds (lidocaine, vitamin B, dexamethasone) injected in acupoints. Adopting acupoints and combining with body acupuncture have shown the tendency to enhance the cure rate. Pharmacopuncture could improve the efficacy of conventional treatment for cervicogenic dizziness. Conclusion: As the solution and injection method varies, principles of pharmacopuncture for dizziness should be investigated.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.63-77
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• 2015

Objectives The combination extract of four kinds of herbs, Gastrodia elata, Liriope platyphylla, Dimocarpus longan, and Salvia miltiorrhiza, has shown to have memory improving effects in mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the herbal mixture for improving working memory as well as microstructural changes in white matter integrity in individuals with subjective memory complaints. Methods Seventy-five individuals with subjective memory complaints were assigned to receive either placebo (n = 15) or herbal mixture (low-dose group, n = 30 and high-dose group, n = 30) supplementation in an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Changes in working memory performance and fractional anisotropy (FA) values reflecting white matter integrity from baseline to 8-week endpoint were assessed. Results The herbal mixture group showed an increase in working memory performance compared to the placebo group (p for interaction = 0.001). In addition, the herbal mixture group showed an increase in FA values in the temporo-parietal regions (corrected p < 0.05), which are crucially involved in working memory function and are among the most affected regions in patients with cognitive impairments. Conclusions Findings from this study indicate that the herbal mixture may be a promising therapeutic option for individuals with subjective memory complaints.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.219-225
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• 2015

In the previous experiments, we reported that ethanol extract of Gastrodiae Rhizoma, the dried tuber of Gastrodia ElataBlume (Orchidaceae) increased pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors. These experiments were undertaken to know whether 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HBD), is one of the major compounds of Gastrodiae Rhizoma increases pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors and changes sleep architectures via activating GABA_A-ergic systems in rodents. 4-HBD decreased locomotor activity in mice. 4-HBD increased total sleep time, and decreased of sleep onset by pentobarbital (28 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg). 4-HBD showed synergistic effects with muscimol (a GABA_A receptor agonist), shortening sleep onset and enhancing sleep time on pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors. On the other hand, 4-HBD (200 mg/kg, p.o.) itself significantly inhibited the counts of sleepwake cycles, and prolonged total sleep time and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) in rats. Moreover, 4-HBD increased intracellular Cl⁻ levels in the primary cultured cerebellar cells. The protein levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA_A receptors subunits were over-expressed by 4-HBD. Consequently, these results demonstrate that 4-HBD increased NREM sleep as well as sleeping behaviors via the activation of GABA_A-ergic systems in rodents.