• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1 s.69
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• pp.1-10
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• 2007

Background : There has been renewed interest in complementary alternative medicine around the world far a decade. On the other hand, the issue of safety of herbal medicine in Korea has been continuously questioned. Issues raised have included not only chemical residue or heavy metals caused by pollution, but also the toxicity of herbal medicine itself. Objectives : The purpose of this study was to review some herbal medicines subject to controversy of toxicity and figure out what kind of problems they evidence. Methods : In this review, PubMed was used to search medical journals. Keywords such as 'herb, or herbal medicine', 'safety, or adverse events, or adverse effect, or toxicity, or liver injury' were applied. Journals were selected by four inclusion criteria, as objectives should be human, researchers should be medical doctors, literature written in the English language, and types of journals should be meta-analysis or practice guideline or reviews. Finally, 9 cases from 60 journals were included in this review. Results : We reviewed 13 herbal medicines for controversy of toxicity such as ephedra(Mahuang), Arisolochia fangchi, Aristolochia manshuriensis, licorice, skullcap , germander, Syo-saiko-to(Xiao-chai-hu-tang), Chelidonium majus, mistletoe, Dictamnus dasycarpus and madder. Conclusions : It suggested that 'who it is prescribed for' is one of the most important factors to identify the causes of toxicity in herbal medicine and dietary supplements, under specific conditions in Korea.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.993-1014
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• 2020

Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. Antioxidant stress and inflammatory reactions are important causes of neurodegenerative diseases and are major causes of PD. Many animal experiments have been aimed at treating PD using the antioxidant effects of various traditional medicines and dietary supplements. This review reports the research investigating the antioxidant effects of herbs in in vivo PD models. Methods: The study consisted of a database search for articles related to PD and herbal treatments using the OASIS, NDSL, KTKP, Korean KISS, PubMed, Science Direct, CNKI, Wanfang, and J-STAGE databases. The search period was limited from the start of the search engine application to November 14, 2019. Studies were selected to confirm the antioxidant effects of herbal medicines in an in vivo PD model. Results: Eighty-two studies were summarized for plant species, extracts (or compounds), animal models, neurotoxins, and functional results. The most frequently used herbal materials were Bacopa monnieri, Camellia sinensis, Centella asiatica, and Withania somnifera. MPTP and 6-OHDA were the most commonly used neurotoxins for inducing PD. Most studies confirmed an increased expression and activation of antioxidant enzymes and a decrease in oxidative stress. Herbal materials showed their antioxidant effects regardless of the order of treatment and confirmed their possible use as treatments for the prevention and treatment of neurodegeneration. Conclusion: Many herbal medicines have antioxidant effects and are likely to be effective in delaying neurodegenerative damage by inhibiting or reducing oxidative stress by expression of antioxidant enzymes.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.55-74
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• 2024

Objectives: This study reviewed the status of adverse event (AE) reporting in VigiAccess using anti-obesity agents as examples and explored the possibility of its use and future challenges. Methods: AE reports related to some representative drugs among herbal medicines (HMs), complex HM prescriptions, ingredients of supplements, and over-the-counter and prescription medicines were investigated using VigiAccess on February 1, 2024. Results: AE reports on prescription drugs were overwhelmingly higher than those on HMs or supplements. Although most reports were submitted from North America, reports on Ephedra sinica and green tea extract (GTE) were more from Asia and Europe, respectively. The female population reported more, and the difference in the sex ratio was the smallest for Ephedra spp. The age group was concentrated on young adults, but many older patients reported GLP-1 receptor agonist-related AEs. Symptoms related to the gastrointestinal and nervous systems were most commonly reported, but mental and cardiac disorders were common in Ephedra-type HMs. Hepatobiliary disorders are also commonly found in GTE-related reports. Conclusions: VigiAccess was useful for easily checking the global status of AE reporting for prescription drugs. However, several limitations were observed in using VigiAccess for HMs because of the few reports. Thus, it is necessary to increase the number of reports by education and to promote AE reporting among HM prescribers and users. The full range of HMs should be included in the pharmacovigilance system, and the coding and classification of HMs should be revised.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.82-90
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• 2024

Objectives: Nitric oxide is the most important mediator of penile erection after the onset of sexual excitement. It activates cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), increasing penile blood flow. Most pharmaceutical medications prevent enzyme phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) from breaking down cGMP, thus keeping its level high. However, due to the adverse effects of pharmacological therapies, herbal drugs that improve sexual function have gained attention recently. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of ginseng, Tribulus terrestris, and L-arginine amino acid on the sexual performance of individuals with erectile dysfunction (ED) using the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire. Methods: Over three months, 98 men with erectile dysfunction were randomly assigned to receive either 500 mg of herbal supplements or placebo pills. Each herbal tablet contained 100 mg of protodioscin, 35 mg of ginsenosides, and 250 mg of L-arginine. Results: The results showed that the changes in the average scores of ILEF-5 within each group before and after the intervention indicated that all parameters related to the improvement of sexual function in patients with erectile dysfunction improved in the herbal treatment group (p < 0.001). The herbal group significantly improved IIEF-5 scores in nondiabetics (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the changes of IIEF-5 scores between the two intervention and control groups in diabetic patients. Conclusion: In conclusion, ginseng, Tribulus terrestris, and L-arginine have properties that increase energy and strengthen sexual function, making them suitable for patients with sexual disorders.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.204-209
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• 2019

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) encompasses a vast array of physical and psychological symptoms. Of the herbal supplements mentioned for remedy PMS symptoms, chamomile used as an effective herbal medicine. The overall purpose of this review was to determine the efficacy of chamomile on the treatment PMS. An extensive research review using Web of Science, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register database, PubMed, Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Psych INFO, Social Science Research Network, SID, Google Scholar, Iran Doc, Magiran and Iran Medex. Eligible studies were identified from English and Persian databases, published between 1990 and 2019. Studies were screened independently by two researchers who performed the data extraction. Of Twenty-seven studies identified, Eight RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Chamomile has been used to treat PMS relief because of therapeutic properties such as anti-inflammatory effects (Chamazulene and α-Bisabolol); anti-spasmodic effects (Apigenin, Quercetin, and Luteolin, Metoxicomarin, Matrisin, and Phytoestrogens); anti-anxiety effects (Glycine, Flavonoid). The results of this review show that Chamomile is effective for the treatment of PMS. Based on these results, we believe that Chamomile can be used as good herbal medicine to treat in women with PMS.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.67-73
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• 2011

Objectives: To examine the overview of fatigue-related health conditions in the Korean general population. Methods: Data were collected from 2,203 adults (1,126 men and 1,077 women) via a self-reporting questionnaire and their sleeping, exercise, stress, physical problems, use of functional food, and fatigue status were analyzed. Results: The average sleeping hours was about $6.6{\pm}2.0$ hrs per day, and 24.3% of subjects didn't exercise (over 30 min) in a week. Around 16.5% of subjects were under severe stress, and 46.1% (36.9% male vs. 55.6% female) had had trouble with at least one form of physical distress including dyspepsia, headache or muscular pain. 45.4% (37.2% male vs. 53.9% female) of subjects used functional supplements. 46.3% (42.8% male vs. 50.0% female) of subjects complained of chronic fatigue, and they were significantly different compared with no-fatigue subjects regarding severe stress status (8.6% vs. 24.0%), frequency of physical distress (33.2% vs. 69.9%), and use of functional supplements (41.6% vs. 49.8%). Conclusion: This result first reports the features of fatigue-related health conditions including prevalence of chronic fatigue in the Korean population. This data could be helpful to develop fatigue-focused traditional Korean medicine in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.95-113
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• 2008

Unsatisfied with the modern medicine's treatment of diabetes, patients diagnosed with the disease turn to alternative medicine for treatment. A look at the percentage of people using alternative medicine marked 72.8% in the United States and more than 60% in Korea in 2006. The most preferred form of alternative medicine turned out to be usage of dietary supplements and herbal medicine. Most of the dietary supplements and herbs that diabetic patients use largely originated from their usage in East Asian Traditional Medicine. As Western Medicine made its way into East Asia in late 18th century, excessive efforts were made to translate Western medical terminology into traditional medical terminology equivalents. In the process of doing so, wasting-thirst became a concept equivalent to diabetes. Theories regarding the pathogenic outbreak and transmission of wasting-thirst has been supplemented and progressed according to needs and even showed new tendencies. Profound understanding of wasting-thirst achieved through historical research is expected to lead to proper application of wasting-thirst treatment methods in treating modern diabetes.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.160-176
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• 2008

Objective : We designed this study to analyse the Natural Standard methodology and apply the results to new study and evaluation methods. Methods : We investigated the main stream of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), the methodology of Natural Standard, guideline in CAM, and concrete 35 cancer-related herbs and dietary supplements in 98 ones. Results : There are 35 graded herbs and supplements associated with cancer in natural standard contents: 9 foods, 17 herbs, 7 amino acids, enzymes and vitamins, and 2 herbal mixture formulas. Most of them get a grade of C: unclear or conflicting scientific evidence. Conclusion : Natural Standard aims to provide high-quality, reliable information about CAM therapies to clinicians, patients, and healthcare institutions. The more demands for and use of CAM grows, the more the needs for related studies increases. According to this international and multidisciplinary collaborative effort, we have to develop how to study and evaluate the results. We need guidelines in association with the evidence and recommendations of CAM.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.246-253
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• 2021

Background: Ginseng is one of the most valuable herbal supplements. It is challenging to perform quality control of ginseng products due to the diversity of bioactive saponins in their composition. Acid or alkaline hydrolysis is often used for the structural elucidation of these saponins and sugars in their side chains. Complete transformation of the original ginsenosides into their aglycones during the hydrolysis is one of the ways to determine a total saponin group content. The main hurdle of this approach is the formation of various by-products that was reported by many authors. Methods: Separate HPLC assessment of the total protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol and ocotillol ginsenoside contents is a viable alternative to the determination of characteristic biomarkers of these saponin groups, such as ginsenoside Rf and pseudoginsenoside F₁₁, which are commonly used for authentication of P. ginseng Meyer and P. quinquefolius L. samples respectively. Moreover, total ginsenoside content is an ideal aggregated parameter for standardization and quality control of ginseng-based medicines, because it can be directly applied for saponin dosage calculation. Results: Different hydrolysis conditions were tested to develop accurate quantification method for the elucidation of total ginsenoside contents in herbal products. Linearity, limits of quantification, limits of detection, accuracy and precision were evaluated for the developed HPLC-MS method. Conclusion: Alkaline hydrolysis results in fewer by-products than sugar elimination in acidic conditions. An equimolar response, as a key parameter for quantification, was established for several major ginsenosides. The developed approach has shown acceptable results in the analysis of several different herbal products.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.137-145
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• 2014

The biological activities of licorice F1 (Glycyrrhiza glabra ${\times}$ G. uralensis) lines (G) were investigated, revealing strong radical scavenging activity targeting 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl (${\cdot}OH$) radicals. At a concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$, most of the licorice F1 lines scavenged DPPH and ${\cdot}OH$ by more than 80%. Gs-1, -2, and -6 can be considered good scavengers of DPPH radical and G-7 have higher antioxidant activity against ${\cdot}OH$ radical. In addition, licorice F1 lines exerted effective anti-microbial activities against Escherichia coli (Gs-12, -17, and -18) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gs-3, -4, -5, -21, and -26). Moreover, Gs-2, - 20, -31, and -32 effectively inhibited the growth of Helicobacter pylori. Among licorice F1 lines, Gs-25 exhibited high anti-inflammatory effects on nitric oxide produced by lipopolysaccharide- and interferon-${\gamma}$-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, Gs-1, -12, and -20 inhibited the growth of AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells by more than 60% at a concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$ and Gs-5, -11, -19, and -32 showed inhibitory effects against rat lens aldose reductase ($IC_{50}$ values, 1.69, 6.07, 6.12, and $4.54{\mu}g/mL$, respectively). The total content of glycyrrhizin (1), glycyrrhetinic acid (2), glabridin (3), and isoliquiritigenin (4) in licorice F1 lines was high in Gs-11, -15, and -30. The present study therefore indicated that Gs-2, -26, -31, and -32 of licorice F1 possessing strong anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and aldose reductase inhibitory effects may be used as a possible source material for natural health supplements in the future.