• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.30-45
• /
• 2009

Background: The safety of herbal products is an important issue in Korea. It is more complicated because of the concomitant use of conventional western drugs and herbal medicine, including prescribed medicine, folk herbs and food supplements. Although both western and traditional Korean medical doctors have studied on the safety of HMP, their results did not show relevant or consistent conclusions because of the poor quality of studies, including bias. Objectives: The aim of this study was to review the studies in Korea related to drug induced liver injury (DILI) systematically. We tried to estimate the proportion of causative materials of DILI and evaluate the clinical difference of DILIs from different materials. Methods: Systematic searches were performed on MedRIC and MEDLIS in Korea. The extraction of data as well as selective screening of the studies was carried out independently by two of the authors. There were no restrictions on the types of publication, including grey literature. Results: Twenty-one articles were included. Of them only 7 adapted prospective design and only 6 were published in peer-reviewed journals. The proportion of conventional drugs associated with hepatotoxic injuries in all DILI ranged from 15.8% to 83.3% and that of herbal medicine was from 28.9% to 44.7%. However, the criteria for herbal medicine were not clearly defined and concomitant medications were not fully investigated in most studies. There were limited objective data in the clinical differences of liver injuries from different materials and their results were conflicting. Conclusions: The causality assessments regarding DILI of herbal medicine were not performed properly and causative materials were misclassified in most of the studies published in Korea. These make the safety issue still ambiguous because of the limitations and lack of objectivity of the studies. More rigorous studies are required for clearly addressing these conflicting issues with cooperative investigation between traditional Korean and western medicine.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.29-46
• /
• 2013

A survey conducted on 1,103 patients or caretakers visited Korean medical clinics and hospitals between August 25, 2011 to September 30, 2011 by the Ministry of Health and Welfares and Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs was analyzed and obtained following results: 1. For sociodemographic distribution, female(813) outnumbered male(290) patients with majority of patients ranging from 30s to 60s. Married patients(793) outnumbered unwed(150) patients and 65.0% with higher than high school education. Statistical significance was seen in gender, age, marital status, and education level but no significant difference for status of employment, income level, and types of insurance between the clinics and hospitals. (P<0.05). 45.1% had less than \2,000,000 in monthly salary and most of coverage was provided by either regional or work insurance. 2. 67.9% of the patients rated health conditions to be better than average and 32.1% listed as poor. People in good health showed tendency to visit Korean medical facilities. Musculo-skeletal conditions such as arthritis, ankle sprain, lumbago, muscular injury, and frozen shoulder were common conditions, followed by gastric disorders, common cold and herbal tonics. No significant difference was observed between the clinics and hospitals for above conditions, but significance was seen in atopic dermatitis, stroke, and sequela from traffic accidents (P<0.05). 3. Ten most common conditions addressed at Korean medical facilities were lumbago, arthritis, muscular injury, back sprain, gastric disorders, ankle sprain, common cold, herbal tonics, frozen shoulder and stroke. Major treatment modalities rendered were herbal medicine, herbal supplements, acupuncture and moxibustion, cupping, tuina, and Korean midical physical therapy. No significant difference existed between the clinics and hospitals. 4. All modalities showed at least 85% effectiveness. No statistical significant difference between the clinics and hospitals except for herbal decoction. (P=0.0452) 5. 88.3% of responses showed treatment satisfaction with significant difference between the clinics and hospitals (P=0.002). The occurrence of side effects was at 2%, mostly corning from treating digestive, skin, kidney disorders and neurological issues. No significant difference was observed between the clinics and hospitals. From the above results, the typical population visiting Korean medical facilities can be summarized as being middle aged female with relatively higher education and moderately low income. The health condition is generally good and the purpose of visit is to receive traditional treatments of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and physical therapy. Treatment efficacy and satisfaction were high with no significant differences between the clinics and hospitals.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.576-580
• /
• 2009

Purpose : Growth-promoting attempts are widespread in Korea, but little is known about their prevalence or associated factors. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of growth-promoting attempts among children visiting a university growth clinic. Methods : A questionnaire-based survey was carried out with 823 children (416 boys, 407 girls) who visited the growth clinic at Paik Hospital. Results : The mean age of the subjects was $10.4{\pm}2.6$ yr, and the height z-score was $-1.58{\pm}0.91$. Approximately 33.4% of the children had tried growth promotion. Among the height-gain methods, herbal medicine was the most frequently used (37.8%), followed by health-promoting supplements (37.1%), exercise or machine (3.0%), and growth hormone treatment (2.9 %). The mean age at which the parents began to worry about their children's height was 7.7 yr. The mean age at which they started height-gain methods was 8.9 yr for herbal medicine, 9.1 yr for health-promoting supplements, 9.4 yr for exercise or machine, and 9.9 yr for growth hormone treatment. Motivating factors included advice from relatives or friends (36.0%), advertisements in the Internet or newspaper (28.4%), advice from pharmacist (16.8%), and advice from their medical doctor (5.5%). The degree of satisfaction from the height-gain methods was 29.1% with growth hormone treatment, 6.6% with exercise or machine, 6.4% with herbal medicine, and 2.8% with growth-promoting supplements. Conclusion : Approximately one third of the children reported use of growth-promoting methods, but the satisfaction rate was not high. The benefits of growth-promoting methods should be carefully weighed against their costs and side effects.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.143-153
• /
• 2009

Objectives The purpose of this study is to get the basic information from patients how much they understood about their medication and also to know whether patients are making reasonable drug choice between Health Functional Foods and Herbal medicine. Methods 500 questionnaires were handed out to the parents of students in two elementary schools located in OO, Junlabukdo province. 421 questionnaires were completed to be evaluated. Results Among 421 subjects, 53.0% were female, and 47.0% were male. The percentages of the subjects consuming Health Functional Foods and herbal medicine were67.7% and 67.8%, respectively. Among those people who consumed Health Functional Food, 44.1% were using nutritional supplements, red ginseng or ginseng products (26.9%), chlorella products (11.5%), and plum extract products (7.7%). As for the reason to consume Health Functional Foods were varied, but 'in order to be healthy, although currently displaying no illness.'(43.0%) were the most responses among the given choices. On the other hand, the reason for consuming herbal medicine was 'In order to grow taller'(26.1%), 'In order to cure weak physical state frequently displaying common illnesses',(25.9%), and 'In order to cure diseases.'(23.3%). For the questions about effectiveness after consumption,the 69.9% subjects said that it seemed to be effected, and that % was slightly higher than that of subjects with consuming Health Functional Foods(64.4%). For question concerning preferences between Health Functional Foods and herbal medicine, 57.5% chose herbal medicine, and this percentage was higher than that of Health Functional Foods(42.5%).As for the reasons of additional consumption of the Health Functional Foods, subject answered as 'Easy to consume.'(41,6%), which was the most common among the subjects consuming Health Functional Foods. On other hand, the subjects of herbal medicine answered as that herbal medicine is 'more effective'(45.7%), and 'more trustworthy in preventing side-effects.'(40.3%). After consumption of the herbal medication, only 3.9% of the subjects consuming either Health Functional Foods or herbal medicine had side-effects. The most common side-effects were 'dermal reaction' which is normally caused by Health Functional Foods and 'indigestion' problems caused by herbal consumption. Conclusions According to the 421 subjects those involved in study, the percentages of consuming Health Functional Foods(67.7%) and herbal medicine(67.8%) were similar. The most commonly consumed products were a type of Health Functional Foods which were the nutrition-supplying products. Ginseng or red ginseng products were the next commonly used products. Health Functional Foods were commonly consumed for preventing illness and maintaining health rather than any other purpose. In contrary, herbal medicines were more commonly consumed for purposes such as for growth or treating certain type of disease. As a result of consumption, more than half of both subject replied as 'satisfied'. As for the side effects, dermal reaction was the most common problem for those with consuming Health Functional Foods, while indigestion was the most common side effect from the subjects with consuming herbal medicine.

• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.37-44
• /
• 2003

The source of prescription of Jihwangeumja to treat the mental confusion due to phlegm caused by kidney 'deficiency and Yin and Yang deficiency is found in 'Hwangjesomunseonmyeongronbang $\ll$黃帝素問宣明論方$\gg$'. The source of prescription of Jihwangeum is found in 'Seongjechongnok $\ll$聖濟總錄$\gg$'. Therefore, it seems reasonable to change the prescription to 'Jihwangeum' from 'Jihwangeumja' and to change the source of prescription to 'Seongjechongnok $\ll$聖濟總錄$\gg$' from 'Hwangjesomunseonmyeongronbang $\ll$黃帝素問宣明論方$\gg$'. In addition, 'Jihwangeum' is influenced by 'Naebosan' in 'Cheongeumbang $\ll$千金方$\gg$'. Jihwangeumja gave the substantial influence on the treatment of 'Endogenous wind due to hyperactivity' of Yeopcheonsa. Jihwangeumja supplements the true Yuan, smooths the circulation of the flow inside a body and coordinates the interaction between heart and kidney so that it ultimately eliminates sputum and activates circulation inside a body. If the guideline of diagnosis is accurate, many kinds of diseases can be effectively treated through the principle of treating different disease with the same therapy. In addition, it will be also effectively used for headache after cerebral hemorrhage, trigeminal neuralgia(sore tongue), diabetes insipidus, nervous breakdown, hyperthyroidism, chronic glomerulonephritis, infertility and anemia.

• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.41-51
• /
• 2020

Objectives : US extract is a mixture of each extract of Ulmi cortex and Smilacis rhizoma. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and ovoprotective effects of US extract in in vitro model to identify potential candidates for improving female reproductive function. Methods : The antioxidant activity of US extract was measured using 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl free radical and superoxide anion radical scavenging assays. The anti-inflammatory effect of US extract on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were determined with a nitric oxide (NO) assay, enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, and western blots analysis. The antibacterial activity of US extract against vaginitis infection microorganisms were determined with disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration assays. The ovoprotective effect of US extract on 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD)-induced ovotoxicity in CHO-K1 cells were evaluated with a cell viability assay. Result : US extract showed good antioxidant capacity and inhibited LPS-induced NO production as well as iNOS and COX-2 expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 without affecting the cell viability. It showed significant clear zones for Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans but did not indicate the clear zones for Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium. VCD-induced ovotoxicity in CHO-K1 cells was significantly reduced by US extract pre-treatment. Conclusions : These results demonstrate that US extract has antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effects on the LPS-stimulated macrophages, antibacterial activity against vaginitis infection microorganisms, and protective effects on the ovarian cells against VCD-induced ovotoxicity. These findings suggest that the US extract can be used as new prescriptions, supplements, functional foods, and cosmetics for improving female reproductive function.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.59-67
• /
• 2018

Objective : Plantago asiatica L. has been used for many years in Korea, China, and Japan for the treatment of many diseases such as anti-inflammatory, anti-asthma and diuretic. But the anti-obesity effect of Plantaginis asiaticae Folium has not been studied yet. Thus, this study aimed to demonstrate the anti-obesity efficacy of Plantaginis asiaticae Folium water extract (PAF) in high fat diet-induced obesity animal model. Method : Male, five-weeks old C57BL/6 mice were divided into 5 groups; ND (normal diet + 0.9% saline), HFD (high-fat diet + 0.9% saline), PC (high-fat diet + Garcinia cambogia 500 mg/kg), PAF 100, 300 (high-fat diet + PAF 100, 300 mg/kg. Treatments were performed daily for 6 weeks per os. We evaluated the changes of body weight, white adipose tissues weight, hepatic and fecal lipids level, pancreatic lipase activity and lipid profiles in plasma. Result : Body weights, adipose tissue weights and FER were significantly lower in mice fed the high-fat diet with PAF treatment than in mice fed the high-fat diet alone. In plasma, TG, TC, LDL-C, ATS and ALT levels significantly decreased in PAF groups compared with HFD group. Also, hepatic triglyceride (TG) levels decreased and fecal TG increased in PAF groups compared to HFD group. In addition, the activity of pancreatic lipase was decreased in the PAF groups compared to that of HFD group. Conclusion: These results suggest PAF extract is effective in preventing and improvement obesity, so it might be a potential and safe material for anti-obesity agent of weight control or functional supplements.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.11
• /
• pp.5695-5699
• /
• 2012

We investigated the relationships between demographics, lifestyle characteristics, and serum total prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentration and examined the population-based distribution of total PSA by age among 2,246 Korean men with a median age of 45 years. We obtained data about demographic and lifestyle characteristics based on self-reporting using a quetionnaire. We also performed physical examinations, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical measurements. The PSA concentration increased with age and there was a significant difference in total PSA concentration between the age groups of 21-60 years and >60 years. Age >60 years, height ${\geq}1.8$ m, a low frequency of alcohol consumption, and taking nutritional supplements showed a significantly increased odds ratio for increased PSA when 3.0 ng/mL was chosen as the PSA cut-off level. Smoking status, BMI, percent body fat, diabetes mellitus, fatty liver, herbal medicine use, vitamin use, and diet were not significantly associated with total PSA regardless of the cut-off level. When interpreting a single PSA test, height, alcohol consumption, and nutritional supplement use should be considered, in addition to age.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.143-147
• /
• 2013

Cyanogenic glycosides are HCN-producing phytotoxins; HCN is a powerful and a rapidly acting poison. It is not difficult to find plants containing these compounds in the food supply and/or in medicinal herb collections. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of total cyanide in nine genera (Dolichos, Ginkgo, Hordeum, Linum, Phaseolus, Prunus, Phyllostachys, Phytolacca, and Portulaca) of edible plants and the effect of the processing on cyanide concentration. Total cyanide content was measured by ion chromatography following acid hydrolysis and distillation. Kernels of Prunus genus are used medicinally, but they possess the highest level of total cyanide of up to 2259.81 $CN^-$/g dry weight. Trace amounts of cyanogenic compounds were detected in foodstuffs such as mungbeans and bamboo shoots. Currently, except for the WHO guideline for cassava, there is no global standard for the allowed amount of cyanogenic compounds in foodstuffs. However, our data emphasize the need for the guidelines if plants containing cyanogenic glycosidesare to be developed as dietary supplements.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.503-513
• /
• 2007

The obese population has been increasing worldwide and obesity has become one of the socioeconomic problems. Obesity raises more concerns as more studies regarding its direct and indirect relativity to several diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, etc. are published. Since leptin, an important signal in the chronic control of food intake and energy expenditure, was discovered in 1994, there has been a great accumulation of knowledge on fighting obesity by facilitating pharmacological and nutritional strategies on the molecular level of the body weight control system. In particular, evidences are accumulating that particular food components affect our physiological function and gene expressions which are associated with body weight control. In this study, we review the four mechanisms for weight control and antiobesity functional agents such as HCA, L-carnitine, CLA, chitosan, calcium supplements capsaicin contained in red pepper, and oriental herbal mixture. We also describe about the efficacy and working mechanism of these functional agents on the basis of antiobesity mechanisms.