• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.165-171
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• 2023

COVID-19 infection heightens the risk of thromboembolism. To see the similarities between the COVID-19 infection and Taeyang blood retention pattern, we conducted a PubMed search using specific terms related to blood circulation issues in the context of COVID-19, summarizing findings from 13 cases and 4 observational studies involving actual patients. Patients with COVID-19 are at risk of blood coagulation due to factors such as viral-induced cytokine storms, vascular endothelial dysfunction, reduced mobility in bedridden or isolated individuals, and resulting constipation. Additionally, cytokine storms and severe inflammation can lead to delirium in COVID-19 patients. The Taeyang blood retention pattern manifests as symptoms arising from delirium and an increased blood coagulation tendency in patients with a robust immune response. According to the Sanghan theory, certain herbal treatments can alleviate symptoms in patients with a tight lower abdomen who do not experience urinary issues. Studies show that components like Persicae Semen and Rhei Redix et Rhizoma in these prescriptions enhance blood circulation and reduce hypercoagulability. Additionally, these treatments aim to promote blood flow by relieving abdominal pressure through facilitating bowel movements. The excessive inflammation and heightened blood coagulation tendency in COVID-19 resemble the Taeyang blood retention pattern, although they are caused by different pathogens. Reinterpreting classical oriental medicine's principles in a modern context may enhance our understanding of traditional East Asian Medicine and foster future developments.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.99-109
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• 2021

Objectives: Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the treatment of herbal medicine for patients with COVID-19 asymptomatic infections. Method: In English, search engines such as 'PubMed', 'Science Direct', and 'Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)' were used. In Chinese, search engines such as 'China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)' and Wanfang were used. The keywords for the search engines were 'COVID-19', 'asymptomatic infection', 'Korean Medicine', 'traditional Chinese medicine', 'herbal medicine', and etc. Only clinical studies using herbal medicine for patients without fever or respiratory symptoms were selected. We excluded the cases that do not fit the research topic. Results: A total of 5 studies were finally selected. Among them, four of them used integrated herbal medicine and Western medicine, and one of the studies treated exclusively for herbal medicine. There were a total of seven prescriptions for herbal medicine used in the study. Outcome variables were used as following: lab test, nucleic acid conversion time, hospitalization period, chest CT, and etc. In the RCT study, herbal medicine and Western medicine decreased nucleic acid conversion time, average hospitalization time compared to the control group, but it was not statistically significant. No other adverse reactions were reported in all studies. Conclusion: According to the results, integrated herbal medicine and Western medicine might be an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 asymptomatic infection reducing hospitalization period, time of nucleic acid turning negative. No severe adverse effects were reported. However, it is thought that better-designed research will be needed in the future.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.189-199
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• 2005

Objectives : This interview survey was carried out to identify how Korean medical doctors make acupuncture prescriptions for knee osteoarthritis in clinics. Methods : Survey questions were developed based on a consensus of acupuncture professors at Kyung Hee University, Dongguk University, Daegu Haany University. The interviews were conducted to 72 members of the Korea Oriental Medical Association who answered to prefer remote acupuncture prescription at previous telephone survey. Results : Korean medical doctors prefer to use five shu acupuncture points, especially 'hyung' or , 'shu' points, on the contralateral side of lesion and that the first target organ is liver. Five element points theory was mainly based on 'Nanjing' and 'Hwangdi Neijing'. The De-qi sensation of both doctor and patients was emphasized. Diagnosis and evaluation generally depend on subjective evaluation rather than objective scale. Conclusion : This study showed that Koran medical doctors prefer to follow the Korean traditional acupuncture methods respecting the old classic principles. And these results can guide us to develop advanced clinical trial protocols more close to our acupuncture practice.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.235-241
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• 2021

Sogunjung-tang (SGJT) is traditional herbal prescriptions used to treat abdominal pain. In this study, we evaluated the effect on inflammation and gastritis through SGJT formulation development. SGJT composition herbal medicine was boiled in water at 95~100℃ for 3 hours and then concentrated. Sogunjung-tang mix soft extract (STM) was prepared using pharmaceutical excipients such as purified water, sodium benzoate, β-cyclodextrin and CMC-Na. Anti-inflammatory experiment was conducted using STM and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 cells. Cell survival was measured by MTT method. Nitric oxide (NO) was measured using griess reagents, and pro inflammatory cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and RT-PCR. Also, we verified STM validity in acute gastritis using the ICR mouse. STM was administered oral for three days. And 150 mM HCl in 60% ethanol was oral administered 0.5 mL one hour after the last drug administration. Mice were sacrificed 1 hour after 150 mM HCl in 60% ethanol administration. The gastric mucosa was visually observed. STM were not toxic in RAW 264.7 cells. Treatment of STM inhibited the production of NO and inflammatory cytokine at the protein and mRNA levels. Also, in the acute gastritis model with the mouse, the treatment of STM improved gastric mucosal bleeding and edema. In summary, it was confirmed that the treatment of STM exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-gastritis effects. Therefore, we suggest that STM may provide a preclinical evidence for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory and gastritis diseases.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.48-63
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• 2017

Objectives: This study was performed to review the recent clinical research trends of the effects of herbal medicine treatment on chronic pancreatitis in China. Methods: We searched for clinical studies about chronic pancreatitis from the China Academic Journal (CAJ) of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from January 1, 2005, to August 1, 2016. Results: Thirty-seven papers were selected from 126 studies. The most commonly used herbal prescriptions included Bupleuri Radix (柴胡), Paeoniae Radix Alba (白芍藥), Glycyrrhizae Radix (甘草), Scutellariae Radix (黃芩), Aucklandiae Radix (木香), and Rhei Rhizoma (大黃). Qingyi-tang (淸胰湯) was the most frequently used herbal prescription. Clinical symptoms, physicochemical examination, radiological examination, and relapse were used to evaluate the treatments. The effective treatment rate was 77.5-100%, and effectiveness in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group in 15 papers (p<0.05). Conclusions: Herbal medicine treatment has been shown as an effective treatment for chronic pancreatitis. In the future, more scientifically designed clinical studies should be performed to prove the effectiveness of herbal medicine treatment on chronic pancreatitis. These research results can be utilized in other clinical studies and in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.38-57
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• 2019

Objective: This study reviewed recent clinical research trends regarding the effects of herbal medicine treatment containing diuretic herbs on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in China. Methods: We reviewed clinical studies on NAFLD from the China Academic Journal of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure from January 1, 2016, to September 10, 2018. Results: Thirty-nine papers from 86 studies were reviewed. The most commonly used herbal prescriptions included Alismatis Rhizoma(澤瀉), Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix (丹蔘), Crataegii Fructus (山査), Polia Sclerotium (茯?), Bupleuri Radix (柴胡), and Cassiae Semen (決明子). The treatment effective rate, liver function test, serum lipid test, radiological examination, and symptom comparisons were used to analyze the treatments. In 32 of the papers, the effective treatment rate was 76.9%-100%, and the effectiveness in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). The risk ratio for the treatment effective rate was 1.26. The mean difference of ALT was -13.44 U/L (95% confidential interval, -24.45 U/L, -2.44 U/L, p=0.0166). Conclusion: Herbal medicine containing diuretic herbs has been demonstrated to be an effective and useful treatment for NAFLD. Clinical studies that are more scientific and systematic should be actively conducted in the future, and the results of the current study could be used as basic data in future clinical studies on herbal medicine treatment for NAFLD.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2020

Pubescent Angelica is generally used in musculoskeletal diseases of lower extremity, itching, external contraction (外感) and furuncle, with the effect of dispelling wind, draining dampness, dispersing the external (解表) and stopping pain. The disease parts of Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine (東醫寶鑑) contain 121 examples of the usage of Pubescent Angelica. Cases of musculoskeletal diseases and itching are mainly in the External Bodily Elements section (外形篇), and those of external contraction and furuncle are mainly in the Miscellaneous Disorder section (雜病篇). Internal Bodily Elements section (內景篇) has 10 prescriptions that involve Pubescent Angelica, in Dreams (2), Voice (1), Uterus (4), Parasites (1), and Feces (2) chapters. Their specific symptoms are insomnia and sleep paralysis (Dreams), loss of voice due to external contraction (Voice), uterine hemorrhage (Uterus), phthisis (Parasites), and constipation and diarrhea (Feces). It is not easy for students beginning their clinical training to link the effects of Pubescent Angelica and its actual usage, especially in the area of internal medicine. By Analyzing the whole cases of Pubescent Angelica in the Treasured Mirror, we found various usages out of reach of basic knowledge of the herb. Such method can be utilized not only in developing herbal knowledge-based products, but also in improving Korean medicine education, by enhancing the occupational competency bridging basic and clinical knowledge.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2017

In this study, we researched the effects of herbal medicine on anemia among 43 patients. Before being given prescriptions, these patients were examined for RBC count, hemoglobin, and hematocrits, which are important in evaluating improvements in anemia. After administering the herbal medicine over two weeks, we rechecked the RBC count, hemoglobin, and hematocrits on a secondary inspection. We compared the primary and secondary tests with respect to age, sex, diseases, the name of the herbal medicine, and the composition of the medicine. The results were as follows. In groups of five or more, the musculoskeletal pain disease group was more improved than the other disease groups on the secondary test. The digestive diseases group was worse than the other disease groups on the secondary test. In the composition of the prescription, herbs that enriched the blood (補血), invigorated the spleen (健脾), and nourished Eum (補陰) were used more than any other herbs for those whose status improved. Among patients who were partially normalized for the secondary test, this applied to men more than women, to patients in the pain group more than those in other disease groups, and to patients with cerebral hemorrhage more than stroke patients. Among patients who were partially normalized for the secondary test, the group taking tangyak herbal medication improved more than the other groups taking powder and pill herbal medications.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.58-73
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• 2024

Objectives : This study was designed to review and analyze domestic research trends of Korean medicine treatment on otitis media, and present data for further research and treatment of otitis media. Methods : Two researchers used six search engines to search for papers on Korean medicine treatment for otitis media published from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2023. A total of 16 papers were searched, and bibliographic information, main and accompanying symptoms, treatment period, treatment method, evaluation scale, and treatment results of each study were analyzed. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network was used to evaluate the evidence level. Results : The most common otitis media symptom was hearing loss (12 times). The most frequently mentioned herbs were Ledebouriella seseloides (22 times) and Angelica gigas (20 times), which are the ingredients of the most commonly used prescriptions, Hyunggyeyungyo-tang (5 times), Takrisodok-yeum (4 times), and Bojungikgi-tang (3 times). All the clinical trial papers were conducted on Kamihyunggyeyungyo-tang, which showed improvement in otitis media-related indicators. The most frequently mentioned meridians were the Triple Energizer (44 times), Clinical trials were conducted on the Triple Energizer, the Gall Bladder, and the Small Intestines meridians. The most frequently used acupoints were SI19 (10 times), TE21 (9 times), TE17 (9 times). In clinical trials, acupuncture treatment with TE05, GB15, TE06, SI05, GB38, and KI02 showed a significant improvement in otitis media symptoms. Conclusions : It is believed that more efficient otitis media treatment and follow-up research can be performed by using the above-mentioned research results.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2018

Objectives : The root bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus has been frequently used to treat patients with skin diseases in Korea. Recently, wild root of D. dasycarpus are reported to induce liver injury. Methods : Traditional uses of D. dasycarpus for skin diseases were analysed bibliographically. In addition, reported cases were collected and analysed using pubmed and national digital library. Results : In taiwan, D. dasycarpus revealed to be one of major herbs for skin diseases and many researchers in worldwide had reported its dermatological efficacies. Reported cases related in liver injury described that hepatocellular or cholestatic liver injury were seen in patients eating wild root of D. dasycarpus. In addition, 6 cases in worldwide and 1 case in Korea showed that patients with drug induced liver injury (DILI) ingested not root bark of D. dasycarpus but prescriptions containing root bark of D. dasycarpus. These mean that wild root of D. dasycarpus (Bongsam or Bongwhangsam) was estimated to be closely related in DILI. Whereas, it was difficult to confirm direct correlation between root bark of D. dasycarpus used as herbal medicine by doctor of Korean medicine and DILI. Conclusions : these results imply that wild root of D. dasycarpus is closely related in DILI and strong recommendation not to take it without consultation by experts is needed. In addition, although there are no evidences of direct correlation between root bark of D. dasycarpus and DILI, doctor of Korean medicines should pay attention to use root bark of D. dasycarpus in their clinics.