• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.156-164
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• 2014

Cancer is the most dreaded disease in human and also major health problem worldwide. Despite its high occurrence, the exact molecular mechanisms of the development and progression are not fully understood. The existing cancer therapy based on allopathic medicine is expensive, exhibits side effects; and may also alter the normal functioning of genes. Thus, a non-toxic and effective mode of treatment is needed to control cancer development and progression. Some medicinal plants offer a safe, effective and affordable remedy to control the cancer progression. Nimbolide, a limnoid derived from the neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves and flowers of neem, is widely used in traditional medical practices for treating various human diseases. Nimbolide exhibits several pharmacological effects among which its anticancer activity is the most promising. The previous studies carried out over the decades have shown that nimbolide inhibits cell proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. This review highlights the current knowledge on the molecular targets that contribute to the observed anticancer activity of nimbolide related to induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest; and inhibition of signaling pathways related to cancer progression.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.9-17
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• 2024

Objectives : Edible insects are the widely distributed group of animals and contain high quality proteins, fatty acids and minerals. In particular, insects are a possible interesting source of essential amino acids. Insects as traditional medicines have much potential as pharmaceuticals in modern medicines including treating infections, cancer, dissolving phlegm, relieving spasms, and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the immunomodulatory effect of several kinds of insects and major amino acids. Methods : In our review we try to show the potential usefulness of insects and amino acids in searching for new therapeutic solutions for immunologic diseases. We summarized the knowledge about properties, usefulness of insect and amino acids in drug design. We hypothesized that insects and amino acids, their major ingredients, regulates airway inflammation and immunologic diseases and can be developed as therapeutic drugs for the treatment of immunologic diseases. Results : Several insects including Bombyx mori, Cryptotympana pustulata, Holotrichia diomphalia, Locusta migratoria, etc. and amino acids such as glutamine, glutamic acid, methionine and glycine may have potential protective effects against asthma and airway neutrophilia. Glutamic acid, cystine, methionine and glycine which contribute to glutathione metabolism, which are important anti-oxidant amino acids that may affect susceptibility to asthma. Conclusions : Our results provide evidence about the potential usefulness of several insects and their amino acids in allergic disorders. These findings suggest that several insects and amino acids have important roles in the way they affect the immune system and allergic responses.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2012

The late Goryeo and Early Joseon period marks the development of Hyang-yak medicine in medical history in Korea. There have been not a few outcomes in organizing Hyang-yak medicine through the hitherto research works, but there has hardly any attempt to view the medicine in the late Goryeo and Early Joseon period from a different standpoint besides Hyang-yak. This writer, in the middle of doing research on 'Book for Alimentotherapy' named "Sikuisikgam", came to know that not a few parts of this book were quoted in a large volume of "Biebaekyobang" in the late Goryeo, "Hyangyakjipseongbang" which compiled the early Joseon Hyangyak medicine, "Uibangyuchi" which wrapped up the medical knowledge in East Asia before the early Ming Dynasty, and "Sikryochangyo" which was a representative book for alimentotherapy in the early period of Joseon Dynasty. The reason that the representative medical books written in the period of Late Goryeo and Early Joseon thought much of the knowledge contained in "Sikuisikgam" is that they showed a great concern for prevention and treatment of diseases through alimentotherapy. When we say that Hyangyak medicine, which has provided the Late Goryeo and Early Joseon medicine, bases its standard on 'Regionality' and 'Properties of Medicinal ingredients', then alimentotherapy puts its focus on a 'Remedial method' itself. As for food, they might have given priority to the food that was easy to get nearby, so there is no way for alimentotherapy but to have the realm which is overlapped with Hyangyak medicine in some measure, That's the very reason why alimentotherapy has remained inseparate from Hyangyak medicine. Through 'Alimentotherapy' and Late Goryeo and Early Joseon medical books, this writer thinks that it might be possible for us to take a view of the Late Goryeo and Early Joseon not only from the perspective of Hyangyak medicine but also from a new perspective of so-called alimentotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.523-542
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• 2012

This study was carried out to clarify the regional folk plants in the southern inland area of Gyeonggi-do Province. According to the survey results, derived from 1,229 sheets of 90 residents at 35 places from 9 counties and cities between October 2009 and December 2010, the folk plants in the inland southern area of Gyeonggi-do consisted of a total of 259 taxa; 82 families, 200 genera, 221 species, 4 subspecies, 32 varieties, and 2 forma. The classification of the plants by its usage was; 214 as edible, 119 as medicinal, 34 as ornamental, 18 as timber, 12 as dye, 5 as oil, 3 as spice, 2 as fiber, 2 as aroma, and 22 as others uses. So, the edible and medicinal uses are higher than other uses. The most useful part was the leaf, followed by fruit, stem, root, and flower. The collection season was focused on spring and summer, because the leaf was mainly collected in an edible condition during those seasons. Traditional knowledge of folk plants was mostly passed down orally. The consistency comparison between the standard common name and the local name was the highest in the people in 50s and the lowest in those in 80s.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.116-135
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to analyze how purpura and vasculitis have been treated with Korean medicine and potentially to present with future direction of research and treatment. Methods : We searched clinical studies from the Korean databases including Oriental medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System(OASIS), Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal(KTKP), National Discovery for Science Leader(NDSL), Research Information Sharing Service(RISS), using keywords related to "Purpura" and "Vasculitis" from January 2000 to May 2019. Results : A total of 20 studies were selected for analysis. More than half of the patients provided with detailed information were under 19 year-olds, and upper respiratory infection, stress and fatigue, seasonal factor were among the most frequently stated as predisposing factors. Among many treatment modalities, herbal medicine was the most frequently used, followed by acupuncture and herbal acupuncture. 23 basic herbal medicine formulas were retrieved from 20 articles, most frequently used being Guibi-tang(歸脾湯加味), Samul-tang(四物湯加味) and Yukmijihwang-tang(六味地黃湯加味). In total, 122 Korean medicine herbs were used, most frequently used herbs being Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma(甘草), Angelicae Gigantis Radix(當歸), Poria Sclerotium(茯?) and Paeoniae Radix(芍藥). By its category, herbs were mostly classified into Tonyfying and replenishing medicinal(補益藥), Heat-clearing medicinal(淸熱藥) and Exterior-releasing medicinal(解表藥). Patients with total treatment period of 3 months or under were 2/3 of all cases provided with detailed information. Follow up periods were short in general with only 6 cases of over 6 months. The primary motive of patients to receive Korean medicine treatments was unresponsiveness or adverse effects of western medication. Conclusion : Through this literature review, we could find out tendencies of Korean medicine treatments of purpura and vasculitis up to date and some points that may have clinical significance.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.46-61
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• 2016

The ethnobotanical study was conducted to record and conserve the traditional knowledge of botanical taxa in Hallyeo-Haesang National Park area, S. Korea from 2012 to 2013. According to the survey results, derived from 1,430 sheets of 183 residents at 70 places, the ethnobotanical plants in Hallyeo-Haesang National Park area consisted of a total 247 taxa; 82 families, 197 genera, 224 species, 3 subspecies, 19 varieties and 1 form. The analysis of usage for 247 taxa showed that the edible use was the highest with 166 taxa, followed by medicinal with 138 taxa, craft with 27 taxa, material with 16 taxa and ritual with 9 taxa respectively. The leaf of plant was the most useful part, followed by stem and fruit plant. Quantitative analysis of the ethnobotanical plants in Hallyeo-Haesang National Park area was performed by the basic values of FC, NU and UR, and indices of CI, RFC, RI and CV. As a result, The CI places Artemisia princeps in the first position, followed by Pueraria lobata, Taraxacum platycarpum. The RFC place A. princeps in first position, followed by Achyranthes japonica, Aster scaber. The RI places A. princeps in the first position, followed by P. lobata, Pinus densiflora. The CV places A. princeps in the first position, followed by P. lobata, A. japonica. Farfugium japonicum had been used as specific ethnobotanical plant in this area, for arthralgia, postpartum arthrodynia, circulatory disturbance.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.102-116
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to analyze the research trends of randomized controlled trials on herbal medicine treatment for atopic dermatitis in China for the last 5 years. We searched for randomized controlled trials with the intervention of herbal medicine for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from January 2014 to December 2018. For the screening of the paper, we used '特应性皮炎' and '异位性皮炎' which mean atopic dermatitis and search was limited to three areas within Medicine & Public Health: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs, Combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Medicine. Among the 136 searched studies, we selected a total of 34 studies and analyzed a year of publication, subject characteristics, study design and intervention, prescribed herbal medicine and herbs, pattern identification, evaluation criteria, and outcomes. Longmu decoction (龍牡湯) and Polia Sclerotium (茯笭) was the most frequently prescribed medicine and herb. The most commonly used pattern identification was Blood deficiency and Wind-dryness (血虛風燥), and among them, the most frequently prescribed herb is Rehmanniae Radix (生地黃). In most studies using the total effectiveness and SCORAD index as an outcome measure, the herbal medicine treatment group showed statistically better results than the control group. As a result of the safety assessment, the herbal medicine treatment group was reported having significantly fewer side effects compared to the control group. Hence, it was confirmed that the intervention including herbal medicine had a significant effect on atopic dermatitis. This study would be able to provide the basis of clinical research on atopic dermatitis and applied to the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2002

The development of life science has given many insights into life phenomenons to mankind. Nevertheless, many questions for various phenomenon in life has not been satisfied. Recently, scientific development in human's knowledge showed the limitation of science comparing With the variety of life phenomenon. The fundmental reason of the limitation is thought that the subject of study in life science has been material, and so life has been thought a matter of material in life science. The thought of Hu Jun about this problem, the nature of living things is an important interest in Korean Traditional Medicine, Haneuihak(韓醫學). In this study, the view of human body and disease of Hu Jun(許浚) about the nature of living things which was appeared in 『Donguibogam』 was illuminated. The content of 『Donguibogam』 was edited in the order of Naekyung(內景篇; internal part of the body)ㆍOuihyung(外形編; external part of the body)ㆍJabbyung(雜病篇; diseases)ㆍTangaek(湯液偏; medicinal decoction)ㆍChimgu(針灸篇; acupuncture and moxibustion). The part of Naekyung(內景篇; internal part of the body) is thesis about basic theories and his thought about human body and life, which was seen in ‘Shinhyungjangbu-do(身形臟腑圖; figure of body and shape, and the organs and viscera)’ㆍthe part of ‘Jeong(精)’ㆍ‘Gi(氣)’ㆍ‘Sin(神)’ theory. In this study, the parts which were related with his view of life were selected and compared with the China philosohy of those days to elucidate what is his thought of life appeared in 『Donguibogam』.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2017

Background and Objective: Whabyung is a Korean cultural disorder characterized by a combination of emotional stress and physical symptoms. Acupuncture, herbal medicines and other complementary medicinal treatments are used to treat the symptoms of whabyung. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of acupuncture treatment and herbal medicine treatments on anger, anxiety and depression of whabyung. Methods: Using PubMed, CENTRAL, AMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cnii, CNKI, J-SATGE, PsycArticles, KISS, KoreaMed, kmbase, NDSL, RISS, OASIS and Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal, articles published by March 2017 for whabyung or whabyung-related syndrome were searched. The quality of selected articles was evaluated using RoB and RoBANS. The effects of acupuncture and herbal medicines on anger, anxiety, and depression levels of whabyung patients were considered for meta-analyses. Results: Of the total 2408 articles retrieved from the database, 11 were finally selected and 4 articles were used for meta-analyses. Acupuncture reduced whabyung patients' anger and anxiety. Especially, the state anxiety was significantly reduced (effect size= -0.676, p= .026). Herbal medicine had effects on reducing anxiety and state anger while trait anger was increased without statistical significance. Conclusion: The present study showed the effectiveness of acupuncture and herbal medicines for whabyung patients in general. However, considering the limited availability of articles and the heterogeneity between them included for the meta-analysis, the results should be generalized with caution. In the future, more studies within the structure of evidence-based medicine need to be conducted to generate objective and valid evidences of korean medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1 s.65
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• pp.78-90
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• 2006

Background : Traditional herbal medicine is used extensively among the Korean populations, and other Asian countries employ similar therapies as well. In recent years, extensive focus was laid on adulteration of the herbal medicine with liver damage. The use of herbal preparations as remedies for various medical conditions has continuously increased in Korea. Large proportions of Korean patients use herbal medicinal products, folk remedies, and health food. However, studies on the safety of herbal products are conducted on a less than sufficient basis even in the countries like Korea where herbal medicine is being used extensively. Some of the reports on the safety of herbs were done by the doctors of western medicine but lack of knowledge and misclassification led to misunderstandings. Objectives : This study aims to verify the evidences on safety of frequently used 4 herbal medications (Sipjeondaebo-tang, Bojungikgi-tang, Ohjeok-San, Yukmaijihwang-tang) in the lab animal model. Methods : Sprague-Dawley rats was treated by 4 herbal medications during 31 days. After 1 month, we checked body weight, liver weight, and serum enzyme associated with liver function. Results : There is no significant difference in body weight and liver weight after 1 month of administrations. In all experimental groups, no abnormal findings was observed in histotogical research and lab liver Functions test(AST, ALT etc). Conclusions : These four herbal medications, frequently used in oriental medicine clinics and hospitals, are safe from hepatoxic events in the lab animal model.