• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.155-160
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• 2009

The reference herbal extracts and their identification methods by Korean Pharmacopoeia IX were established based on the organic solvent extracts to detect their marker compounds. However, most of herbal medicine decoctions in the market are prepared with water as extracting solvent. As the reference herbal extracts and their identification methods are not appropriate for the practical test, new preparation of alternative reference herbal extracts and their identification test methods are essential for the correction of test methods and identification of herbal drugs. Three novel identification test methods were developed for Evodiae Fructus, Cimicifugae Rhizoma and Aurantii Fructus Immaturus. Total 10 reference herbal extracts and their identification methods were optimized for Ephedrae Herba, Schisandrae Fructus, Curcuma longae Rhizoma, Citri Unshius Pericarpium, Puerariae Radix, Corni Fructus, and Cinnamomi Cortex.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.232-237
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• 2010

This study was carried out to evaluate the safety of circulated oriental medicines and their related preparations in Gyeonggi-do. Total 366 samples (165 species) were analyzed about heavy metals, residual contents of sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$), and 68 samples were analyzed about preservatives. 17 samples (13 species, 4.6%) were exceeded the legal limit of heavy metal. The concentrations over the legal limit for Pb, Cd, As and Hg were 6.1~19.2 mg/kg, 0.4~0.7 mg/kg, 6.9 mg/kg and 0.7 mg/kg, respectively. In particular, the exceeding ratio (5.9%) of the legal limit of heavy metals in foreign products was 3.3 times more than domestic products (1.8%). 13 samples (10 species, 3.6%) exceeded the limit of residual sulfur dioxide and the concentration ranges were 105 to 428 mg/kg in domestic products, on the other hand foreign products were from 114 to 2,468 mg/kg. The mean concentration over the limit of residual sulfur dioxide of foreign products (804 mg/kg) was 2.4 times more than domestic products (338 mg/kg). In studying of the preservatives in oriental preparation, the contents of dehydroacetic acid (48.9~64.1%) in 3 samples of labeled solutions were under the labeled preservative contents and the contents of benzoic acid (139.9%) in 1 sample of labeled pill product was exceeded the labeled preservative contents. The numbers of the detected preservatives in unlabeled solutions, pills and granules were 4, 11 and 7, respectively.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.1052-1060
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• 2018

Triclosan (TCS) is a phenolic antimicrobial chemical used in consumer products and medical devices. Evidence from in vitro and in vivo animal studies has linked TCS to numerous health problems, including allergic, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative disease. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system, we here show that short-term TCS treatment ($LC_{50}$: ~0.2 mM) significantly induced mortality in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, TCS-induced mortality was dramatically suppressed by co-treatment with non-ionic surfactants (NISs: e.g., Tween 20, Tween 80, NP-40, and Triton X-100), but not with anionic surfactants (e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfate). To identify the range of compounds susceptible to NIS inhibition, other structurally related chemical compounds were also examined. Of the compounds tested, only the toxicity of phenolic compounds (bisphenol A and benzyl 4-hydroxybenzoic acid) was significantly abrogated by NISs. Mechanistic analyses using TCS revealed that NISs appear to interfere with TCS-mediated mortality by micellar solubilization. Once internalized, the TCS-micelle complex is inefficiently exported in worms lacking PMP-3 (encoding an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter) transmembrane protein, resulting in overt toxicity. Since many EDCs and surfactants are extensively used in commercial products, findings from this study provide valuable insights to devise safer pharmaceutical and nutritional preparations.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2009

Red ginseng (RG) and fermented red ginseng (FRG) are produced from ginseng (GS) via certain biological processes. The main difference between three ginsengs is the composition of ginsenosides known as major metabolites having several biological activities. The concentration of the metabolites has been known to be dependent on the methods which make RG and FRG In this study, we investigated the effects of WG, RG and FRG on the productions of inflammatory proteins (NF-${\kappa}B$, iNOS, COX-2) and cytokines (TNF-$\alpha$, INF-$\gamma$) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. The levels of NO production and iNOS expression were suppressed by the treatment of white ginseng (WG), RG and FRG in LPS-stimulated cells. Also, the production of TNF-$\alpha$ and INF-$\gamma$ was decreased in the cells by all of them. It was indicated that the inhibition of NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in LPS-stimulated cells treated with three kinds of ginsengs was resulted from the suppression of the level of COX-2 expression and the phosphorylation of IkB by LPS. The present study indicated that RC showed the best biological activity among them and FRG was better than WG. The better activity of RG on the inhibition of NO production is considered to be caused by the difference of ginsenoside composition produced during their preparations. In order to elucidate the mechanism, animal test should be performed with three ginsengs.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-19
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• 2012

Objective : The purpose of this study is to investigate about comparison of Eastern-Western medicine on the acne. Methods : We searched Eastern and Western medicine books for acne. We analyzed these books and examined category, definition, etiology, classification, internal and external methods of treatment of acne. Results : The results were as follows. 1. In Eastern medicine, Acne belongs to the category of the Bunja(粉刺), Jwachang(痤瘡), Pyepungbunja(肺風粉刺). In Western medicine, the other name of Acne is acne vulgaris. 2. In Eastern medicine, the definition of Acne includes manual extraction of comedones and skin appearance. In Western medicine, Acne is a common skin disease during adolescence and a chronic inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous unit of self localization. It is characterized by noninflammatory, open or closed comedones and by inflammatory papules, pustules, and nodules and it affects the areas of skin with the densest population of sebaceous follicles, these areas include the face, neck, back, and the upper part of the chest. 3. In Eastern medicine, the cause and mechanism of Acne arose from the state of internal dampness-heat and spleen-stomach internal qi deficiency due to dietary irregularities and then invaded external pathogen such as wind-dampness-heat-cold-fire in lung meridian lead to qi and blood heat depression stagnation. So it appears in skin. In Western medicine, the etiology and pathogenesis of Acne is clearly not identified, but there are most significant pathogenic factors of blood heat depression stagnation. So it appears in skin. In Western medicine, the etiology and pathogenesis of Acne is clearly not identified, but there are most significant pathogenic factors of Acne; Androgen-stimulated production of sebum, hyperkeratinization and obstruction of sebaceous follicles, proliferation of Propionibacterium acnes and inflammation, abnormaility of skin barrier function, genetic aspects, environmental factors etc. 4. In Eastern medicine, differentiation of syndromes classifies clinical aspects, and cause and mechanism of disease; the former is papular, pustular, cystic, nodular, atrophic, comprehensive type; the latter is lung blood heat, intestine-stomach dampness-heat, phlegm-stasis depression, thoroughfare-conception disharmony, heat toxin type. In Western medicine, it divides into an etiology and invasion period, and clinical aspects; Acne neonatorum, Acne infantum, Acne in puberty and adulthood, Acne venenata; Acne vulgaris, Acne conglobata, Acne fulminans, Acne keloidalis. 5. In Eastern medicine, Internal methods of treatment of Acne are divided into five treatments; general treatments, the treatments of single-medicine and experiential description, the treatments depending on the cause and mechanism of disease, and clinical differentiation of syndromes, dietary treatments. In Western medicine, it is a basic principles that regulation on production of sebum, correction on hyperkeratinization of sebaceous follicles, decrease of Propionibacterium acnes colony and control of inflammation reaction. Internal methods of treatment of Acne are antibiotics, retinoids, hormone preparations etc. 6. In Eastern medicine, external methods of treatment of Acne are wet compress method, paste preparation method, powder preparation method, pill preparation method, acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, ear acupuncture therapy, prevention and notice, and so on. In Western medicine, external method of treatments of Acne are divided into topical therapy and other surgical therapies. Topical therapy is used such as antibiotics, sebum regulators, topical vitamin A medicines etc and other surgical therapies are used such as surgical treatments, intralesional injection of corticosteroids, skin dermabrasion, phototherapy, photodynamic therapy, and so on. Conclusions : Until now, there is no perfect, effective single treatment. We think that Eastern medicine approach and treatment can be helpful to overcome the limitations of acne cure.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2004

A number of plants from different geographical origins have been shown to possess antioxidant activity. Some of them have been developed as natural antioxidant formulations for food, cosmetic and other applications. Bangladeshi flora is a rich source of a range of plant species, many of which are medicinal plants, and have been used in the preparations of the Unani and Ayurvedic traditional medicines. There are no, or just a few, reports on any systematic screening of the extracts of Bangladeshi plants for free radical scavenging activity using DPPH assay available to date. As part of our on-going search for biological activity in Bangladeshi plants, Kadam (Anthocephalus chinensis), Goran (Ceriaps decandra), Swarnalata (Cuscuta reflexa), Gab (Diospyros peregrina), Sundari (Heritiera fomes), Dhundul (Xylocarpus granatum) and Possur (Xylocarpus mekongensis) have been selected for the assessment of their free radical scavenging activity, and studies on the contents of alkaloids, anthraqunones, flavonoids and tannins in these extracts. Most of these species have been used in traditional medicine in Bangladesh and other countries for the treatment of various illnesses ranging from common cold to cancer. All extracts, except the methanol extract of Cuscuta reflexa, displayed significant free radical scavenging activity in the DPPH assay $(RC_{50}$ values within the range of $2.75\;{\times}\;10^{-2}\;to\;4.7\;{\times}\;10^{-3}\;mg/mL)$. Among these extracts, the methanol extract of Xylocarpus granatum exhibited the most potent activity $(4.7\;{\times}\;10^{-3}\;mg/mL)$ and that of Cuscuta reflexa had the least activity $(1.64\;{\times}\;10^{-1}\;mg/mL)$. While none of these plants showed positive tests with Dragendorff's reagent, presence of low to moderate amounts of phenolic compounds, e.g. anthraquinones, flavonoids and tannins was evident in all of these plants, except for the methanolic extracts of C. reflexa and the barks of D. peregrina, which did not display any evidence for the presence of flavonoids and anthraquinones, respectively.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1972

One of the characteristics features of Chinese Medicine is recognized as the practical use of combinations of crude drugs in the forms of various prescriptions according to the symptoms of illness. Such crude drugs are mostly dried plant roots, rhizomes, leaves, fruits and seeds, sometimes dried animla organ preparations even fossils or minerals. In the oldest book of Chinese Medicine, Sang Han Ron, 113 prescriptions were described in which about 80 crude drugs were included, and in other old literature, Shin Nong Bon Tcho Keun, 363 crude drugs were recorded. Such drugs, in particular, those included in Sang Han Ron are generally low toxic, and the prescriptions are acting mild with less side effects, but obviously not so easy task to determine the effect of the indivisual drug from the total effects of various prescriptions which are generally consisted of many kinds of crude drugs. About 200 years ago, in the middle of Edo era, a Japanese medical doctor, Yoshimasu Todo wrote a series of books named "Yakucho", in which he described the essential various prescriptions in which the certain drugs plays the main role. This book is very suggestive to evaluate the effects of some Chinese drugs. The actual effects of Chinese medicine and drugs have widely been recognized by the East Asian peoples during their long age experiences, but still it has not been studied sufficiently by modern scientific methods to give generally acceptable evidences. During past some years, my collaborators and I have been engaged to study some well-known Chinese drugs chemically to find out the active principles in determining their chemical structures under the collaboration of pharmacologists, Prof. K. Takagi and his coworkers. In the present lecture, I would like to present two topics from our recent investigations: The studies on the principles of Paeony and Ginseng roots.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.188-196
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• 2006

Background: Ma-huang (Ephedra sinica) has been widely used to treat respiratory disease in oriental medicine for over a hundred years. Ma-huang preparations contain approximately 1.25% ephedrine alkaloids. Recently, the ephedra alkaloids have received much press lately due to adverse effects in those using whole extracts as 'dietary supplements' for weight loss or athletic performance enhancement, and these reports are troubling given the increasing use of Ma-huang by the general public. The purpose of this report is to determine the proper dosage to minimize adverse effects and maximize the potential curative value. Objectives : The object of this study was to find an effective yet low risk dosage of Ma-huang. Methods : The study was designed as a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. The subjects of this study were 26 adults between 20 to 40 of age who agreed to participate in this study. They were allocated through randomization into three groups. Each group took three opaque capsules three times a day. A group (N=9) took one Ma-huang capsule and two placebo capsules, B group (N=8) took two Ma-huang capsules and one placebo capsule, C group (N=9) took three Ma-huang capsules. The total trial periods was two days. To compare the adverse effects of Ma-huang according to dosage, blood pressure and pulse were checked, and other adverse effects were assessed using a morning questionnaire, patient's global assessment scale and Wong-Baker faces pain rating. Results : The following result were obtained: 1. After taking 18 g of Ma-huang per day, pulse rate had a significant increase. 2. After taking more than 6 g of Ma-huang per day, palpitation would be increased significantly. 3. After taking more than 18 g of Ma-huang per day, tiredness would be increased significantly. Conclusion: According to the results, 12 g of Ma-huang per day will minimize adverse effects and maximize the potential curative value.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.75-84
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• 2013

Objective : This study considered the annual cyclical rituals related to medicine in an effort to look into the general medical conditions in the late Joseon Dynasty. Method : This study selected Uibanghappyeon 'Wolhaeng' as its research material in that it reflects the medical conditions at that time as a writing in the late Joseon Dynasty, and it's a record about annual cyclical rituals included in a medical book. The annual cyclical rituals are possible to analyze from various angles, but this study perceives the fundamental elements forming the annual rituals as (1) the time when a ritual was held (2) purpose, (3) method, and analyzed the calendaric rituals by dividing them according to the three elements. Result : There appear 97 sorts of annual rituals period in all according to their contents in Uibanghappyeon 'Wolhaeng.' (1) the case of directly suggesting a specific day like May 5 was found to be the most with 46 cases on the basis of the character of the implemented time, followed by the part (16 cases) with the sexagenary cycle like the Day of the Ox. (2) From the aspect of the purpose, the case of aiming at preventing diseases was found to be the most with 24 cases, and the case of expressing 'having to do like that' without any clear reason, or 'that would be better' was found to be the third-most 19 cases. In a broad sense, should these two be perceived as disease prevention, these statistics accounted for a half of the whole with 43 cases. Meanwhile, the style of rituals whose purpose was disease treatment(22 times) was to make a medicine on a specific day. Among the 22 sorts related to disease treatment, 16 sorts were the custom of making medicine on a designated day. (3) When classified from the aspect of methods, they can be divided into pharmaceutical preparations(23 cases), specific behavior(20cases), taboo(19 cases), taking medicine(15 cases), fasting(11 cases) and external medical treatment(9 cases), etc. This shows a comparatively even distribution rather than the case of dividing the annual rituals into a period or purpose. Conclusion : Medicine is the knowledge for preventing and treating diseases. However, the medical science and medical treatment of a traditional society show not a little difference from what we feel. The research on the annual cyclical rituals related to medicine is expected to be helpful to our perception of such a difference.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.13-26
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• 2018

Objectives : This study was carried out to enhance the activity of Iksuyoungjingo, which has the tonify Qi, nourish Yin effect of oriental medicine, and to study the effect of the prescriptions on the immunological activities. Methods : Immunosuppression was induced by methotrexate (MTX) 2 mg / kg, the experimental group was divided into IYGgami-I, IYGgami-I-F, IYGgami-II and IYGgami-II-F groups. Each prescription was administered with drinking water for 20 days, and body weight was measured every 5 days during this period. Leukocyte, $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-2, IL-6, IgE, spleen weight and body weight were measured Results : In the changes of $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-2 and IL-6 as pro-inflammatory elements, all of the experimental groups showed a significant increase compared to the control group. In the IgE changes, the IYGgami-I-F, IYGgami-II and IYGgami-II-F groups showed a significant decrease compared to the control group. In the changes of spleen weight, the IYGgami-II-F group showed a significant increase compared to the control group. In the changes of WBC and lymphocytes, the IYGgami-I-F group showed a significant increase compared to the control group. Conclusions : From the above results, it can be observed that the efficacy against immunity is exerted in all of the preparations, and it was confirmed that the efficacy was maintained constant even when utilizing the Rehmannia glutinosa Residue and Poria cocos Bark, and that a more beneficial effect can be exerted in the effectiveness when the fermentation is carried out.