• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.289-300
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• 2020

Objectives : In this paper, We pointed out medico-historical meaning of Hyang'yak Kugŭppang (鄕藥救急方, Medical Recipes of Local Botanicals for Emergency Use), a medical book of Koryŏ Dynasty, breaking from the existing analysis view based on Hyang'yak (鄕藥), local herbs produced in Korean Peninsula. Methods : For that purpose, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of the diseases and symptoms, strategies of treatment, therapeutic tools, drug formulations, composition of herbal formulas in Hyang'yak Kugŭppang. Results : The following characteristics were confirmed in Hyang'yak Kugŭppang. First, it contained a way to cope with the diseases and symptoms that do not have to check the exterior, interior, cold, and heat. Also, it introduced basic strategies such as reducing, facilitating flow, draining downward, warming, or tonifying, etc. It mainly included herbal medicine as the therapeutic tools, and introduced formulas composed by single herb than complex recipes. It suggested external applications more than internal use, and proposed formulations in the form of decoctions or powders, etc. The herbs of formulas were used by experience without explanations of nature & taste, efficacy of each herbs. Conclusions : Hyang'yak Kugŭppang is a book of medical recipes for emergency use that has been distributed to help gentries, even if they do not have professional medical knowledge, to instantly cope with diseases and symptoms with medicines that are easy to obtain. Previous researches has analyzed the value of Hyang'yak Kugŭppang as a collection of information of hyang'yak, and used it as a historical basis of the uniqueness of Korean medicine. Since Hyang'yak Kugŭppang is not a book specialized for herbs, but rather a clinical medical book that introduces recipes for specific symptoms of diseases, if we pay attention to the clinical characteristics of Hyang'yak Kugŭppang, it will provide an opportunity to describe Koryŏ or Korean medicine in a new way.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of Bangpungtongseong-san (Fangfengtongsheng-san, BTS) and Daesiho-tang (Dachaihu-tang, DST) on weight loss and improvement in lipid metabolism and glucose metabolism. Furthermore, we intend to develop a prediction model for drug effects through the analysis of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), gut-microbiota, and the expression of immune-related biomarkers. Methods: This study is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-design clinical trial. One hundred twenty-eight participants will be assigned to the BTS group (n=64) and DST group (n=64). Both groups will be administered 4 g medication three times a day for up to 2 weeks. The primary outcomes is weight loss. The secondary outcomes include bioelectrical impedance analysis, waist circumstance, body mass index, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, insulin resistance. The exploratory outcomes include 3-day dietary recall, food frequency questionnaire, quality of life questionnaire, gut microbiota analysis, immune biomarkers analysis, and SNP analysis. Assessment will be made at baseline and at week 4, 8, and 12. Conclusions: This protocol will be implemented by approval of the Institutional Review Board of Dongguk University. The results of this trial will provide a systematic evidence for the treatment of obesity and enable more precise herbal medicine prescriptions.

• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.334-343
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• 2017

Eclipta prostrata and E. alba are annual herbal medicinal plants and have been used as Chinese medicinal tonics. Both species are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions as well as in Korea. Both species have similar morphological features but E. alba has smoother leaf blade margins compared with E. prostrata. Although both species are utilized as oriental medicines, E. prostrata is more widely used than E. alba. Morphological semblances have confounded identification of either species. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genomes of both species to provide an authentication system between the two species and understand their diversity. Both chloroplast genomes were 151,733-151,757 bp long and composed of a large single copy (83,285-83,300 bp), a small single copy (18,283-18,346 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (25,075-25,063 bp). Gene annotation revealed 80 protein coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and four rRNA genes. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genus Eclipta is grouped with Heliantheae tribe species in the Asteraceae family. A comparative analysis verified 29 InDels and 58 SNPs between chloroplast genomes of E. prostrata and E. alba. The low chloroplast genome sequence diversity indicates that both species are really close to each other and are not completely diverged yet. We developed six DNA markers that distinguish E. prostrata and E. alba based on the polymorphisms of chloroplast genomes between E. prostrata and E. alba. The chloroplast genome sequences and the molecular markers generated in this study will be useful for further research of Eclipta species and accurate classification of medicinal herbs.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to assess both the approximate lethal dose and the single dose intramuscular injection toxicity of Danggui (Angelica gigantis radix) pharmacopuncture (DGP) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Methods: The experiments were conducted at the good laboratory practice (GLP) laboratory, Biotoxtech Co., which is a laboratory approved by the ministry of food and drug safety (MFDS). The study was performed according to the GLP regulation and the toxicity test guidelines of the MFDS (2009) after approval of the institutional animal care and use committee of Biotoxtech. Single doses of DGP were injected intramuscularly into the rats in three test groups of 6 week old SD rats (5 male and 5 female rats per groups) in the amounts of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mL/animal for groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively, and normal saline solution in the amount of 1.0 mL/animal was injected intramuscularly into the rats (5 male and 5 female rats) in the control group. Observations of the general symptoms and weight measurements were performed during the 14 day observation period after the injection. Hematologic and serum biochemical examination, necropsy, and a local tolerance test at the injection site were done after the observation period. Results: No death was observed in three test groups (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mL/animal group). In addition, the injection of DGP had no effect on general symptoms, weights, hematologic and serum biochemical examination, and necropsy. The results from the local tolerance tests at injection site showed no treatment related effects in the SD rats. Conclusion: The results of single dose intramuscular injection of DGP suggest that the approximate lethal dose is above 1.0 mL/animal for both male and female SD rats and that intramuscular injection of DGP may be safe.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.97-109
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• 2016

Objectives : The effects of Jaeumkanghwatang (JEKHT) co-administration on the pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen were observed after oral combination treatment of tamoxifen 50 mg/kg with JEKHT 100 mg/kg on JEKHT 6-day repeated oral pretreated rats with 8-day repeated co-administration to confirm the effects of JEKHT co-administration on the pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen. Methods : Six days after pretreatment of JEKHT 100 mg/kg, tamoxifen 50 mg/kg was co-administered with JEKHT 100 mg/kg, once a day for 8 days within 5 min. The blood were collected at 30 min before administration, 30 min, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 24 hrs after end of first and last 8th tamoxifen treatment, and plasma concentrations of tamoxifen were analyzed using LC-MS/MS methods. PK parameters of tamoxifen ($T_{max}$, $C_{max}$, AUC, $t_{1/2}$ and $MRT_{inf}$) were analysis as compared with tamoxifen single administered. Results : Six-day repeated oral pretreatment of JEKHT and 8-day repeated oral co-administration of tamoxifen within 5 min did not influenced on the plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetic parameters of tamoxifen, oral bioavailability, as compared with tamoxifen single treated rats, except for some negligible effects. Conclusions : It is concluded that JEKHT did not influenced on the plasma concentrations and pharmacokinetic parameters, the oral bioavailability of tamoxifen. Therefore, it is considered that co-administration of JEKHT and tamoxifen will be provide an effective novel treatment regimen on the comprehensive and integrative medicine for breast cancer patients, if they showed favorable synergic effects on the pharmacodynamics or reduce the tamoxifen treatment related toxicity and side effects in future studies.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.1200-1203
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• 2005

Kami-Okchun-San(OCS) is known as an effective herbal medicine on Type 2 diabetes. We peformed to investigate acute toxicity of OCS on ICR mice. ICR mice in acute toxicity experiment were administered orally with dosages of 3,200mg/kg (low dosage group), 4,000mg/kg (middle dosage group), 5,000mg/kg (high dosage group) per single time, respectively. Body weights, clinical signs, motalities and histopathological finding were observed daily for 14 days according to the Regulation of Korean Food and Drug Administration(1999. 12. 22). Single oral administration of OCS with different dosages, no animals died of the test drug. Autopsy of animal revealed no abnormal gross findings. Therefore, LD50 value of OCS for ICR mice was more than 5,000mg/kg on oral route. Normally increasing changes were observed in body weight, drinking water and food intake in every dosage group. Hematological parameters were also observed normally in all animals. No histopathological lesions were observed in both control and treated animals. Above data suggest that no toxic dose level of OCS in ICR mice is considered to be more than 5,000mg/kg. Therefore, it was concluded that OCS have no effect on acute toxicity and side effect in ICR mice.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2014

Objectives & Methods : The objective of this study was to evaluate the single oral dose toxicity of Chongmyung-tang (CMT) in ICR mice. Korean traditional herbal prescription CMT has traditionally been used as a neuroprotective for treatment of learning disability and memory improvement. CMT, lyophilized aqueous extracts (yield=9.7%) were administered to female and male mice with oral dose of 2,000, 1,000 and 500 mg/kg (body weight) according to the recommendation of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) Guidelines. Animals were monitored for mortality, changes in body weight, clinical signs and gross observation during 14 days after administration upon necropsy; organ weight and histopathology of 14 principle organs were examined. Results : We could not find any CMT extracts treatment related mortalities, clinical signs, changes in body and organ weight, or gross and histopathological observations against 14 principle organs up to 2,000 mg/kg in both female and male mice, except for some accidental sporadic findings which did not show any obvious dose-relations and most of which also demonstrated in both the female and male vehicle control mice in this experiments. Conclusions : Based on the results of this experiment, the 50% lethal dose ($LD_{50}$) and approximate lethal dose (ALD) of CMT extracts after single oral treatment in female and male mice can be considered to be over 2,000 mg/kg, and is likely to be safe in humans.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1081-1100
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• 2019

Objectives: This study is an overview of the meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials investigating the clinical effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture for patients with stroke. Methods: Core electronic databases were searched from their inception to 21 May 2019. A measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (AMSTAR 2) was applied to screen high-quality studies. The results of these studies were summarized, and additional meta-analysis was conducted. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. Results: Sixteen studies met eligibility criteria. Four were excluded owing to insufficiency of AMSTAR 2 or low data reliability. The finally selected 12 studies were about pharmacopuncture using either a single herb extract, such as Dengzhan xixin, Sanch, Ginkgo biloba, or Acanthopanax, or a mixture of herbs, such as Compound danshen, Shenxiong, Xingnaojing, or Mailuoning. Most of the patients were from China, with acute ischemic stroke. All the studies using a pharmacopuncture versus a non-pharmacopuncture design reported the significant superiority of pharmacopuncture on every outcome measure. On the other hand, in a few studies, pharmacopuncture was inferior to active control in improving neurological deficit. Few studies reported adverse events. Conclusions: It is difficult to apply the results of this study directly to Korea, because the level of evidence is generally low and the clinical settings and social acceptance of pharmacopuncture therapy differ in Korea and China. Further studies are warranted to confirm the domestic applicability of evidence generated in China and to create evidence that supports the domestic situation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2845-2850
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• 2013

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most frequent diseases in women today. Little information exists on modifiable lifestyle factors including effects of ginger supplements (as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory herbal) and water-based exercise on biomarkers related to oxidative stress such as malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and adiponectin in obese women with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the single and concomitant effect of 6-wks water-based exercise and oral ginger supplement on the aforesaid markers in obese women with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Forty women diagnosed with breast cancer ($48{\pm}5.4$ years, $76{\pm}9$ kg, fat mass $41.8{\pm}4%$), volunteered to participate in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned into four groups; placebo, water-based exercise, ginger supplement and water-based exercise+ginger supplement groups. Subjects in the ginger supplement group and the water-based exercise+ginger supplement group orally received 4 capsules (each capsule contained 750 mg), 7 days a week for 6 weeks. The water-based exercise program featured progressive increase in intensity and time, ranging from 50% to 75% of heart rate reserve, in a pool with 15 meters width, 4 times a week for 6 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected at pre-test and post-test time points. Results: The ginger supplementation and or the water-base exercise resulted in an increase of adiponectin, NO and GPx and reduction MDA, as compared to pre-test values. However, the combined intervention (water-base exercise and ginger supplement) group showed significantly a far better effect on the biomarkers related to oxidative stress and adiponectin levels, as compared to the waterbase exercise or ginger supplement alone groups and the age-matched placebo group. Conclusions: Our results revealed that water-base exercise is a non-drug therapeutic strategy to reduce systemic stress in obese women suffering from breast cancer. Further, ginger supplementation alone or in combination with training, also play an important role in the pathogenesis of oxidative stress in obese women diagnosed with breast cancer.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2017

Objectives : This trial aimed to determine if Wasong (Orostachys japonicus) extract can enhance immune system and is safe enough to be approved as a health functional food. Methods : Total 62 people, aged 45 and older, will be recruited to participate in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. This study will compare Wasong extract and placebo. Wasong group will take 1g of Wasong extract, once a day, for 8 weeks. Placebo group will take 1g of crystalline cellulose as placebo, once a day, for 8 weeks. Outcomes will be measured at the baseline, the end of 4th week, and 8th week. Primary outcomes are the ratio of NK cells/total lymphocytes and the ratio of T-helper cells/T-suppressor cells. Secondary outcomes are total white blood cell count, the ratio of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes in total leukocytes, the ratio of total T cells, T-helper cells, T-suppressor cells, and B cells to lymphocytes, the amount of blood IgM, IgG, IgA, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG, and blood metabolite target &global analysis. Results : This trial was approved by institutional review board of Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital (registry number: 2016006), and registered in Clinical Research information Service, one of WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (registry number: PRE20161006-002). Recruitment opened in February 2017 and is supposed to be completed by August 2017. The result is expected to be published by June 2018. Conclusion : This trial will provide clinical information to determine the efficacy and safety of Wasong in enhancing immune system of middle-aged and older people.