• 대한한방부인과학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.90-98
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• 2008

Purpose: Menopausal syndrome is caused by urgent changes of sex hormone in women. The hormonal therapy can soothe the problems of menopausal patients, but it can increase the probability of another disease, such as breast cancer, heart attack, etc. So the demand of alternative herb therapy is increasing in Western countries. In Korea, herbal medicine is imported and used by Western doctors. To know and use the alternative herbal medicine, Korean Medical doctors should know their efficacy and safety. Methods: We researched the Medline(Pubmed) with the key word such as 'CAM', 'herb' and 'menopause'. We selected the herbs known as treating the menopausal syndrome and researched the similar or same herbs that are used in Korean medicine by the scientific name and efficient ingredients. To evaluate the efficacy of the herbs, we compared the herbs that were differently defined in alternative and Korean medicine Results: Balm, black cohosh, chaste berry, dong quai. evening primrose oil. ginkgo, St. John's wort, valerian root, and sarsaparilla were chosen as prevalent herbs used in alternative medicine. The pharmacologic effect of Black cohosh, licorice root, St. John's wort were recognized. But these three herbs are not usually prescripted for menopausal patients in Korean medicine. So we could apply these three herbs as one of Korean medical treatments. The efficacy of other herbs cannot be surely prescripted for menopausal patients. Conclusion: The efficacy and safety of alternative medicine is not proved yet. But to diversify the treatmental methods of Korean medicine, we need to prove and use these medicine as one of Korean medical treatment.

• 셀메드
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.17.1-17.8
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• 2014

Herbal remedies are commonly used by patients worldwide. Because these herbal preparations share the same metabolic and transport proteins with prescribed medicines, the potential for a drug-herb interaction is substantial and is an issue of significant concern. This review paper summarizes drug-herb interactions involving inhibition or induction of cytochrome P450 enzymes, drug transporters as well as modulation of drug pharmacodynamics. An increasing number of in vitro and animal studies, case reports and clinical trials evaluating such interactions have been reported, and implications of these studies are discussed in this review. The most commonly implicated drugs in the interaction include anticoagulants, antiplatelets, immunosuppressants, anti-neoplastics, protease inhibitors, and some antidepressants. Pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic interactions of five commonly used herbal remedies (danshen, garlic, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and St John's wort) with these drugs are presented, with focus of discussion being the potentials for interaction, their mechanisms and clinical implications. There is a necessity for adequate pharmacovigilance to be carried out in minimizing unanticipated but often preventable drug-herb interactions.

• 한국약용작물학회지
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.304-308
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• 2004

St. John's Wort의 정상세포에 대한 세포독성을 측정한 결과 두 종류의 추출물 모두 1.0 mg/ml의 높은 농도에서도 정상세포 생존율을 80% 이상으로 유지시켜 정상세포의 안전성이 유지되었다. St. John s wort 추출물은 0.5 mg/ml의 농도에서 간암세포주인 Hep3B에 대하여 80% 이상의 높은 억제율을 나타내었으며, 위암세포주인 AGS에 대하여서는 75% 이상의 높은 생육억제율을 나타내었고, 유방암세포주인 MCF-7에 대하여서는 증류수 추출물들은 0.5 mg/ml 이상의 농도에서 약 80%정도, 에탄올 추출물들은 90% 이상의 매우 높은 암세포 생육억제활성을 나타내었다. 또한 각 추출물의 정상세포독성에 대한 암세포의 억제율을 나타내는 selectivity에 있어서 각 추출물이 4이상의 수치를 나타내어, 암세포를 선택적으로 사멸하는 기작을 지닌 것을 확인하였다. 고추나물의 뿌리 물 추출물들은 인간 B와 T 세포주의 생육을 0.5 mg/ml 이상의 농도에서 T세포의 생장을 2배 이상, B-cell의 경우 $1.2{\sim}1.5$배 이상의 생육 증가를 나타내었으며, 물 추출물들이 에탄올 추출물에 비하여 높은 면역세포의 생육 증진활성을 나타내었다. 배양기간에 따른 면역세포의 생육과 면역물질인 cytokine의 생산을 보면 배양 5일째 두 종류 추출물에서 가장 높은 생존율을 나타내었으며 추출물을 첨가하지 않은 경우에 비교하여 약 1.5배의 생장율을 나타내었고, B 세포에서 IL-6은 에탄올 추출물이 배양 5일째 0.5 mg/ml의 농도에서 최고 6.9 pg/cell의 분비량을 나타내었고, T 세포의 $TNF-{\alpha}$도 에탄올 추출물이 배양 6일째 최고 6.8 pg/cell의 분비량을 나타내었다.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.5-13
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• 2007

Objectives : Depression disturbs the individual life from the loss of productivity to suicide. Furthermore the whole society is also influenced by depression in social and economic areas. Many scientific treatment methods are known to be effective in depression. But in reality more than half of patients with depression prefer self help treatment rather than medically based treatment. For the patients with mild depression and primary physicians, it is reasonable to provide the evidence based self care including self help or alternative treatment. This study is supported by the Korean Health 21 R&D Project for the Depression Center to establish the Korean treatment guideline for depression. Methods : The members of Depression Center including the authors attended the workshops where the methods of evidence based medicine such as literature search, quality evaluation of the articles, making the level of evidence were educated. The professional librarians helped the authors for get the searched articles. Among the total of 354 abstracts of systemic review and 300 abstracts of random controlled trials, 3 systemic reviews and 2 random controlled trials were the main structure of evaluation. Result : Among the 37 self care methods known to be effective for depression, 11 kinds of methods were worth of evaluation. The first step for the self care of mild depression is to use St. John's wort, exercise, bibliotherapy, and light therapy in depression during winter season. Acupuncture, negative ion therapy, massage, relaxation technique are known to be efective with evidence. Music therapy, hypnotherapy, and aromatherapy are known to be effective but until now the evidences is insufficient and further evaluations are needed. Conclusion : Among 11 listed self-care methods, several methods need more evidence especially in Korean situation. Exercise is the most recommendable evidence based self care method in Korea nowadays. St. John's wort is effective with evidence, but it is not the OTC drug in Korea, so it is not recommendable now. For the bibliotherapy, there is no book such as "Feeling Good" in Korea. Only the introductory book about depression is available. Publishing the self help book based upon cognitive behavioral approach or psychodynamic approach is needed. Light therapy is practiced in a few clinics, but not self-help style. Exposure to the sunlight is recommended in the level of commen sense. These self care methods are for the mild patient. Moderate to severe patients with depression should seek the professional treatment.

• 한국약용작물학회지
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.141-145
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• 2005

Random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPD) 분석을 통해 한국산 물레나물 속 (Hypericum) 식물에서의 유연관계를 분석한 결과, 병풍산 고추나물과 지리산 고추나물 사이에 상당한 유전적 차이가 있음을 확인할 수 있었고, 지리산의 500m, 1000m 그리고 1300m 고도 차이에 따른 군락지별로도 밴드 패턴의 차이가 확인되었다. 동일 과(科)에 속한 물레나물보다는 서양고추나물이라고 불리는 St. John's wort가 고추나물과 유연관계가 더 가깝게 나타났다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.158-164
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• 2017

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a highly reactive metabolite of glucose which is known to cause damage and induce apoptosis in endothelial cells. Endothelial cell damage is implicated in the progression of diabetes-associated complications and atherosclerosis. Hypericin, a naphthodianthrone isolated from Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort), is a potent and selective inhibitor of protein kinase C and is reported to reduce neuropathic pain. In this work, we investigated the protective effect of hypericin on MGO-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Hypericin showed significant anti-apoptotic activity in MGO-treated HUVECs. Pretreatment with hypericin significantly inhibited MGO-induced changes in cell morphology, cell death, and production of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Hypericin prevented MGO-induced apoptosis in HUVECs by increasing Bcl-2 expression and decreasing Bax expression. MGO was found to activate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Pretreatment with hypericin strongly inhibited the activation of MAPKs, including P38, JNK, and ERK1/2. Interestingly, hypericin also inhibited the formation of AGEs. These findings suggest that hypericin may be an effective regulator of MGO-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, hypericin downregulated the formation of AGEs and ameliorated MGO-induced dysfunction in human endothelial cells.

• 대한한방부인과학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.167-178
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• 2008

Purpose: Many breastfeeding women have used complementary and alternative medicine, but the guideline for lactation does not exist on complementary medicine. This study is to investigate efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine in breastfeeding. Methods: We searched for papers which had breastfeeding, complementary medicine, acupuncture and herb in the pubmed, scopus site and Korean journals. Results: 38 papers were found. Acupuncture could have the efficacy on hypogalatia and mastitis. Compound herb therapy had effect on hypogalactia, but none of herbs were investigated for safety all except for St John's wort. So more clinical trials about herbs would be needed. Massage and the other complementary therapies would be helpful for breastfeeding mother. Conclusion: Acupuncture could be a good treatment for hypogalactia and inflammation of the breast. For making guidelines on complementary and alternative medicine during lactation, more research will be needed.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.363-376
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was undertaken to learn what should be considered in a good clinical trial investigating a herbal medicine as an antidepressant. Methods : Five well-designed clinical trials published from 2000 to 2006 investigating SJWE in depressive disorder were selected. The trials were reviewed and compared in terms of methodology such as trial design, patient selection, efficacy & safety evaluation, and so on. On the basis of this review of the trials and the regulations and guidelines of KFDA, we suggest some points to be considered for a good clinical trial of a herb for depression. Results : Although every trial had its own unique design, procedure, objectives and so on, all trials used randomizing and double blinding methods. If there is no ethical problem, a placebo-controlled design should be considered in a herbal antidepressant clinical trial for depression. Conclusions : Some points to be considered in an optimal & good clinical trial for an antidepressive herbal medicine were suggested as follows: 1) randomizing and double blinding manner is essential, 2) if there is no ethical problem, placebo control design should be considered, 3) the trial period should be 6 weeks, 4) out-patients will be recruited as subjects, 5) investigators will be well-trained psychiatrists or medical doctors, 6) the number of subjects should be calculated by statistical methods, 7) subjects should be diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria, 8) subjects who have current risk of committing suicide should be excluded, etc.