• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.181-190
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• 2009

It is important to establish the safety of herbal medicine because of its frequent and widespread use in Korea. Several studies on the safety of herbal medicine have been performed and there have been rare serious adverse drug reactions from those reports in Korea. However, the results are not strongly supported because of not adopting appropriate enough research methodology as to make the safety issue clear. For improving the quality of the safety research on herbal medicine. including investigations of drug induced liver injury (DILl). the aim of this study was to suggest herbal medicine-induced liver injury investigation forms for performing reasonable safety research. After a systematic review of the preceding studies regarding herbal safety in Korea was performed in 2008, we assessed the quality and the limitations of the primary studies. Two investigation forms for herbal safety research were made as a following step. one a basic investigation form for herbal safety research and the other an advanced investigation form for suspected DILl cases, Those forms include the essential informations and data needed to make an appropriate assessment of whether DILl occurred during or after the use of herbal medicine. Guidelines for using those forms and other recommendations were also suggested. More rigorous studies are required for answering the safety issue of herbal medicine as well as the efficacy issue. We hope for wide use and improvement of those investigation forms in the study of herbal safety by many researchers for establishing better evidences in Korea.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Objectives: To report on the result of infertility treatment with Korean medicine in clinical settings. Methods: This study was single arm, retrospective observational study. Analysis of the medical records on thirty four infertile women who were treated by acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine(Jokyungjongoktang-gagambang, Sutaehwan-gagambang). Pregnancy rate(PR) and Live birth rate(LBR) were analyzed as the primary outcomes. Changes of AMH, FSH, LH, $E_2$, $P_4$, endometrial thickness, fat mass, and BMI were also analyzed as the secondary outcomes. Results: A total of 34 patients were treated in the traditional Korean medical clinic. Nine patients were dropped, and 25 subjects completed the final examination at the end of this treatment schedule. Five of 25 subjects conceived during treatment, reaching 20% PR and LBR was also 20%. Except for FSH level, the results of the remaining outcome measures, including LFT, showed no significant changes. No serious adverse event has been reported. Conclusion: Although no significant changes in bio-markers were observed, complex treatment using Korean medicine has shown effectiveness on women's infertility. In addition, the safety of the treatment has been verified.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.333-340
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• 2018

Gamiguibi-tang (GGBT) is a traditional herbal medicine generally used to treat anemia, insomnia, anxiety, and nervousness. GGBT is being commercially produced in the form of extract granule and the quality control methods are specified in the Korean Herbal Pharmacopeia (KHP). However, there is no method to simultaneously analyze compound preparations. In this study, a HPLC method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of marker compounds in GGBT. And the contents of marker components and biological activities of the commercial GGBT extract granules (GGBT-2 and GGBT-3) were compared with those of the GGBT decoction (GGBT-1). We confirmed the robustness of simultaneous analytical method by monitoring the contents of the commercial GGBT products and carrying out validation. The marker components of GGBT were geniposide ($8.03{\sim}12.70{\mu}g/mL$), paeoniflorin ($2.79{\sim}4.25{\mu}g/mL$) and glycyrrhizic acid ($5.06{\sim}6.30{\mu}g/mL$). DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were 47.34~63.17% and 21.52~33.61% in the GGBT products concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The GGBT products significantly decreased NO, iNOS and COX-2 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner. The GGBT-2 had higher contents of marker components and biological activities than GGBT-1 and GGBT-3. The research suggest that be used in developing quality control methods for enhancing the quality of herbal medicines.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.257-267
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• 2024

Objectives: Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder caused by dopamine neuron damage, leading to various motor and non-motor symptoms, including depression. While several clinical studies on Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) have addressed this issue, no comprehensive review has been conducted. This study aimed to summarize and analyze TKM treatments for depression associated with Parkinson's disease. Methods: This study reviewed research focused on treatment of Parkinson's-related depression, particularly examining traditional therapies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. Data on treatment methods were analyzed to compare approaches of control and experimental groups. Specific use of acupuncture points and other TKM treatments was analyzed. Results: Out of 57 studies, 17 involving 649 participants were selected. Various treatment methods were evaluated, primarily using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Studies predominantly focused on acupuncture targeting specific points (such as LI 4, GB 20, and ST 36) and the use of various herbal medicine combinations. Conclusions: Of the 17 studies, 13 focused on effects of acupuncture, suggesting that acupuncture might play a significant role in alleviating depression associated with Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the use of acupuncture points such as LI 4, GB 20, and ST 36 showed potential therapeutic effects. Additionally, 13 studies demonstrated that TKM could significantly alleviate depression, indicating the potential for an integrative approach combining Eastern and Western therapies. Herbal medicine and Qigong dance therapy also showed promising effects in improving depression.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.1162-1171
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the therapeutic effects of a traditional Korean treatment on the symptom improvement and loss of bile juice in cases of functional dyspepsia of gastric dysmotility complicated by bile juice reflux. Methods: Dyspeptic symptoms, gastric motility (electrogastrography and bowel sound analysis), and gastric mucosa (gastroendoscopy) were evaluated. The treatment consisted of Banwhasashim-tang (extract) used as a herbal drug. Both ST36 electrical stimulation and simple immersion stimulation of CV11, 12, and 13 in the abdomen were also applied. Results: Dyspeptic symptoms, including a foreign body sensation in the throat, indigestion, and upper abdominal pain, were all relieved by the treatment and gastric myoelectrical activity and gastric pyloric function were improved. Bile juice disappeared from the gastric mucosa. Conclusion: The traditional Korean treatment was effective at relieving dyspeptic symptoms and bile juice reflux by improving the pyloric sphincter function.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.222-237
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the trend in the research on cirrhotic ascites using t herbal medicine. Methods: This review was conducted using six electronic databases(NDSL, KMBASE, Koreantk, KISS, KISTI, KoreaMed) with no restriction in year. The search term was 'liver cirrhosis', 'ascites', or 'cirrhotic ascites', 'herbal medicine', 'traditional Chinese medicine', and 'randomized clinical trial', and there was no restriction in year. The searched studies were analyzed according to the type of research. Results: After scanning the titles and abstracts, 13 articles were ultimately included. Of the outcome measures of 13 studies, effective rate, liver function test, and ascites regression time were included in the meta-analysis, which showed that the effective rate of herbal medicine-supportive treatment combination therapy was 1.27 times higher than that of supportive treatment alone, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: We analyzed the trends of cirrhotic ascites treatment in herbal medicine through this review. It is necessary to conduct further studies, such as well-designed clinical trials based on the results from experimental research.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.559-565
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• 2010

Cancer is already a well-recognized main cause of mortality and the incidence of cancer is increasing steadily. Because conventional treatment modalities for cancer accompanies severe side effects, traditional medicine has been considered as alternatives to reduce the adverse effects and its use has continued to rise in cancer therapy. This study aims to summarize and make a reference of radioprotective effects of herbs worldwide. In this process, this review surveyed all papers of radioprotective-focused studies using herbal medicine in PubMed database and finally 44 papers were included. The type of materials, formation of experiments, type of herbal medicine, their action and mechanisms, and type of cancer were analyzed. The number of studies on radioprotective effects of herbal medicine has increased since 2000. The main formation of experiments was clinical study and the portion was 45% and the proportion of the research using prescriptions was 51% and the research using herbal products was 25%. Herbs and prescriptions having the effects of tonifying and nourishment were used the most. Most of herbal medicine in this study can enhance immune function, increase anti-oxidant effect, regulate cell cycle and increase sensitivity to radiotherapy. This study will provide the useful information on development of herbal medicine having radioprotective effects.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.15-22
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• 2011

Objective : This paper analyzed the research trend of the experiment papers where inflammation was treated based on the oriental herbs among the issued papers of many areas such as oriental medicine and pharmacy, etc. Method : All experiment papers on the oriental herbs have been searched with the keyword of 'inflammation' in the internet sites like KISTI, OASIS, etc., and then they are analyzed on the basis of the effective classification of Korean herbal medicine, the frequency of research on Korean herbal medicine, and so forth. Result & Conclusion : It is presumed that anti-inflammation, the concept of Western Medicine, is related to clearing away heat, the concept of Korean herbal medicine, because it is ascertained that the highest cases is kinds of Korean herbal medicine effectively classified as clearing away heat medicine in the research of anti-inflammation. Also, it is checked that a ginseng is the most researched among the 138 Korean herbal medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.153-173
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to ascertain what should be considered in the "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer" by analyzing the existing guidelines and clinical trials. Methods: The committee searched guidelines and clinical trials about herbal medicine for lung cancer. The searched trials were analyzed in terms of inclusion and exclusion of participants, intervention, comparator, outcomes and trial design. Then, we compared the results of our analysis with the guidelines to identify the issues we will have to consider when making the "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer". Several guidelines for anti-tumor agents and clinical trials with herbal medicine were searched on the national institution homepage. The search terms were as follows: 'lung neoplasm', 'herbal medicine', 'Medicine, Korean traditional', 'Medicine, Chinese Traditional' etc. Results: There was no guideline for clinical trial with herbal medicine for lung cancer. In addition, 7 articles were searched through database searching. All the participants had non-small cell lung cancer. The type of intervention was decoction. Comparators included conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. The outcome measurements used in the studies were quality of life, tumor response, and survival duration, etc. Safety was evaluated by recording adverse events and blood test. Conclusions: Findings were made by reviewing existing guidelines and comparing them with clinical trials for lung cancer and herbal medicinal products. These results will be utilized in the development of "Guideline for Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Lung Cancer".

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.335-343
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• 2020

Background: Zhongyi paste is a traditional Chinese medicine herbal paste that is externally applied to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Methods: An acute foot swelling inflammation model in C57BL/6J mice was established by carrageenan-induced pathogenesis. Zhongyi paste raised the pain threshold and also reduced the degree of swelling in mice with carrageenan-induced foot swelling. Results: Analysis indicated that serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) cytokine levels and PGE₂ levels in the paw tissue of the mice were decreased by Zhongyi paste treatment. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot results showed that Zhongyi paste downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and also downregulated the mRNA expression of PGE₂. At the same time, the Zhongyi paste exerted a stronger effect as an external drug than that of indomethacin, which is an oral drug, and voltaren, which is an externally applied drug. Conclusions: Our results indicated that Zhongyi paste is a very effective drug to reduce inflammatory swelling of the foot, and its mechanism of action is related to regulation of the ERK1/2-COX-2-PGE₂ pathway.