• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.165-171
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• 2006

For several thousand years, Korean ginseng has been used as a medicinal herb in the oriental countries. Korea is the ginseng suzerain and, for that reason, the ginseng as a special crop in Korea has been exported to the world market since the era of the three Kingdoms. Hong Kong is the pivot of ginseng import from all of the world. In 1970s, Korea ginseng had a high market share (about 30%) in Hong Kong. However, recently, the market share of Korean ginseng in Hong Kong has been significantly reduced due to the mass production from China and Canada. Besides, America with aggressive marketing strategy takes the leadership in the international ginseng market in Hong Kong. Therefore, it is necessary for Korea to know and understand world ginseng market condition and situation in Hong Kong. The objective of this study is to identify the actual import situation at international ginseng market in Hong Kong. This study analyzed the ginseng import demand model which effected by several price variables from major importing countries at the international ginseng market in Hong Kong. The findings of this study show that the import price of Korean ginseng has an effect on the quantity of ginseng imported from other countries in Hong Kong. In addition, the quantity of ginseng imported from Korea in Hong Kong is influenced by the import price of ginseng from other countries. In conclusion, Korean ginseng plays an important role at the international ginseng market in Hong Kong.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.157-161
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding dried Thymus vulgaris powder (TVP) on the layer performance, egg quality and egg yolk fatty acid composition. Two hundred eighty eight, 35 weeks old Brown nicks were allocated in the cage for five TVP (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0%) diets with four replicates in each treatment. Each basal diet contained 16.0% CP and 2,800 kcal/kg ME and supplied to layers for 8 weeks. Egg production and egg weight were not statistically different but numerically increased in birds fed 2.0% TVP than other treatments. Egg mass was not consistent depending on the TVP addition levels in diets. Feed intake was significantly lower in TVP addition treatments than the control (p<0.05), however, feed conversion was not significantly differed among control and treatments (p<0.05). Dietary addition of 2.0% TVP showed high values on albumin height, Haugh unit and egg yolk color and they are 7.93, 86.79 and 7.20, respectively (p<0.05). Palmitic and arachidonic acids were remarkably lowered when 2.0% TVP added to basal diets and then fed to birds for 8 weeks, in contrast, significantly higher linolenic acid composition was determined in birds fed 2.0% TVP (p<0.05). As the results, the highest unsaturated fatty composition and UFA/SFA ratio were observed in 2.0% TVP treatment as compared to those of control and other treatments. Therefore, the results indicate that the Thymus vulgaris powder addition to basal diet tended to have positive effects on egg quality and egg yolk fatty acids composition, and the optimum addition of Thymus vulgaris powder may be 2.0%.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.185-191
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the effects of immune cell activation and the antitumor effect for the combination of treatment with X-irradiation and E/eutherococcus senticosus Maxim Root (ESMR) on mouse tumor cells. Materials and Methods: ESMR (250g) was extracted with 80% methanol, concentrated under decompression and lyophilized. To determine whether ESMR is able to activate the immune cells or not, the proliferation of splenocytes in vitro and the number of B cells and T cells in splenic lymphocytes in ESMR-pretreated mice were evaluated. X-irradiation was given to the mouse fibrosarcoma tumor cells (FSa II) by 250 kv X-irradiation machine. The cytotoxicity of ESMR was evaluated from its ability to reduce the clonogenecity of FSa II cells. In X-irradiation alone group, each 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy was given to FSa II cells. In X-irradiation with ESMR group, 0.2 mg/ml of ESMR was exposed to FSa II cells for 1 hour before X-irradiation. Results: The proliferation of cultured mouse splenocytes and thymocytes were enhanced by the addition of ESMR in vitro. The number of B cells and T cells in mouse splenic lymphocytes was significantly increased in ESMR pretreated mice in vivo. In FSa II cells that received a combination of 0.2 mg/ml of ESMR with X-irradiation exposure, the survival fraction with a dose of 2, 4 and 6 Gy was $0.39{\pm}0.005$, $0.22{\pm}0.005$ and $0.06{\pm}0.007$, respectively. For FSa II cells treated with X-irradiation alone, the survival fraction with a dose of 2, 4 and 6 Gy was $0.76{\pm}0.02$, $0.47{\pm}0.008$ and $0.37{\pm}0.01$. The difference in the survival fraction of the mouse FSa II cells treated with and without ESMR was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Treatment with ESMR increased cell viability of mouse splenocytes in vitro and especially the subpopulation of B cells and T cells in splenocytes in ESMR-pretreated mice. However, treatment with ESMR did not increase the level of Th and Tc subpopulations in the thymocytes. Treatment with the combination of ESMR and X-irradiation was more cytotoxic to mouse tumor cells than treatment with X-irradiation alone; this finding was statistically significant.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.329-335
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• 2014

Sophora flavescens, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Dictamnus dasycarpus have been widely used in folk medicine for several inflammatory disorders in Korea and China. In this study, we compared the anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanol extracts of S. flavescens (EESF), G. uralensis (EEGU) and D. dasycarpus (EEDS), and their mixtures (medicinal herber mixtures, MHMIXs) on production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Our data indicated that treatment with EESF, EEGU and EEDD significantly inhibited the excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. The ethanol extracts and MHMIXs also attenuated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-$1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) by suppressing their protein expression, respectively. Interestingly, MHMIX-1, which basic ingredients are EESF, EEGU and EEDS in the proportion 3:1:1, more safely and effectively inhibits the LPS-induced inflammatory status in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages compared to ethanol extracts of each medicinal herb and other MHMIXs without causing any cytotoxic effects. Our study provides scientific evidence to support that a berbal mixture, MHMIX-1 may be useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases by inhibiting inflammatory regulator responses in activated macrophages.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.851-859
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• 2014

The present study was designed to investigate whether ethanol extracts of Sophora flavescens (GS), Glycyrrhiza uralensis (GC), Dictamnus dasycarpus (BSP), and their mixtures (GGB-1, -2, -3, and -4) inhibit 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD) in a mouse model. DNCB was topically applied on the dorsal surface of Balb/c mice to induce AD-like skin lesions. The pathological phenotypes of AD, such as erythema, ear thickness, edema, scabs, and discharge, were significantly decreased in the GGB (DNCB + GS:GC:BSP = 3:1:1 mixture)-1-treated groups compared with the other treated groups. The weight of the spleen in immune organs was significantly decreased in the GGB-1-treated groups, whereas the weight of the liver in a control group was similar to that of the groups treated with the samples. Furthermore, toluidine blue staining analysis, a method used to specifically identify mast cells, showed that master cell infiltration into the dermis of the GGB-1-treated group was significantly decreased. The immunoglobulin E concentration was lower in the GGB-1-treated group. In addition, the levels of inflammatory cytokines (interferon-${\gamma}$, interleukin-1, 4, 5, 6, and 13, $1{\beta}$, and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$) were also significantly reduced in the GGB-1-treated group. Taken together, these results suggest that a mixture of GS, GC, and BSP in a proportion of 3:1:1 (GGB-1) may contribute to the relief of AD symptoms and may be considered an excellent candidate for an AD therapeutic drug.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.442-449
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• 2017

We analyzed the content of total phenolic and silymarin compounds of Cirsium japonicum (CJ), and its antioxidant activities and Liver protective effects were compared with those of Silybum marianum (SM). The total phenolic content in the aerial part ($97.22{\pm}5.51mg/g$) of CJ is higher than that in the underground part ($85.32{\pm}3.06mg/g$). The total silymarin content of CJ was 55.56% of SM, with the underground part ($0.47{\pm}0.03mg/g$) having higher content than the aerial part ($0.18{\pm}0.02mg/g$). The antioxidant activity of CJ was generally slightly lower than that of milk thistle, and the underground part of CJ generally had higher activity compared to the aerial part. When CJ extracts were processed at 1 mg/ml, DPPH activities were $83.76{\pm}0.60$ and $88.28{\pm}0.17%$, and FRAP activities were $77.63{\pm}0.70$ and $82.83{\pm}0.39%$ for extracts from aerial part and underground part, respectively. ABTS activities were $68.60{\pm}1.24$ and $63.41{\pm}0.57%$ for underground and aerial part respectively when extracts were processed at 0.1 mg/ml. The Liver protective effects of CJ were higher in the extracts from underground part compared to the aerial part, Liver cells were damaged by treating them with t-BHP, $H_2O_2$ and Ethanol, and then they were treated with 0.2 mg/ml CJ extracts. The survival rates of the damaged liver cells were $49.58{\pm}0.34$, $76.87{\pm}1.10$ and $71.73{\pm}0.58%$ respectively, which were higher than the cells not treated with extracts.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.382-391
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• 2016

The purpose of this experiment was designed to investigate the effects of medicinal herbs (MH) extracts on dementia induced by trimethyltin chloride (TMT) in rats. Six-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups; normal group (group 1), control group (group 2), MH extracts group (250, 500 mg/kg) (group 3, group 4) and positive control group (tacrine group, group 5). In the control group to induce dementia, a 2.5 mg/kg of TMT intraperitoneal injection was used for 14 days (1 per day) in the rats. In the MH extracts group 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of MH extracts were medicated in an oral inoculation for 20 days (1 per day). After 30 minutes, a 2.5 mg/kg of TMT intraperitoneal injection, which causes dementia, was used for 14 days (1 per day). In the positive control group (Tacrine group) 10 mg/kg of Tacrine, the dementia treatment, was medicated in an oral inoculation. After 30 mintues, 1 mg/kg of TMT intraperitoneal injection, which causes dementia, was used for 14 days (1 per day). The present author observed the passive avoidance performance test, and memory ability test (Y maze test), the values of MDA, acetlycholinesterase (AchE) activity in the brain and antioxidant enzyme in serum. MH extracts significantly improved memory of AD model rats in the Y-maze test, and also significantly improved memory of AD model rats in the passive avoidance test. MH extracts significantly reduced AChE activity, and significantly increased the SOD level, but not catalase and MDA. From the results above, MH extracts is thought to be effective in the improvement of antioxidant enzymes and memory ability.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.283-292
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• 2004

This study was conducted to investigate feeding effects of the high pressure boiled extracts (HPBE) of the Ogol chicken with herbs on glucose, hormones and immunological response (cytokine, specific antibody) of serum in the rat which fed either with normal feed (T$_1$), normal feed + herb HPBE (T$_2$), normal feed + Ogol chicken HPBE (T$_3$), normal feed + mixture of cross-bred Ogol chicken HPBE (T$_4$) hydrolyzed with Flavourzyme 0.1% for 35 days. During experimental period, there was a weak trend to have a higher glucose content for the T$_4$ group with 102.27${\pm}$5.95 mg/dL, but it was not significantly higher than other treatments. For insulin level, T$_1$ group showed numerically a slightly higher level with 6.79${\pm}$4.64 ${\mu}$IU/mL, but the difference was not significant in statistic term due likely to a large variation in comparison with other treatments. The treatments did not significantly alter testosterone level in rat plasma with 1.09, 1.46, 0.98, 1.13 ng/mL in T$_1$, T$_2$, T$_3$ and T$_4$, respectively. T$_4$ treatment increased the aldosterone level to a significantly (p<0.05) higher level (273.33 ng/dL) than other treatments. The extract treated rat showed a tendency in the cortisol level of lower levels than the control group, particularly, it was significantly (p<0.05) lower in T$_3$ group than other groups. T$_3$ and T$_4$ groups showed higher levels for interlukin-4 (IL-4) and anti-BSA IgG in immune cells and plasma. T$_2$, T$_3$ and T$_4$ treatments showed a slightly higher levels in v-interferon (INF-r) than the control, with a greater effect for T4 treatments. These results suggested that HPBE of the cross-bred Ogol chicken hydrolyzed with Flavourzyme increased immunological activity and decreased the concentration of cortisol and aldosterone hormones.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2002

The biological activities of immune modulating activities of the extracts from Echinacea purpurea, Chrysanthmum indicum L. and Circium japonicum var. ussuriense KITAMURA were compared. About 70% of the growth of human hepatocarcinoma and 80% of human gastric cancer cell was inhibited in adding 0.5mg/ml of the ethanol extracts of Echinacea purpurea, Chrysanthmum indicum L. and Circium japonicum var. ussuriense KITAMURA, respectively. The growth of human breast cancer cells was also inhibited in adding 0.5mg/ml of the extracts as well as 60% of the human cancer cells. It was proved that the growth of human normal lung cell, scored as 15% for the extracts. Overall selectivity of the extracts on several human cancer cell line was over 3, which is higher than those from the conventional herbs. The growth of both human immune B and T cells was enhanced up to 1.4 to 2.0 times by adding the extracts, compared to the controls. The secretion of tumor necrosis $factor-alpha(TNF-{\alpha})$ from T cell was also increased up to 94 pg/ml in adding the Echinacea purpurea ethanol extract (0.5mg/ml). Circium japonicum var. ethanol extract also increased up to about 96 pg/ml of interleukin-6(IL-6) from B cell.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.125-136
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• 1998

This study is on the etiological factors of the obesity, symptoms of a disease caused by the etiological factors and the method of medical treatment resulted from symptoms of a disease, it is based on Dong-Yi Bo Gam. The conclusion of this study is as follows. 1. The final metabolic of fat is depend on the defensive energy. The shape of fatty layer is changed by the point where the defensive energy is replenish or not. So 'Goin(暠人)' 'Bein(肥人)' and 'Yuckin(肉人)' is made a discriminated and there is defferent between 'Besudaeso(肥瘦大小)' and 'Herlqidaso(血氣多少)'. 2. Etiological factors of obesity is ; essential substance from cereals overcome the primodial energy, spleen and stomach are strong at once, spleen and stomach are weak at once, spleen is disturbed by evil energy, retention of phlegm and fluid, muscle is weak, blood is excess but energy (qi)is weak, hua-sid(華食) eating the sweat food very often, a rich fatty diet. 3. To investigate each syndrome as etiological factons, essential substance from cereals overcome primodial energy is divided into two case: one is the food increase itself because of the weakness of stomach energy (qi), the other is not to digest the food because liver overact spleen by seven emotion. The obesity because of strengthen of the spleen and stomach at once do not feel hungry very well and spleen and stomach do not damaged easily by overacting. The obesity because of weakness of spleen and stomach at once, and disturbace in spleen cause by evil energy, gain the weight even if they eat food a little. Also it is hard to move four limbs. Weakness of muscle is weakness of spleen and stomach. Weakness of muscle is caused by weakness of spleen and stomach. That is the case of faining the weight because of eating food with an empty stomach. The obsity caused by retention of fluid has intestine rumbling and gain the weight suddenly. 4. The method of medical treatment fallowing to the etiological factors: The food is inclined to increase itself caused by weakness of stomach energy, In case of the obseity caused by this phenomenon. We can use Decoction for Reinforcing Middle wanner and Replenishing Qi(補中益氣湯), five tastes il-going-san(左味異功散) and so on. The method of medical treatment on obsity caused by strengthen of spleen and stomach is not referred yet. But we must investigate about using peptic powder(平胃散), ji-chul-huan(枳朮丸) for strengthen of stomach qi (胃氣). If the obesity appear caused by weakness of spleen and stomach and disturbance in spleen as to evil energy, and in the same time stomach qi is weak, we can use li-gong san(異功散). If not only obesity but also indigestion, we can use Decoction for naurishing the stomach and promotion eating(養胃進食湯). If not only obesity but also weakness of spleen and stomach, we can use Decoction for Reinforcing Middle warmer and replenishing Qi(補中益氣湯). The energy being weak, we can use Decoction for six noble drugs(六君子湯). If the obesity appear because of retention of fluid, we can use sin-chul-huan(神朮丸). On the obesit, caused by excess of blood and weakness of qi(血管氣虛), there is not method of mectical treatment yet, but the method of medical treatment that we count of first important maybe to invigorate the spleen and the lung qi and to disperse and recitify the depressed liver energy(疏肝利氣). The method of medical treament about the obesity caused by a rich fatty diet is not mentioned yet, but it is important to improve the lifestyle of food and we think that invigorate the spleen, and the lung-qi(補疏肝氣) and disperse and recitify the depressed liver-energy (??肝利機) amy count of first important. 5.There is useful medicine for weight down for example Herb tea(茶), red bean, wax gourd, etc. 6.The etiological factors of the obesity that revive frequently is weakness of qi(氣虛), from 形成氣衰, deficiency of yang, hasty of qi, damp and so on. The symptoms and sign of a disease that revive frequently to the obesity is appoplexia(中風), leucorrhea, reddish and whitish turbid, feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen, diabetes and so on.