• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.68-77
• /
• 2001

Herbal medicines have been used since ancient times as medicines to treat and relieve the symptoms of many different human diseases. However, so far, relatively few herbal medicines have been evaluated scientifically to prove their safety, potential benefits and effectiveness. This study was conducted to provide the groundwork for improving the current registration regulations for herbal medicines in distinction from synthetic medicines. The study was performed based on the literature research and individual interviews with 5 experts who had extensive experience in registration of herbal medicines. When compared with synthetic drugs, herbal medicines exhibit some marked differences, namely the active principles are frequently unknown, standardization, stability and quality control are not easy, they are usually mixtures of complex compounds. Second, the current regulations for herbal medicines are reviewed by comparison of foreign regulation systems like the one in China. The regulation requirements of herbal medicine in China are in distinction from synthetic drugs. The authors conclude that new registration requirements for the herbal medicines should be changed as follows; the toxicity and efficacy data should be submitted as mixed herbal preparation and the documents and other research on the reproduction and generation toxicity need to be shown for the proof of reproduction and generation toxicity, if needed.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.105-110
• /
• 1999

In our continuing search for new antineoplastic agents from natural products, one hundred and thirty-five herbal drugs were extracted with petroleum ether/ether (1:1), ethyl acetate and methyl alcohol, successively and their cytotoxicities were evaluated against A549 (human lung carcinoma) and SK-OV-3(human ovary adenocarcinoma) cell lines. Among them, fifteen kinds of ether extracts, eighteen kinds of ethyl acetate extracts and seven kinds of methanol extracts showed significant cytotoxic activities (above 70% inhibition) against A549 cell lines at a concentration of $40\;{\mu}g/ml,$ while ten kinds of ether extracts, thirteen kinds of ethyl acetate extracts and six kinds of methanol extracts demonstrated significant cytotoxic activities against SK-OV-3 cell lines at the above same concentration.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.215-223
• /
• 2000

To understand immunopharmacologic effects on Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu, Morindae Officinalis Radix, Cistanches Herba, Curculginis Rhizoma, Epimedii Herba, Eucommiae Cortex, we investigated chinese experimental documents, and we could reach conclusions as follows : 1. The effects on cell-mediated immune system were as follows. 1) The effects on macrophage (1) The herbal medicines promoting to increase the number of WBC in the peripheral blood were Morindae Officinalis Radix, Epimedii Herba and that promoting to reinforce the phagocytic functions of neutrophil was Curculginis Rhizoma. (2) The herbal medicines promoting the phagocytic functions of mononuclear, macrophage were Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu, Cistanches Herba, Eucommiae Cortex. 2) The herbal medicines stimulating the activities of T lymphocytes were Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu, Curculginis Rhizoma, Epimedii Herba, Eucommiae Cortex. 2. The effects on humoral immune system were as follows. 1) The herbal medicines increasing the activity of complement receptor were Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu, Curculginis Rhizoma. 2) The herbal medicines reinforcing immunity of spleen cells were Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu, Cistanches Herba, Epimedii Herba. 3) The herbal medicines promoting proliferation of spleen cells that produce antibody after having been immunized by SRBC were Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu, Cistanches Herba, Epimedii Herba. 3. The herbal medicines, reinforcing immunity on delayed type hypersensitivity were Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu, Cistanches Herba, Eucommiae Cortex. As you know in the many bibliological documents, the studies on the effects of Drugs for Tonifying Yang were started along right lines. Recently the studies on those were accomplished more rapidly and applied many immune diseases. We thought that Drugs for Tonifying Yang could be important immunopotentiators. Therefore we can apply those herbal medicines not only to immune diseases but also inflammatory diseases, senile infirmity and all sorts of tumor.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.69-99
• /
• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to systematically review the effectiveness and safety of traditional herbal medicine treatments for metabolic syndrome (MS) in patients receiving antipsychotic drugs (APs). Methods: We searched 11 domestic and foreign databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using traditional herbal medicines for MS in patients receiving APs. Results: Twenty RCTs conducted in China were included in the analysis. The most common disease among the participants was schizophrenia. Most studies used the 2004 Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) standards as the diagnostic criteria for MS. The most used prescription was Yukultang (Liuyu-tang). The most used herbal material was Pinelliae Rhizoma, followed by Poria, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. Traditional herbal medicines were mostly reported to improve the symptoms of MS. Conclusions: Traditional herbal medicines may be effective in improving the symptoms of MS in patients receiving APs. However, the quality of the included studies was low, and the studies were heterogeneous. Methodologically rigorous clinical studies on traditional herbal medicine treatments for MS in patients receiving APs are needed.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2014

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a permeability glycoprotein also known as multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1). P-gp is an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter that pumps various types of drugs out of cells. These transporters reduce the intracellular concentrations of drugs and disturb drug absorption. The Caco-2 cell permeability assay system is an effective in vitro system that predicts the intestinal absorption of drugs and the functions of enzymes and transporters. Rhodamine-123 (R-123) and digoxin are well-known P-gp substrates that have been used to determine the function of P-gp. Efflux of P-gp substrates by P-gp has been routinely evaluated. To date, a number of herbal medicines have been tested with Caco-2 cell permeability assay system to assess bioavailability. There are growing efforts to find phytochemicals that potentially regulate P-gp function. The Caco-2 cell permeability assay system is a primary strategy to search for candidates of P-gp inhibitors. In this mini review, we have summarized the P-gp modulation by herbal extracts, decoctions or single components from natural products using Caco-2 cell permeability assays. Many natural products are known to regulate P-gp and herbal medicines could be used in combination with conventional drugs to enhance bioavailability.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.279-282
• /
• 2007

The aim of the present study was to investigate the various chemical components present in the cone volatile oil of Cupressus macrocarpa and also determine its antimicrobial activity. Totally 13 compounds were identified with 99.99% by GC-MS analysis. The major compounds identified were terpinene-4-ol (19.42%), dinopol (15.63%), ${\alpha}$-pinene (13.58%), and ${\beta}$-pinene (12.16%). The antimicrobial activity was carried out for the oil and a 2% cream formulation using cup plate method by measuring the zone of inhibition. The gram positive organisms used were Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus cogulans. The gram negative organisms used were Escherichia coli, Kleibseilla pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi. In vitro antifungal studies were also carried out by using organisms, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma lignorum and Cryptococcus neoformans. The standard drugs used were penicillin ($100{\mu}g/mL$), gentamycin ($100{\mu}g/mL$) and griseofulvin ($100{\mu}g/mL$) for gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria and fungi respectively. Both oil and cream formulation showed good activity against fungi than bacteria. This study is being reported for the first time on cone volatile oil of this plant.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.11-19
• /
• 2008

In order to unravel the implication on the Hwang Jahu's, a well-known medical doctor, critique of "HyangYakJibSungBang(鄕藥集成方)"(Compendium of Prescriptions from the Countryside)'s publication, this essay calls for an investigation of socio-economical situations and systematic support for the development of native herbal drugs of that time. In the period of King SeJong various systematic aspects supporting the development and utilization of native herbal drugs were created. In this ambient, Hwang Jahu also dedicated his life in the application of native herbal drugs. Though Hwang strongly recommended the use of native herbal herbs while importing insufficient resources from China. He gave a critique of "HyangYakJibSungBang(鄕藥集成方)"'s publication. Hwang's critique didn't lie on the book itself but on the practicality of this large volume from the public. He insisted more on the necessities of practical and easy accessible books for emergency situations. Throughout the emphasis on wide distribution of compact medical books and the utilization of acupuncture and moxibustion, in part reveals his pragmatic stand.

• CELLMED
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.1.1-1.4
• /
• 2019

In spite of the fact that a variety of unfailing guidelines are existing for the management of hypertension, the problem of inadequate managing of this condition still continues. Several classes of existing antihypertensive drugs are associated with various side-effects. Since ancient times before the advent of anti-hypertensive drugs, this disease has been treated by the prominent classical scholars. Various herbal drugs are being used since ages for the treatment of hypertension and some of them are validated too. Evolvulus alsinoides is also one such herb used in classical literature since ages for various disorders like insanity, anxiety, nervous debility, epilepsy, melancholy, palpitation and many others. This review is to highlight the antihypertensive potential of Evolvulus alsinoides.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.55 no.9
• /
• pp.417-428
• /
• 2022

Herbal medicine, a multi-component treatment, has been extensively practiced for treating various symptoms and diseases. However, its molecular mechanism of action on the human body is unknown, which impedes the development and application of herbal medicine. To address this, recent studies are increasingly adopting systems pharmacology, which interprets pharmacological effects of drugs from consequences of the interaction networks that drugs might have. Most conventional network-based approaches collect associations of herb-compound, compound-target, and target-disease from individual databases, respectively, and construct an integrated network of herb-compound-target-disease to study the complex mechanisms underlying herbal treatment. More recently, rapid advances in high-throughput omics technology have led numerous studies to exploring gene expression profiles induced by herbal treatments to elicit information on direct associations between herbs and genes at the genome-wide scale. In this review, we summarize key databases and computational methods utilized in systems pharmacology for studying herbal medicine. We also highlight recent studies that identify modes of action or novel indications of herbal medicine by harnessing drug-induced transcriptome data.

• Journal of TMJ Balancing Medicine
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.7-14
• /
• 2022

Objectives: Dementia is a disease in which a person maintains a normal intellectual level during the growth period, but has acquired cognitive impairment and personality change. In this study, we tried to check whether the network pharmacology analysis method is useful in the search for herbal medicine resources for the treatment of dementia. Methods: The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) database is a database frequently used in Chinese medicine research. We used the TCMSP to identify herbal medicines and their molecular targets that can be used for dementia by using network pharmacology research methods. Results: It was possible to select 28 types of components that are expected to be active by applying them to the living body, and 75 types of targets that these components act on were secured. In addition, 16 kinds of drugs were identified by checking the drugs containing 28 kinds of ingredients, and it was found that Radix Salviae contained 2 kinds of the selected 28 kinds of ingredients. Conclusions: Through this study, we were able to identify ingredients, drugs, and targets that can be used for basic and clinical research on dementia.