• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.18-24
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• 2011

Objective: Leejung-tang (Rechu-to in Japanese) is a traditional Korean herbal formula used for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders such as vomiting, stomach pain, chronic gastritis and gastrointestinal ulceration. The present study was carried out to investigate the potential acute toxicity of Leejung-tang water extract (LJT) by a single oral dose in Crl:CD (SD) rats in compliance with current guidelines. Methods: In the preliminary study, there were no adverse effects such as death, clinical signs, and body weight changes at dose levels of 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg/day body weight. Based on the results, a dose of 2000 mg/kg was selected as the toxicological limited dose. LJT was administered once by gavage to male and female rats at dose levels of 0 and 2000 mg/kg bodyweight. During the study period, mortalities, clinical findings, and body weight changes were observed for 14 days following the administration. On day 14 after the treatment, the animals were sacrificed by carbon dioxide overdose and complete gross postmortem examinations were performed. Results: In present study, no treatment-related deaths were observed. There were no adverse effects on clinical signs and body weight changes. In addition, there were no observed gross findings in all groups except for a kidney cyst in the 2000 mg/kg/day female group. Conclusion: The results indicated that LJT did not induce toxic effects at a dose level up to 2000 mg/kg in rats and its median lethal dose ($LD_{50}$) was considered to be over 2000 mg/kg/day body weight for both genders.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.388-393
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• 2009

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been implicated in the development of diabetic complications. The AGEs inhibitors or cross-link breakers attenuate various functional and structural manifestations of diabetic complications. In this study, 64 herbal medicines from China and Vietnam have been investigated with an in vitro evaluation system using AGEs inhibitory activity. Of these, eight herbal medicines ($IC_{50}$<50 ${\mu}g$/ml) were found to have strong AGEs inhibitory activity compared with aminoguanidine (14 days, $IC_{50}$=75.98 ${\mu}g$/ml; 28 days, $IC_{50}$=88.27 ${\mu}g$/ml). Particularly, four herbal medicines, Buddleja officinalis (whole plant), Syzygium cuminii (leaf), Eugenia caryophyllate (seed), and Paeonia suffruticosa (root) showed more potent inhibitory activity (approximately 5-6 fold) than the positive control aminoguanidine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.90-99
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• 2011

Objectives: Comparison of the status of herbal medicine management carried out by traditional Korean medicine hospitals and clinics, and changes in the prices of the herbal medicines offered by them. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted for 126 traditional Korean medicine hospitals and 4,200 traditional Korean medicine clinics. Questionnaire sheets were dispatched to them by mail in 2008. Rate of response: 57 hospitals (45.2%) and 465 clinics (11.0%) Results: 1. Concerning the herbal medicines kept by them, the hospitals and the clinics kept 295 and 147 kinds of medicine, respectively, on average. As for their monthly expenditure on the purchase of herbal medicines, the hospitals spent an average of KRW 28.38 million while the clinics spent an average of KRW 1.64 million. 2. The average monthly expenditure of the clinics on the purchase of herbal medicines decreased by 32% from 2006, which can be interpreted as a reduction of their business. 3. The prices of herbal medicines for disease treatment ranged from KRW 140,000~190,000 per jae(dosage form) in the hospitals compared to KRW 140,000~168,000 in the clinics. 4. Compared to 1994, the prices of herbal medicines used for disease treatment have risen, whereas the prices of herbal medicines used as tonics have decreased. Conclusions: There are no conspicuous differences between the hospitals and the clinics in terms of the prices charged for herbal medicines, regardless of whether they are used to treat diseases or prescribed as tonics.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.31-55
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• 2021

Objectives This study was designed to review the effect of herbal medicine on animal model and patients with osteoporosis. Methods The databases in Korea and overseas were searched with term as osteoporosis, Chinese medicine, Korean medicine, herbal medicine. Among the results, we reviewed studies published in 2011 to 2020. 420 articles were primarily selected and after processing through flowchart, finally 72 studies were selected. Results Above 72 studies, 71 studies showed that the herbal medicine was effective on treating osteoporosis, using macroscopical, osteological, histological, hematological analysis and urinalysis. Conclusions Using herbal medicine for treating osteoporosis is effective in various pathways. But further study should be conducted to clarify its treatment mechanisms and effectiveness.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.197-206
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• 2009

Objective : This study was designed to research the effect of the korean traditional herbal medicine and oriental psychotheraphy on globus hytericus and swallowing difficulty caused by conversion disorder. Methods : A 10 years old male patient suffer from globus sensation and swallowing difficulty for 2 months. We treated him with the korean traditional herbal medicine(Banhahubak-tang) and oriental psychotheraphy for 27 days. Results : After this treatment, globus sensation and swallowing difficulty were decreased and appetite were increased. In addition, compulsion had been severe and it was improved after this treatment. Conclusions : Psychiatrists have reported that conversion disorder is not common in children especially under 10 years old. Globus hystericus, dysphagia is symptoms of conversion disoder but globus hystericus is very rare in childhood. In this case, we recognized that the korean traditional herbal medicine and oriental psychotheraphy could be effective for the clinical symptoms of globus hystericus and swallowing difficulty.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.47-59
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• 2014

Objectives: Most drug interactions are attributed to the inhibition or induction of the activity of cytochrome P450s (CYP450). Although the regulation of CYP450s by drugs has been widely reported, there have been few studies on influence of traditional herbal formulas on the drug-metabolizing enzymes. Because herbal formulas have been used traditionally to treat various diseases and because herb-drug interactions are crucial factors determining therapeutic efficacies, a systematic evaluation of the effects of herbal formulas is important. Methods: The effects of Galgeun-tang (GGT, gegen tang), Gumiganghwal-tang (GMGHT, jiuweiqianghuo tang), Insampaedok-san (ISPDS, renshenbaidu powder), Samsoeum (SSE, shensu drink), Socheongryong-tang (SCRT, xiaoqinglong-tang) and Sosiho-tang (SSHT, xiaochaihu tang) that are traditional herbal formulas used to treat common cold, on drug-metabolizing enzymes were evaluated through an in vitro CYP3A4, CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and CYP2E1 inhibition assay to assess its interaction potential with synthetic drugs. The inhibitory effects of herbal formulas were characterized with $IC_{50}$ values. Results: These six herbal formulas inhibited the activities of CYP3A4, 2C19, 2D6 and 2E1, in a concentration-dependent manner. Among the six herbal formulas, GGT critically inhibited CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP2E1. GMGHT also inhibited CYP2D6 and CYP2E1 to a greater extent than the other CYP450 isozymes. Additionally, SSE and SSHT may change the effects of medicines that depend primarily on the CYP2C19 and CYP2E1 pathways. On the other hand, ISPDS and SCRT were not inhibited CYP3A4, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP2E1-mediated metabolism. Conclusions: These findings provide useful information regarding the safety and effectiveness of herbal formulas.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1 s.69
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• pp.117-125
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was to assess the Traditional chinese medicine forecast subjects that had been expected to be accomplished over 20 year (1990-2010). The result will help Korea medical society to compare the status of Korean Medicine with that of Traditional Chinese Medicine and to plan for polices and studies on Korean Traditional Medicine. Methods : Assessed targets were the subjects selected by the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, which are classified into 6 fields. These were assigned by the quantity of related theses. Reference source is CAJ（China academic Journal) of CNKI (China National Knowledge infrastructure). Results : 1) Forecast subject ratio by field was basic theory 31% / clinical research 17% / Chinese herbal drug 17% / acupuncture and moxa 17% / Tui-na(推拿) and Qi-gong(氣功) 9% / medical information, literature history 6%. 2) Accomplishment percentage (full accomplishment) by field was medical information, literature, history 60% / basic theory 50% / acupuncture and moxa 46% Tui-na(推拿) and Qi-gong(氣功) 38% / chinese herbal drug 25% / clinical research 23%. Conclusions : 78% of all forecast subjects were accomplished or partially accomplished. According to 'accomplishment percentage by field', while those in the medical information, literature, history field were most realized of all, those in the clinical research field were least realized.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.52-60
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• 2016

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze studies about the effects of topical application of Chinese herbal medicine for allergic rhinitis within randomized controlled trials (RCT). Methods The search database includes KJTK (Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal), OASIS (Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated system), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), PubMed, and EMBASE. We used the following key search terms: "allergic rhinitis", "traditional Chinese medicine", "traditional Korean medicine", "Chinese herbal medicine", "randomized controlled trial", "clinical study", "nasal spray", and "nasal drop" Results Five studies were selected for analysis. Three studies used nasal spray of Chinese herbal medicine and two studies used nasal drops of Chinese herbal medicine for the intervention. Frequently used herbs were Magnoliae Flos (辛夷), Scutellariae Radix (黃芩), Coptidis Rhizoma (黃連), and Astragali Radix (黃芪). For the outcome measures, studies used symptom score, questionnaire of Quality of Life, nasal airway resistance, or laboratory studies. From all 5 studies, it has been shown that topical application of Chinese herbal medicine was effective for improving symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Two out of five studies showed statistical difference between study group and control group. Conclusions This study shows that topical application of Chinese herbal medicine can improve symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Well-designed RCT studies with low risk of bias and studies with outcome measures for assessing the immunomodulatory effects are necessary to confirm these findings.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2008

Objective : This study was designed to analyze the herbal medicine case-control studies of tic disorder in traditional chinese medicine. Method : For this study, we searched the studies on tic disorder, which had been published 2007, through web-site CNKI(中國知識基魔設施工程) http://www.cnki.net). There were 15 herbal medicine case-control studies and we focused on those studies. Results: 1. DSM-IV(7 studies), CCMD(5 studies) and ICD-10(3 studies) were frequently used in the diagnosis of tic disorder. 2. Paeonia radix alba, Uncariae ramulus et uncus and Glycyrrhizae radix were frequently used in treatment. Moreover Scorpio, Gastrodiae rhizoma, Pinelliae rhizoma and so on were used. 3. Treatment results were assessed by improvement of symptom, YGTSS and so on. 4. Herbal medicine treatment was more effective than western medicine treatment in most studies, and side effects of herbal medicine were far less than those of western medicine. Conclusion : There have been reported many herbal medicine treatment studies of tic disorder in traditional chinese medicine. We believe that these studies can be applied to the clinical practices in Korean medicine.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Objective: The study aimed to review all randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) performed in Korea with herbal medicine, to produce further useful information for herbal-drug development. Methods: All papers reporting RCT with herbal drugs were collected via public database of Korea Science and Technology Integration Services, and various Oriental medicine journals. Then, the clinical question, herbal medicine, result, RCT design, and its conductor were analyzed. Results: A total of 20 RCTs were finally selected, and most of them were performed after 2003. The main subjects of RCT were related to heart and blood circulation, dermatitis, respiration disorder, Sasang constitution, or psychiatric disorders. Eight RCTs were done with a single herb while 12 RCTs were with multiple herbal formulae. In particular, three RCTs for atopic dermatitis with three formulae showed positive results. The quality of RCT was considered as better than average. Conclusions: This study revealed the current status of RCT using herbal drugs. This result would provide helpful information for research and drug development using traditional herbal medicine.