Clinical Assessment of Usefulness, Effectiveness and Safety of Kyejibokryung-hwan on Various Neuropathies

We were to assess clinical effectiveness, safety and usefulness of Kyejibokryung-hwan (KBH), which has been used for Er-hyul similar with vascular or neurologic disorders causing sensory or motor abnormalities. This study is a retrospective single case series. Two hundred ninety five patients were treated with KBH for various neuropathies in our hospital. Of them, 120 cases were excluded because of insufficient medical records or failure to follow up; the remaining 175 were included in the analysis. There were 18 patients with sensory abnormalities and 28 with motor abnormalities after stroke. Of peripheral type, there were 14 with diabetic neuropathy, 12 with carpal tunnel syndrome, 41 with spinal radiculopathies, and 62 with idiopathic neuropathies, for which the effectiveness was assessed as 55.6%, 21.4%, 64.3%, 83.3%, 45.0%, and 56.5%, respectively. Adverse effects including indigestion or diarrhea were seen in 3.4% of the total patients. Taking the effectiveness and the safety together into consideration, the usefulness was assessed as 55.6%, 21.4%, 64.3%, 83.3%, 45.0%, and 54.8% for treating post-stroke sensory and motor abnormalities, diabetic neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, spinal radiculopathies, and idiopathic neuropathies, respectively. In conclusion, we suggest that KBH is a useful herbal medicine for various neuropathies, especially of sensory type.