• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2021

Objective : The purpose of this study is to analyze Korean patients' characteristics, who were concurrently treated with both Korean herbal medicines and Western chemical medicines using nation-wide database. Method : Using the patients sample data (HIRA-NPS 2018) provided by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a group of patients who co-administered Korean herbal and Western medicines was selected, and their basic characteristics, diagnosis, and prescribed chemical medicines were analyzed. Results : Out of the 1,481,921 sample population, 17,629 patients (1.2%) were selected as a concurrent medication group. Compared to the whole sample, the concurrent medication group was composed of more women (65.8% vs. 51.1%), the more elderly people (65 or older years old) (44.5% vs. 14.6%), and the higher prevalence of chronic diseases (49.1% vs. 22.2%). The most frequent diagnosis treated with Western medicines was mental and behavioral disorders, musculoskeletal and circulatory disorders. Frequently used drugs among concurrent medication group were anti-anxiety drugs, gastric ulcer treatment drugs, and senile diseases treatment drugs. Conclusion : The evidence reported in this study is expected to provide herb-drug interaction researchers with important reference to set the priorities of research topics in the future.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.64-70
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• 2021

This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of herbal complex HPL-01 on dextran sodium sulfate(DSS) induced ulcerative colitis in rat. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized and divided into six groups. Five groups, excluding the normal group, were orally administered orally HPL-01(50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) for 21 days, and acute colitis was induced during the last 7 days by 4% DSS in the drinking water. The HPL-01 administered DSS-treated rats exhibited significantly reduced colon macroscopic damage index and increased body weight and colonic length 7 days after DSS treatment. Additionally, these rats showed lower serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 than those treated only with DSS. HPL-01(100 or 200 mg/kg) also attenuated the DSS-induced increase in the number of white blood cells, granulocytes, and mid cells and improved intestinal damage. Taken together, these results suggest that HPL-01 is a promising anti-inflammatory agent that may be in the treatment of colitis.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2013

Objectives : To evaluate the safety of KOB, a polyherbal medicine for allergic rhinitis, we conducted a subchronic toxicology study. Methods : Dried extract of KOB(Lot. No. 11003, yield : 41.1%) was prepared from GLP company (Hanpoong Pharm & Food Co., Ltd). KOB was repeatedly administrated orally of male SD rats at daily dose levels of 500 (G2), 1250 (G3) and 5000 (G4) mg/kg/day for 13 weeks. We recorded the clinical signs of toxicity, body weight, food intake/consumption, optometry, urine analysis, organ weights, hematology, and conducted serum biochemical analysis, necropsy, gross and histological changes in target organs of Sprague-Dawley rats, and clinical chemistry analysis. Results : Neither death nor any toxicological signs were obserbed in KOB at all doses of 500, 1250 and 5000 mg/kg/day during the administration period for thirteen-week. Furthermore, there was no difference in body weight and food-take consumption, optometry, necropsy, organ weight, gross pathological findings, and urine analysis among the groups of rats treated with different doses of KOB, during at the observation period for thirteen-week. The hematological analysis and clinical blood chemistry data were revealed no toxic effects from repeated-dose administration of KOB in rats during the observation period. Conclusions : Based on these results, the no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) of KOB was considered to be 5000 mg/kg/day for male rats under these study conditions.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.28-41
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• 2023

Objectives: This study was aimed to evaluate the hemodynamic feasibility using pulse parameters as a way to establish safe dose guidelines for herbal prescription containing Ephedra herb (Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey) on weight loss, and to provide a foundation for developing evidence-based guidelines for clinical use. Methods: Forty-two volunteers were recruited to participate in a study examining the changes in pulse wave characteristics following the ingestion of Gambi-hwan, a herbal prescription containing ephedra, over a period of 4 weeks, and pulse wave measurements were taken before and after the administration. Pulse wave parameters were measured in this study using a 3-dimensional radial pulse tonometry device (DMP-Lifeplus). In addition, questionnaire, blood pressure, temperature, and body composition were also measured as secondary measures. Results: Fifteen minutes after administration of Gambi-hwan, the non-adverse event group (non-AE) exhibited a statistically significant increase in several power and pressure-related parameters, including h1, h5, systolic area, pulse area, and pulse width, while the AE group showed a trend of decreasing stroke volume and increasing Radial Augmentation Index (RAI), w, and w/t. After 4 weeks of administration, both groups exhibited significant changes in pulse rate, w/t, RAI, t3/t, stroke volume (SV), and stroke volume Index (SVI). Notably, there are significant differences between AE group and non-AE group in w/t, SV, and SVI. Conclusions: These findings suggest that pulse parameters may be a useful way to establish safe dosing guidelines for weight loss herbal prescription containing ephedra. Further research is needed to confirm these results and to develop evidence-based guidelines for clinical use.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.189-200
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the current state of quantitative literature evidence for the prescription of 56 herbal medicines covered by health insurance that have been studied in Korea for the past 30 years, to evaluate the reliability of the evidence, and to find out the research direction of herbal medicine prescription in the future. Methods: 56 kinds of herbal medicine prescriptions were searched in domestic literature search databases OASIS, DBpia, and overseas PubMed, classified into chemistry, toxicity, cells, animals, clinical cases, and clinical trial studies, and built into an EBM pyramid structure. Results: When classified according to research contents, there were 61 cases (7.5%) of physicochemical analysis to identify constituent substances, 80 cases (9.8%) of toxicity evaluation, and 672 cases (82.7%) of efficacy evaluation. The efficacy evidence was classified according to the evidence-based medical pyramid structure: 196 cell trials (29.1%), 372 animal trials (55.4%), 89 case and case reporting series (13.3%), 7 comparative case studies (1.1%), and 8 randomized control clinical trials (1.2%). In the pyramid composition, the basis for the validity of 56 kinds of herbal medicines prescribed was 568 cases (84.5%) in cell and animal units, which could not be said to be highly reliable. There was no relationship between the ranking of quantitative literature evidence for herbal medicine prescriptions and the ranking of salary administration. Conclusions: In an era that continues to require scientific evidence for herbal medicine, traditional herbal medicine should secure the basis for safety validity even for the 10th most frequent prescription among 56 herbal medicine prescriptions for consumers. In particular, traditional herbal medicine should increase the quantitative and qualitative level of case reports on related herbal medicine prescriptions, focusing on each clinical society, and move toward comparative case studies and randomized clinical trial so that traditional herbal medicine is positioned as Evidence-based medicine.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.495-508
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• 1995

In order to search for anti-HSV agents from natural complex products, we extended the number of specimens. Both methanol extract and boiling water extract of the natural complex products were screened to detect anti-HSV activity by MTT assay. Anti-HSV activities of thirteen natural complex products extracted by methanol and boiling water were screened. Three of 13 natural complex products extracted by methanol showed efficacy against HSV. Natural complex products showing anti-HSV activities as methanol extracts were No.3, 6, 11 and their Sl were 323.809, 2811.041 and 708.20. As water boiling extracts, No.8 and No.11 have displayed Sl of 16.45 and 60.39 respectively. Especially anti-HSV activities of natural complex products extracted by methanol No.6 was stronger than other ones.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.277-287
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• 1998

The present study is designed that the herb medicines which are returned to kidney, pancreas and are known by efficacy in growth are supplied to pigs, thereafter the effects to growth and secretion of growth hormone in serum is investigated. For this purpose the 24 days old pigs, which are crossbreeding, castrated are used. The conclusions are that after 4 weeks' supply of herb medicinal compounds, pigs' weight gain has increased in low nutritional group with statistical meaning(p〈0.05). And one day's weight gain has increased with statistical meaning(p〈0.05) in all groups. Regarding food take, the second nutritional group has more significant increase than control group. Utilization rate of nutrition doesn't have any statistical meaning in all groups, but it has the tendency that as herb medicinal compounds are added, utilization rate of nutrition is increased. Increase of vertebra lengths and level of growth hormone in serum according to supply of herb medicinal compound don't have any statistical meaning because of small sample size, but 10 - 20 % increase of vertebra lengths and 10 - 30 % increase of level of growth hormone are observed.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.759-763
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• 2013

This experiment was performed to investigate whether 50% ethanol extracts of the combined-preparation of Longanae Arilus, Chrysanthemi Flos, Zizyphi Fructus and Ginseng Radix alba (CPE) has hypnotic effects and/or enhances pentobarbital-induced sleeping time. Locomotor activity was evaluated using a ambulometer of tilting-type. The sedative-hypnotic effects were evaluated by measuring the sleeping onset time and sleeping time in pentobarbital-treated mice 30 min. after oral administration of CPE and muscimol. The intracellular $Cl^-$ concentration of cerebellar granule cells was estimated using $Cl^-$ sensitive fluorescence probe N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium (MQAE). CPE (150 mg/kg) decreased the locomotor activity, but CPE itself did not induce sleep. However, CPE reduced sleeping onset and prolonged sleeping time induced by pentobarbital (42 mg/kg). In addition, CPE (2 ${\mu}g/ml$) and pentobarbital (2.5 ${\mu}M$) itself did not affect on the chloride influx in primary cultured cerebellar granule cells, but the combination of CPE and pentobarbital (2.5 ${\mu}M$) increased the chloride influx onto the cells. In conclusion, it is suggested that CPE might augment pentobarbital-induced sleep through the increase of chloride influx.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2001

For treating various conditions of the psychosomatic disease, not only psychotropic drugs but also drugs used in internal medicine or other than psychiatric fields would be applied. So psychiatrists who are interested in psychosomatic medicine should make expanded knowledges of those medicine. And modalities of drug treatment should be modified according to the characteristics of illness behavior and disease concept which the patient have. Some drugs used in complementary medicine could be applied to the psychosomatic illness. For example, herbs and/or aromas which have some effects without serious adverse reactions could be used carefully to the patient. And the mode of action and efficacies of them should be evaluated by doctors.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.124-130
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• 2008

Herbal plants or traditional Oriental medicine have been considered as a potential resource of new drug development worldwide. However, traditional Korean medicine has given little effort to the field of new drug development. This study reports on a plant-derived hepatotherapeutic drug, silymarin, which has been popularly used in many countries. It was discovered as an active compound from Silybum marianum (milk thistle) which has been known as a medicinal plant having hepatoprotective properties in both European and Asian countries. While it has been used as an herbal prescription in Asia, its active compounds or scientific mechanisms were intensively studied in Europe. Currently, silymarin is one of the most powerful herbal extracts in the world, and its usage is being expanded to many other medical purposes. This report would be helpful for providing an informative example of herbal-derived drug development to Oriental doctors or scientists in the Oriental medicinal field.