• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.48-52
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• 2012

Objective: This study was performed to analyze the single-dose toxicity of Aconitum kusnezoffii Reichb. pharmacopuncture (AKRP). Methods: All experiments were conducted at the Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTRI), an institute authorized to perform non-clinical studies, under the regulations of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). Twenty (20) Sprague-Dawley rats were chosen for the pilot study. The animals were divided into four groups of five animals per group: group 1 (G1) being the control group with each animal receiving an injection of 0.3 ml of saline and groups 2, 3, and 4 (G2, G3, and G4) being the experimental groups with each animal receiving an injection of 0.1, 0.2 or 0.3 ml of AKRP, respectively. This study was conducted with the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. Results: No deaths occurred in any of the 4 groups, and the $LD_{50}$ of AKRP administered via IV was higher than 1.77 ml/kg. Some changes in the weights of the male rates were observed between the control group and the experimental groups, but no significant differences were noted in the weights of the female rats. To check for abnormalities in organs and tissues, we stained representative sections of each specified organ with Hematoxylin & Eosin for light microscopic examination. The results showed no significant differences in any of the organs or tissues. Conclusions: The above findings suggest that Aconitum kusnezoffii Reichb. pharmacopuncture is a relatively safe treatment. Further studies on the subject should be conducted to yield more concrete evidence.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.605-618
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• 1996

Namsan area supposed to be a disturbed ecosystem and Kwangneung area considered to be a natural ecosystem were selected for the study. On the basis of the plant species composition, the study was planned to examine structural plant species diversity so as to provide basic ecological information to restore more stable and healthy ecosystem for Namsan. The stratified sample plot method was employed for collecting vegetation data, establishing $20m{\times}20m$ square plots for overstory trees, $4m{\times}4m$ plots for mid-story woody plants, and $1m{\times}1m$ plots for ground vegetation. The herbaceous plants were periodically investigated by taking into account for seasonal(spring, summer, and autumn) variation in presence. Ecological attributes were evaluated through analyzing species composition, species diversity, life forms, interspecies association, and growing habitat for various forest types, vertical layers, life forms, and seasonal variation. Even though the species diversity index of canopy trees in the deciduous forest of Namsan was estimated higher than that of the natural forest of Kwangneung, overall species diversity of plants in Kwangneung area was greater than that in Namsan area. Herbaceous plants presented in Kwangneung but not in Namsan were Aconitum pseudo-proliferum, Botrychium virginianum, Dryopteris tokyoensis, Scutellaria insignis, Tricyrtis dilatata, and Viola kamibayashii, most of them were endemic species of Kwangneung. Elaeagnus umbellata, and Prunes padus var. seoulensis were found only in Namsan. Such species typically composed of the natural deciduous forest as Acer mono, Acer triflorum, Carpinus laxiflora, Cornus controversa, Fraxinus mandshurica, and Phellodendron amurertse were limited growing in a small size of area in Namsan. The future project should be made for encouraging the growth and expansion of the distribution of such species to restore biodiversity in Namsan area.