• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.111-131
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• 2002

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) received a great deal of attention from the Orient and West as a tonic agent, health food and/or alternative herbal therapeutic agent. However, controversy with respect to scientific evidence on pharmacological effects especially, evaluation of clinical efficacy and the methodological approach still remains to be solved. Author reviewed those articles published since 1980 when pharmacodynamic studies on ginseng have intensively started. Special concern was paid on metabolic disorders including diabetes mellitus, circulatory disorders, malignant tumor, sexual dysfunction, and physical and mental performance to give clear information to those who are interested in pharmacological study of ginseng and to promote its clinical use. With respect to chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, malignant disorders, and sexual disorders, it seems that ginseng plays preventive and restorative role rather than therapeutics. Particularly, ginseng plays a significant role in ameliorating subjective symptoms and preventing quality of life from deteriorating by long term exposure of chemical therapeutic agents. Also it seems that the potency of ginseng is mild, therefore it could be more effective when used concomitantly with conventional therapy. Clinical studies on the tonic effect of ginseng on work performance demonstrated that physical and mental dysfunction induced by various stresses are improved by increasing adaptability of physical condition. However, the results obtained from clinical studies cannot be mentioned in the indication, which are variable upon the scientist who performed those studies. In this respect, standardized ginseng product and providing planning of the systematic clinical research in double-blind randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the real efficacy for proposing ginseng indication. Pharmacological mode of action of ginseng has not yet been fully elucidated. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic researches reveal that the role of ginseng not seem to be confined to a given single organ. It has been known that ginseng plays a beneficial role in such general organs as central nervous, endocrine, metabolic, immune systems, which means ginseng improves general physical and mental conditons. Such multivalent effect of ginseng can be attributed to the main active component of ginseng,ginsenosides or non-saponin compounds which are also recently suggested to be another active ingredients. As is generally the similar case with other herbal medicines, effects of ginseng cannot be attributed as a given single compound or group of components. Diversified ingredients play synergistic or antagonistic role each other and act in harmonized manner. A few cases of adverse effect in clinical uses are reported, however, it is not observed when standardized ginseng products are used and recommended dose was administered. Unfavorable interaction with other drugs has also been suggested, which the information on the products and administered dosage are not available. However, efficacy, safety, interaction or contraindication with other medicines has to be more intensively investigated in order to promote clinical application of ginseng. For example, daily recommended doses per day are not agreement as 1-2g in the West and 3-6 g in the Orient. Duration of administration also seems variable according to the purpose. Two to three months are generally recommended to feel the benefit but time- and dose-dependent effects of ginseng still need to be solved from now on. Furthermore, the effect of ginsenosides transformed by the intestinal microflora, and differential effect associated with ginsenosides content and its composition also should be clinically evaluated in the future. In conclusion, the more wide-spread use of ginseng as a herbal medicine or nutraceutical supplement warrants the more rigorous investigations to assess its effacy and safety. In addition, a careful quality control of ginseng preparations should be done to ensure an acceptable standardization of commercial products.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.183-197
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• 1997

In order to detect the safety and effect of various aqua-acupunctures from Scutellariae Radix, the modifications of boiling, filtration and dilution were employed for the manufacture of aqua-acupunctures. We injected 0.2cc of aqua-acupunctures into Joksamri (足三里) of rat, repeatedly. We compared subacute toxicity of them with saline group, distilled water(D.W.) group, acupuncture group and control group. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The groups were all healthy and alive, and there was no special abnormality in physical condition and autopsy. And there were not any toxic symptoms in repeating application of aqua-acupunctures to the rat, including changes of body weight, organ weight, haematological examination and serum biochemical test. 2. There was slight change of body weight in acupuncture group : We could see significance after 3 days(p<0.05) and after 7 days(p<0.001) in body weight loss. After 9 days, all tested groups were suppressed in body weight increment. 3. Result of organ weight : In Palkang aqua-acupuncture(D-2 group), saline group and acupuncture group there were some statistical significance. Especially, acupuncture group revealed significant result in liver and spleen than aqua-acupunctures. From this result, we could suggest that the efficacy of acupuncture was preceded herbal medicine. 4. In serum biochemical test, we examined glucose(GLU), triglyceride(TG) and cholesterol(CHOL). In comparison with control group, the diluted 10 times of Hwanggum aqua-aqupuncture$({\times}10\;group)$ was recognized significant decrease of glucose, but the diluted 100 times of Hwanggum aqua-acupuncture$({\times}100\;group)$, D-2 group, saline group were confirmed significant increment. There was not any meaningful change of CHOL in all of tested group, excepting the acupuncture group was exhibited statistically significant decrease(p<0.05). In TG level all tested group except complex injection of standard compound(CPA group) and HG, there were significant value iii statistically. The diluted solution was more significant decrease than Hwanggum aqua-acupuncture(HG). The mutual relationship of components of aqua-acupunture tended to decrease level of TG, regardless of its concentration. In acupunture guoup, we gained some interesting result In meaningful decrease in 7G. 5. Haematological examination showed significant increment of granulocytes(GR) in all tested groups except Hwanggum aqua-acupuncture. And the diluted solutions of HG expressed very high increment of them(p<0.001). The GR and Mean Corpuscular Volume(MCV) of acupuncture group showed statistical significance.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.399-405
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• 2010

Rosa rugosa has been used as a folk medicine with various pharmacological properties for a long time in Asia. Recently, it has been reported that the extract of fractions from different parts of Rosa rugosa have various pharmacological effects on diverse diseases including diabetes, inflammatory diseases and tumor. We investigated effects of fructus extracts of Rosa rugosa(RRF) and semen extracts of this herb(RRS) on macrophage to evaluate the possibilities as a biological response modifier. We showed increased effects on tumoricidal activity, phagocytic activity, TNF-$\alpha$ and NO production in RRF-treated groups without direct tumor cell cytotoxicity. RRS-treated groups increased direct tumor cell cytotoxicity at high dose without tumoricial activity except increasing of TNF-$\alpha$ release. These results provide further possibilities for the beneficial immunomodulating effects of RRF on immune system with relatively larger safety margin rather than RRS.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.113-120
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• 2015

Osteoporosis is a major bone disorder defined as having bone mineral density (BMD) of 2.5 standard deviations or more below the peak bone mass. Osteoporosis will increasingly be a major disorder that faces the aging mankind. It is the result of an imbalance in the bone remodeling system, where bone constantly undergoes a cycle of resorption by osteoclasts and formation by osteoblasts. Estrogen deficiency in women following menopause is identified as the predominant reason that causes disparity in this system. Current medical treatments for osteoporosis include hormone replacement therapy (HRT), biphosphonates, and teriparatide, but have various side effects that raise questions concerning their medical safety and practicality. Alternative treatments involving natural product sources are under study to find a safer therapy. Many natural sources including lactoferrin and isoflavones and numerous traditional herbal medicines exhibit anti-resorptive or anabolic effects on bone and thus show promises to provide therapeutic agents in treating osteoporosis. Unfortunately, the majority of natural product treatments are still in its preliminary stages to prove their efficacy even though the development pace of treatment for osteoporosis is astounding in the past few decades. Further progress in pre-clinical studies and the subsequent clinical studies will someday lead to a breakthrough that takes us another step forward in science.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.35-63
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• 2015

A floristic, field research was conducted from March 2005 to October 2012 the Woraksan National Park (N $36^{\circ}46^{\prime}{\sim}36^{\circ}59^{\prime}$, E $128^{\circ}02^{\prime}{\sim}128^{\circ}19^{\prime}$) to characterize the flora of the region. Especially, we divided the surveyed region into nine representative collection areas based on floristic components were compared and analyzed. This field study discovered significant plants in various categories. The 41 surveys revealed that the vascular plants in this region comprised 815 taxa: 116 families, 429 genera, 717 species, 4 subspecies, 78 varieties and 16 forms. In this study, 80 taxa were firstly recorded from this region. Korean endemic plants numbered 22 taxa, and the fifteen taxa rare plants designated by Korean Forest Service as were found in this region. The taxa in the category II of rare and endangered plants and the taxa with the higher rank than the third degree among the floristic regional indicator plants designated by Korean Ministry of Environment were one and 56, respectively. From a geographical perspective, limited distributions of Matteuccia struthiopteris, Spiraea trichocarpa, and Aster tataricus at a latitudes higher than that of Woraksan National Park. Moreover, this study has confirmed that the Woraksan National Park is the species diversity center for Asarum koreanum, Elsholtzia angustifolia, and Allium linearifolium in the central province of the Korean peninsula. Inaddition, the naturalized plants of 54 taxa were recorded.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.242-251
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• 2019

Background: Korean Red Ginseng has been widely used in traditional oriental medicine for a prolonged period, and its pharmacological effects have been extensively investigated. In addition, Angelica gigas and deer antlers were also used as a tonic medicine with Korean Red Ginseng as the oriental herbal therapy. Methods: This study was conducted to evaluate the potential toxicological effect of KGC-HJ3, Korean Red Ginseng with angelica gigas and deer antlers, on reproductive and developmental functions including fertility, early embryonic development, maternal function, and embryo-fetal development. KGC-HJ3 was administered by oral gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats (22 animals per sex per group) at dose levels of 0 mg/kg (control), 500 mg/kg, 1000 mg/kg, and 2000 mg/kg to evaluate the potential toxicological effect on fertility and early embryonic development. In addition, KGC-HJ3 was also administered by oral gavage to mating-proven Sprague-Dawley rats (22 females per group) during the major organogenesis period at dose levels of 0 mg/kg (control), 500 mg/kg, 1000 mg/kg, and 2000 mg/kg to evaluate the potential toxicological effect on maternal function and embryo-fetal development. Results and conclusion: No test item-related changes in parameters for fertility, early embryonic development, maternal function, and embryo-fetal development were observed during the study period. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that KGC-HJ3 did not have toxicological potential on developmental and reproductive functions. Therefore, no observed adverse effect levels of KGC-HJ3 for fertility, early embryonic development, maternal function, and embryo-fetal development is considered to be at least 2000 mg/kg/day.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2015

The present study aimed to investigate comparative anti-inflammatory effects of Litsea japonica fruit and leaf extract considering the balance of safety and efficacy. Dose response studies were performed to determine the inhibitory effects of 70% EtOH extract of leaf (L70%) on the pro-inflammatory enzymes expression, COX-2/PGE2 and NO/iNOS, and pro-inflammatory cytokines production, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$ in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. We also examined comparative effects of 30 and 70% EtOH extract of fruits (F30% and F70%) at low concentration ($10{\mu}g/ml$ ) in the same conditions. L70% at 50 and $100{\mu}g/ml$ showed inhibitory effects on almost all the inflammatory mediators we examined except for COX-2 regulation, but there were no effects at $10{\mu}g/ml$. Since $100{\mu}g/ml$ of L70% have 18.2% cytotoxicity, we compared the effects of fruit extract, F30% and F70% at $10{\mu}g/ml$ on the regulation of NO/iNOS, PGE2, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$ and obtained that fruit extacts are more efficacious and safe than leaf. This study suggests that the 30% EtOH fraction of L. japonica fruit could be a good candidate for development as a functional food supplement in the prevention of inflammatory disorders.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.53 no.spc
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• pp.78-83
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• 2008

Soybean [Glycine max (L.)] is a major source of protein for human and animal feed. Inter- and intra-genotype variation of soybean protein has been investigated by soybean researchers. However, limited sample amount of soybean single seed there is no report that investigated intra-plant variation of soybean protein within soybean plant. Recently a non-destructive NIR (near-infrared reflectance) spectroscopy using single seed grain to analyze seed protein was developed. The objectives of this study were to understand variation of seed protein content within plant and to determine the amount of minimum sample size which can represent protein content for a soybean plant. Frequency distribution of protein content within plant showed normal distribution. There was an intra-cultivar variation for protein content in soybean cultivar Seonnogkong. Difference of protein content among single plants of Seonnokong was recognized at 5% level. Seeds in lower position on plant stem tended to accumulate more protein than in higher position. There was significant difference for protein content between sample size 5 seeds and sample size of more than 5 seeds (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 seeds) at a soybean plant with 57 seeds however no difference was recognized among sample size (5, 10, 20, and 30 seeds) at a soybean plant with 33 seeds. Around 20% seeds of soybean from single plant needed to determine the protein content to represent protein content of single soybean plant. This study is the first one to report evidence of intra-plant variation for proteincontent which detected by non-destructive NIR spectroscopy using single seed grain in soybean.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.859-863
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• 2010

The principal objective of this study was to compare and analyze the qualitative characteristics of mulberry leaf tea (MLT) and fermented mulberry leaf tea (FMLT). The concentrations of polyphenols were approximate in FMLT and MLT, with measurements of 4,022.82 mg/100 g and 3,932.32 mg/100 g, respectively. These polyphenol concentrations were relatively high and were approximate to the contents in green tea and yellow tea. Moreover, both MLT and FMLT contained small amount of vitamin C. The concentrations of caffeine were also relatively low for both MLT and FMLT, with values of 5.68 mg/100 g and 21.11 mg/100 g, respectively. When the quality of the MLT and FMLT was evaluated, we noted only minimal difference in color a (redness) values between each material; however, the b (yellowness) and the L (lightness) values were higher in the MLT than in the FMLT. When sensory tests were conducted, both materials were judged to have a bitter taste, and FMLT has a synthetic and pleasant taste.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.424-430
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of mycelia of Lentinus edoes mushroom-cultured Lonicera japonica Thunberg (LLJ) on proliferation of the cancer cell lines (Hep3B, MCF-7 and HeLa), sarcoma 180 (S-180) and antiallergy. In an anti-cancer test using Hep3B (hepatic cancer cell), MCF-7 (breast cancer cell) and HeLa (uterine cancer cell), LLJ extract showed higher antiproliferating effect than that of LJ (Lonicera japonica Thunberg) extract. In an anti-cancer testing using Hep3B cells, LLJ extract showed growth-inhibitory effect of $85.60{\pm}4.66%$ at 3mg/rnL. In an anti-cancer testing using MCF-7 cells, LLJ and LJ extracts showed high antiproliferating effect. LLJ showed the tumor suppressive effect in mice injected with S-180 cells. The growth-inhibitory rates against tumor cells were 61% for LLJ, 37% for LJ. LLJ inhibited histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells activated by compound 48/80. These results suggest that Lentinus edodes mushroom-cultured herb has an antiproliferating effect against cancer cell lines (Hep3B, MCF-7 and HeLa) and S-180 tumor, and will be beneficial in the treatment of allergic reaction.