• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.11-21
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• 2010

Objectives : We tried to investigate the effects of Carthami Semen(CF) pharmacopuncture and Bovis Calculus Fei Ursi(BU) pharmacopuncture on the heart rate variability(HRV) in adult men. As well as we tried to observe how CF pharmacopuncture and BU pharmacopuncture effect on the balance of the autonomic nervous system. Methods : We investigated on 40 healthy volunteers consisted of 20 subjects in CF pharmacopuncture group and 20 subjects in BU pharmacopuncture group respectively. We ruled out subjects whose vital sign isn't in normal range, yet they had taken a rest. The study established by a randomized, single-blind clinical trial. CF pharmacopuncture and BU pharmacopuncture was applied on each group. We measured HRV 7 times : baseline measurement and every 5 minutes for 30 minutes after injection. The SPSS 15.0 for Windows was used to analyze the data by the paired t-test(in group) and Independent sample t-test(between the groups). Results 1. After injection of CF pharmacopuncture, SDNN, Ln(TP), Ln(VLF) and Ln(LF) increased significantly, and Complexity, pNN50 decreased significantly. 2. After injection of BU pharmacopuncture, RMSSD, SDSD and HRV-index increased significantly. Conclusions : We suggest that CF pharmacopuncture activate sympathetic nervous system and BU pharmacopuncture tend to activate the autonomic nervous system.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2000

Carthami tinctorii Fructus is known for its good effect on diseases such as fracture, menorrhalgia, menoschesis, puerperium aneilema and so on. The study of irritation and toxicity of Carthami oil aquapuncture solution applied topically to the skin and the eye mucous membrane were carried out to prove the safety of Carthami oil aquapuncture solution in clinical use. Animal for the research was the rabbit and the solution for the test was made from Carthami semen. 6 animals were used for the skin test and 9 animals were used for the eye mucous membrane test. In results, both tests proved that Carthami oil aquapuncture solution makes no irritable reaction on skin and eye mucous membrane of rabbit. We consider that this result is helpful for saying about the safety of Carthami oil aquapuncture solution in clinical use.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.109-118
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• 2010

Objectives : This pilot study is designed to reveal the effect of Carthami-semen acupuncture treatment on chronic daily headache. Methods : 1. All the voluntary subjects were diagnosed as CDH. 2. Carthami-semen acupuncture is applied 2 times a week for 4 weeks. 3. The patients were assessed by Headache impairment test score(HIT), Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey, and Headache Free Days(HFD) before and after 4 weeks treatment, and two weeks the treatment finished. Results : The result were as follows ; 1. HIT score decreased from $65.3{\pm}5.5$ to $53.1{\pm}9.4$, and furthermore declined to $49.5{\pm}8.0$ after 2 weeks the treatment finished. 2. HFD increased from 19.1% to 31.5% during the treatment time. Moreover it showed continuous effectiveness after 2 weeks the treatment finished. 3. SF-36 showed significant improvement on all of the QOL items. Conclusions : This pilot study suggests that Carthami-semen acupuncture treatment has an effect on the CDH patients.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.76-83
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• 2021

While carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy affecting the wrist, resulting in substantial physical, psychological, and economic effects, there is no gold standard therapy for CTS. In this case series study, we aimed to report CTS patients treated with Carthami Semen Pharmacopuncture (CSP) and electroacupuncture (EA) showing improvements in their symptoms, and the combinatorial effects of CSP and EA. We collected medical records of CTS outpatients who received CSP and EA at Chuku Acupuncture & Moxibustion Korean Medicine Clinic from August 2017 to September 2018. The outcome measures were the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, paresthesia, the Korean version of the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire (K-BCTQ) score, and changes in nocturnal pain, Tinel sign, and Phalen's test. We included patient satisfaction at the completion of all treatments. 17 patients were included for this case series study. After treatment, VAS for pain decreased significantly from 50.41 ± 16.19 to 9.59 ± 9.46, VAS for paresthesia also decreased significantly from 63.50 ± 11.49 to 14.75 ± 12.97, and K-BCTQ symptom severity scale decreased from 2.48 ± 0.68 to 1.89 ± 0.70 (all p < 0.001). Nocturnal pain, Tinel signs, and Phalen's test showed improvements after all the treatments. All the patients reported favorable overall satisfaction with the treatments, and 69.23% wanted future pharmacopuncture treatments if CTS recurred. No complications were detected. The combination of CSP and EA could be an effective and safe option in treating CTS.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.25-38
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• 2002

Spiral taping shows great effectiveness in relieving musculoskeletal pains. The purpose of this research is to compare effectiveness of herbal acupuncture of Carthami semen(Honghwa) vs its cotreatment with spiral taping for the treatment of acute low back pain. The target patients were those who satisfied with all of the following conditions. 1. Those who suffered from acute low back pain but without past history of the pain in the last six weeks. 2. The pain wasn't radiated to the lower limbs and were without any neurotic symptoms. A computerized randomization was used to set the patients in two groups. The control group was consisted of 41 patients and treated with herbal acupuncture. The experimental group was consisted of 49 patients and treated with spiral taping as well as herbal acupuncture. The treatment was given two times a week and the nurses measured the ROM and VAS evaluation before every treatment. The patients wrote ODI by themselves before the first treatment and after the 3rd treatment. After three months, an interview of the patients' condition through a follow up survey was done. In terms of acute low back pain in both the control group and experimental group, significant treatment effects were found by assessing VAS, ROM and ODI. By comparing the control group and the experimental group, there was more significant improvement in the experimental group than the control group of VAS and ROM, but no significant effect was found between the groups of ODI. This study shows that the herbal acupuncture of Carthami Semen plays a significant role in relieving acute low back pain. It also shows that spiral taping of the experimental group was more highly effective. As a result, spiral taping can be used with acupunture of Carthami Semen for a highly effective treatment for acute low back pain.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2015

Objectives: Water-soluble carthami flos (WCF) is a new mixture of Carthami flos (CF) pharmacopuncture. We conducted a 4-week toxicity test of repeated intramuscular injections of WCF in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: Forty male and 40 female rats were divided into 4 groups of 10 male and 10 female SD rats: The control group received 0.5 mL/animal/day of normal saline whereas the three experimental groups received WCF at doses of 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mL/animal/day, respectively. For 4 weeks, the solutions were injected into the femoral muscle of the rats alternating from side to side. Clinical signs, body weights, and food consumption were observed; opthalmological examinations and urinalyses were performed. On day 29, blood samples were taken for hematological and clinical chemistry analyses. Then, necropsy was conducted in all animals to observe weights and external and histopathological changes in the bodily organs. All data were tested using a statistical analysis system (SAS). Results: No deaths were observed. Temporary irregular respiration was observed in male rats of the experimental group for the first 10 days. Body weights, food consumptions, opthalmological examinations, urinalyses, clinical chemistry analyses, organ weights and necropsy produced no findings with toxicological meaning. In the hematological analysis, delay of prothrombin time (PT) was observed in male rats of the 0.25- and the 0.5-mL/animal/day groups. In the histopathological test, a dose-dependent inflammatory cell infiltration into the fascia and panniculitis in perimuscular tissues was observed in all animals of the experimental groups. However, those symptoms were limited to local injection points. No toxicological meanings, except localized changes, were noted. Conclusion: WCF solution has no significant toxicological meaning, but does produce localized symptoms. No observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of WCF in male and female rats is expected for doses over 0.5 mL/animal/day.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.103-104
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• 2001

This study was done to observe the effect on the local thermal changes of herbal acupuncture on D.I.T.I.. The objects of this study are as follows; If there are remarkable local thermal changes between pre and post herbal acupuncture therapy on D.I.T.I.or not. If there are those, We examine how long that changes are maintained, what the adequate interval is on herbal acupuncture therapy, and what the reaction in a .local or whole body are on that therapy Materials and Methods : To study the local thermal changes in herbal acupuncture therapy, D.I.T.I. was used. Determination of this analysis periods are pre and post-therapy(1 hour, 24hours, 48hours and 7days later). The study group was divided into three groups(comprised 23 students in oriental medical college, Woosuk University). One was NS(Normal Saline) group, another was CF(CARTHAMI SEMEN) group and the other was BU(FEL URSI + BENZOAR BOVIS) group. The Herbal Acupunture solution was injected 0.2ml divide into 0.05ml at tile P'ungmun(B12), P'yesu(B13), Pubun(B41), Paek'o(B42) 4 points. Then, in order to analyze the clinical form, we have observed response of 23 students whenever we checked the thermal changes of their after perfoming Results : The results were obtained as follows ; 1. There is no significant dermatothermal changes at NS group and CF group, but BU group have remarkable changes in 24, 48, 72 hours. 2. From post-therapy 1 hour to 48 hours, there is a significant change (P<0.01) at NS-BU group and CF-BU group, But there is none 7 days later. 3. In the analysis of whole or local body reaction, local pain appears at NS group(22%), CF group(11%), BU group(91%), discomfort reaction appears at CF group(14%), BU group(30%). BU groilp has feel vertigo(13%), drowsy (70%) and pain in action(52%). 4. In the analysis of the duration of physic진 reaction, BU group is most lately maintained. Conclusions : These results suggest that in the physical reaction of herbal acupuncture solutions, BU solution is more sensitive than CF solution or NS.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.31-39
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to analyze the toxicity and to find the lethal dose of the test substance Water-soluble Carthami-flos pharmacopuncture (WCF) when used as a single intravenous-dose in 6-week-old, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: The experiment was conducted at Biotoxtech according to Good Laboratory Practices. 20 female and 20 male Spague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups of 5 female and 5 male animals per group. The rats in the three experimental groups received single intravenous injections with 0.125-mL, 0.25-mL and 0.5-mL/animal doses of WCF, Groups 2, 3, and 4, respectively, and the control group, Group 1, received a single intravenous injection with a 0.5-mL dose of normal saline. Clinical signs were observed and body weight measurements were carried out for 14 days following the injections. At the end of the observation period, hematology, clinical chemistry, histopathological tests and necropsy were performed on the injected parts. Results: No deaths occurred in any of the groups. Also, no significant changes in body weight, hematological parameters or clinical chemistry test results between the control group and the experimental groups were observed. Visual inspection after necropsy showed no abnormalities. Histopathological tests on the injected parts showed no significant differences, except for Group 1 females; however, the result was spontaneous generation and had no toxicological meaning because it was not dose-dependent. Therefore, this study showed that WCF had no effect on the injected parts in terms of clinical signs, body weight, hematology, clinical chemistry, and necropsy. Conclusion: As a result of single intravenous-dose tests of the test substance WCF in 4 groups of rats, the lethal dose for both males and females exceeded 0.5 mL/animal. Therefore, WCF is a relatively safe pharmacopuncture that can be used for treatment, but further studies should be performed.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.9 no.3 s.21
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• pp.79-88
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• 2006

Objectives : This systematic review summarizes the existing evidence on anti-tumor herbal acupuncture in South Korea. Methods : Literature searches were conducted in four databases. All studies of anti-tumor herbal acupuncture which has been published in South Korea until May, 2006 were included. Data were extracted according to pre-defined criteria by two independent reviewers. Results : We found 73 papers related to anti-tumor herbal acupuncture in South Korea. Seventy of seventy-three papers are trial research and only three papers are clinical research. Herb materials which were used in those papers are Bee-venom, Wild-ginseng, Ginseng, Houttuynia cordata Thunb, Lonicerae Flos, Carthami Tinctorii Juglans sinensis, Euphorbiae Radix, Ecliptae Herba, Crotonis Semen, Juglans sinensis, Armeniaceae Amarum, so on. From those papers, Anti-tumor herbal acupunctures are effective to tumor cell line and tumor in vivo. Clinical research papers reported that Anti-tumor herbal acupunctures are useful to improve cancer related symptoms and quality of life(QOL) of cancer patients. Conclusions : From the above results, we make sure of that anti-tumor herbal acupuncture is useful therapeutics for cancer patients. If we conceive complex-herb materials and carry out more advanced research, Anti-tumor Herbal Acupuncture is one of those major therapeutics to improve clinical symptoms and quality of life(QOL) of cancer patients.