• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.957-964
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• 2004

Herbal medicines are increasingly used to treat various diseases and lots of studies have been reported that they had benefits in treating and preventing of diseases. But organic toxicity is increasingly recognized as herbal medicines become more popular in industrialized countries. Some herbal products potentially benefit people with lots of diseases, however these benefits remain generally unproved in humans, and a greater awareness for potential adverse effects is required. A herb containing a wide variety of, mostly unknown, substances may well include some with unwanted effects. This review focuses on emerging organic toxicities that have been observed associated with various herbal preparations involving the liver, kidney, and heart, and patterns of organ injury, potential risk factors for organic toxicities. In addition to the potential for organic toxicities, drug drug interactions between herbal medicines and conventional agents may affect the efficacy and safety of concurrent medical therapy. Appropriate reporting and regulatory system to monitor herbal toxicity are required, in conjunction with ongoing scientific evaluation of the potential benefits of phytotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3041-3044
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• 2013

Background: The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase enzymes. Recent studies have shown that aspirin could be used as an anti-tumor drug. Triptolide, the major compound extracted from the Chinese herb Tripteryglum wilfordii Hook.f, has now been shown that it can inhibit tumor growth. The aim of this study was to analyze the anti-tumor efficiency of aspirin and triptolide in cervical cancer cells. Methods: Viability of cervical cancer cell lines was assessed by the MTT method at various concentrations of aspirin and triptolide. Siha and HeLa cell apoptotic analysis was performed by flow cytometry. Real time-PCR and Western Blotting were used to analyze the expression of Bcl-2/Bax, Cyclin D1 and p16. Results: Viability in the combination group was significantly decreased as compared with either drug used alone. Expression change of Bcl-2/Bax, CyclinD1 and p16 appeared to play an important role in the synergistic killing effect on cervical cancer cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Aspirin and triptolide combination treatment may have synergistic anti-tumor effects on cervical cancer cells.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.165-206
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• 2001

After this study, I report the following result from it 1. 'Qiao zhang' is the symptoms that the abdomen is distension and fullness, but face, eye, four limb is not dropsial swelling. It corresponds to the Gu zhang(?脹), Zhang man(脹滿), Jiju(積聚), Dan fu zhang(單腹脹), Zhong man(重滿) of the Oriental Medicine. 2. The cause and overeating and, and malfunction pathology of the 'Qiao zhang' were accumulation of water cause of overeating and, overdrinking, the hurt of feeling, overwork, infection of blood sucker and malfunction of liver, spleen and kidney for jandice and Jiji(積聚) 3. The treatment of the 'Qiao zhang' was reinforcing middle-energizer and replenishing Qi and allevating water retention because middle-energizer were much weak. 4. The prescription of the 'Qiao zhang' that Zhang man fen xiao wan(中滿分消散) were 16 times the most. Zhang man fen xiao tang(中滿分消湯), Guang man kui jian tang(廣茂潰堅湯), ren shen gui pi tang(人蔘芎歸湯), Yu yu liang wan(禹餘糧丸), mun xiang sun qi tang(木香順氣散) were next. 5. The single herb of the prescription of the 'Qiao zhang' that were Auckrandiae Radix(木香), Citri Pericarpium(陳皮) for rephenshing qi drug, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Phieoma(白朮), Ginseng Radix(人蔘), Magnoliae Cortex(厚朴) for regurating qi drug, Pinelliae Rhzoma(半夏) for dischanging phlegm drug.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.191-195
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• 2005

Eighteen aqueous and two ethanol extracts of herb-medicine used for trichomoniasis therapies in Korea were assessed for their antitrichomonas activities. Two extracts(Sophorae radix, Phellodendri cortex) showed evident antitrichomonas activity at $8mg/m{\ell}$. Two mixture of Sophorae radix and Phellodendri cortex showed low antitrichomonas activity at 15mg/ml. Ethylacetate fraction of Sophorae radix showed the antitrichomonas activity of 400 mg/ml. This indicated that Sophorae radix is potent for a new effective and safe antitrichomonas agent.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.102-105
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• 2005

Eighteen methanol extracts of herb-medicine used for malarial and antipyretic therapies in Korea were assessed for their antimalarial activities. Eighteen extracts showed evident antimalarial activity with $EC_50$ values ranged from $2.8\;to\;110mg/m{\ell}$. Evodia fructus showed the antimalarial activity of $EC_50\;=\;4.1\;mg/m{\ell}$ and higher selective toxicity(>8) with no cytotocixity for mammalian cells. This indicated that Evodia fructus is potent for a new effective and safe antimalarial agent. The methanol extract of Physalli radix had also strongest antiplasmodial activity with $EC_50$ value of $2.8{\mu}g/m{\ell}$.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.20-38
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• 2009

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of herb formula HDDM, a modification of Huangdan decoction that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of glomerulonephritis and chronic renal failure, on the blood glucose levels in multiple low doses (MLD; 50 mg/kg for five consecutive days) of streptozotocin (STZ)-treated female B6C3F1 mice. Initial studies were performed to compare diabetes induction in five strains (e.g., B6C3F1, NOD, CD-1, C3H/HeN and C57BL/6) of mice by MLD-STZ, and immune changes following the treatment. The results suggested that the order of susceptibility to diabetes induction was NOD $\approx$ CD-1 > B6C3F1 $\approx$ C3H > C57BL/6. Furthermore, STZ modulation of T cell development, differentiation and activation might play a role in diabetes induction by MLD-STZ treatment. MLD-STZ-induced diabetes in female B6C3F1 mice was moderate, which allowed the evaluation of drug-induced protection or exacerbation of diabetes to be performed. As such, modulation of blood glucose by HDDM, which consisted of Da Huang (Radix Et Rhizoma Rhei), Huang Qi (Radix Astragali Seu Hedysari), Dan Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae), Yin Yang Huo (Herba Epimedii), Yi Yi Ren (Semen Coicis or Coix lacryma-jobi), Mai Dong (Radix Ophiopogonis) and Shan Zhu Yu (Fructus Corni), was evaluated in MLD-STZ-treated female B6C3F1 mice. The results suggested that HDDM could lower the blood glucose levels, but it had no immunomodulatory activities. Additionally, HDDM-treated mice exhibited improved glucose tolerance. In conclusion, these studies have suggested that MLD-STZ-induced diabetes in female B6C3F1 mice is a useful model to evaluate drug modulation of diabetes, and that the herb formula HDDM possesses anti-diabetic effects.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.179-193
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• 2017

Objectives: Nigella sativa (black seed or black cumin), which belongs to the Ranunculacea family, is an annual herb with many pharmacological properties. Among its many active constituents, thymoquinone (TQ) is the most abundant constituent of the volatile oil of Nigella sativa (N. sativa) seeds, and it is the constituent to which most properties of this herb are attributed. Methods: PubMed-Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify randomized control trials (RCTs) investigating the therapeutic effects of N. sativa and/or TQ. In this review, we investigated the clinical uses of N. sativa and TQ in the prevention and the treatment of different diseases and morbidity conditions in humans. Results: Black seed and TQ are shown to possess multiple useful effects for the treatment of patients with several diseases, such as inflammatory and auto-immune disorders, as well as metabolic syndrome. Also, other advantages, including antimicrobial, anti-nociceptive and anti-epileptic properties, have been documented. The side effects of this herbal medicine appear not to be serious, so it can be applied in clinical trials because of its many advantages. Conclusion: Some effects of N. sativa, such as its hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and bronchodilatory effects, have been sufficiently studied and are sufficiently understood to allow for the next phase of clinical trials or drug developments. However, most of its other effects and applications require further clinical and animal studies.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.83-88
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• 2011

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the asthma-suppressive and immuno-regulatory effect of Notopterygii Rhizoma(NR) extract on OVA(ovalbumin)-induced asthma in mice. Methods : C57BL/6 mice out of all the experimental groups, except the Normal group and the NRI group, were sensitized and challenged with OVA. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to OVA three times a week for 12 weeks and analyzed by flow cytometer, ELISA, H&E stain. Results : The concentrations of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IgE in serum of the OVA-NRII group decreased significantly compared with those of the OVA-Control group. The number of $Gr-1^+/CD11b^+$, $CCR3^+$, $CD3^+/CD19^+$, $CD3e^+/CD69^+$cells in the OVA-NRI group decreased significantly compared with those of the OVA-Control group. The collagen accumulation in the lung sections of the OVA-NRII group decredased signi- ficantly compared with that of the OVA-Control group. Conclusions : These results suggest that Notopterygii Rhizoma(NR) would be a effective candidate for herbal-originated anti-asthmatic drug. However, this drug should be further studied for characterization of the accurate action and underlying mechanism using variant disease model in the future.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.226-233
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• 2022

Ephedra herbs are defined as stem of Ephedra sinica , Ephedra intermedia and Ephedra equisetina in the Korean Pharmacopoeia. It is important to use pure herbs to derive the safety and efficacy of herbal medicine. However, the identification of these herbs by conventional taxonomic methods is difficult. Recently, many studies have applied these DNA barcoding for the identification of herbal medicinal species using standard DNA markers. In this study, we report a case study in which the identification of Ephedra species was done by DNA barcoding. For identification of Ephedra species, 17 samples were collected, and a reference DNA barcode library was developed using 6 markers (rbcL, matK, ITS2, ycf1, ycf3, and rpoC2). To develop KASP-SNP markers, we selected 4 markers (ycf1, ycf3, rpl2, and rbcL), which were able to distinguish three Ephedra species. In the result, the specific markers for each of the three Ephedra were clustered into FAM-positive section, whereas non-targeted plants were clustered either HEX-positive or negative section. Therefore, we have developed KASP assay that allow rapid and easy Ephedra species identification using three KASP markers.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.61-69
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• 1995

Hyperlipidemia is a major predisposing factor of atherosclerosis and cerebrovascular accidents. In effort to develope a hypolipidemic drug from medicinal herb, We tested three prescriptions of traditional medicine for the lipid lowering effect on diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats. GyejI-Bokryung-Hwan, Ohyak-Sunki-San, and Shihoga-Yongol-Moryu-Tang were selected based on the comnon prescriptions for patients with hyperlipidemia-related diseases. Water extract from each prescriptions was made by the method used in the clinical setting, and administered intragastrically once a day, for 4 weeks. Fenofibrate and lovastatin were given by the same method as the control drugs. Blood levels of total cholesterol(TC), high density lipoprotein(HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride(TG) were measured before, 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after starting the drug administration. All of the traditional prescriptions did not show lipid lowering effect, while fenofibrate lower the blood cholesterol levels(TC;from 215mg/dl before to 182m41 at 4 weeks-point of drug administration, and LDL ;from 203mg/dl before to aut 161, and 163mg/dl at 3 and 4 week-point respectively). Oyak-Sunki-San increased the level of TC (from 283mg/dl to over 350mg/dl starting from the first week of drug administratin). Effects on TG variable in the cases of traditional medicines and control drug In conclusion, any of the three traditional medical prescriptions did not decrease the level of blood cholesterol.