• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2012

Objective : To investigate the current status of prescription drugs in Oriental medical institutes and to draw up a future plan for the revitalization of Oriental medical health insurance, this survey has been performed. Method : The survey has been made with 321 doctors working at Oriental medical institutes in Daegu and Kyungbuk areas for a period of 3 month from June 1, 2010 until September 1, 2010. Result : 1. When it comes to the current status of the use of herbal drugs in Oriental Health insurance, most of doctors surveyed prescribe insurance drugs, and they prescribe insurance drugs to patients, who are less than 20% of total patients visiting their clinics. 2. The awareness of Herbal Health Care Drugs is investigated. When it comes to the understanding of the difference between insurance drugs(powder type drugs) and granular type drugs, doctors admit that they differ only in one aspect, whether or not their being covered by health insurance. Based on the survey results on the understanding of insurance coverage of granular type drugs, doctors, even though they long for granular type drugs to be accepted as insurance drugs, are worrying whether the number of outpatients might dwindle due to increased insurance co-payments. They also point out that the biggest obstacles in the expansion of the granular type drugs as insurance drugs are the lack of understanding of the government and the objection of the Health Insurance Review and Assesment service (HIRA) for fear of increased insurance claims. 3. Upon investigation on Oriental medicine doctors' understandings of herbal pharmaceutical industry, it is found that doctors' responses on pharmaceutical industry are not all positive ones('new product development and neglect of R&D infrastructure' and 'smallness of industry'). When it is investigated what area needs the greatest improvement in herbal pharmaceutical industry, 'securing sufficient capital, good manufacturing, and strengthening quality control', is the highest. 4. When it is asked what are the most needed in order to improve herbal health insurance medicine, responses such as 'the increase in the accessibility to and the utilization of Oriental medical clinics through the diversification of the means of prescriptions', 'the improvement of insurance benefits(cap adjustments)', 'increase the proportion of high quality medicinal plants', 'the ceiling of co-payments(deductible) at 20,000 won or more', 'expansion of the choices of formulations', 'formulational expansions of tablets and pills', and finally 'admittance and expansion of granular type drug as insurance drug' are the highest. 5. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the current status of the usage of Oriental health care herbal drugs, the followings are observed. First, the frequency of use of health insurance drugs by the doctors who use health insurance with general characteristics shows similar differences in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.001), average number of daily patients (p<0.05). Secondly, as to the willingness of the expanded usage of insurance drugs, similar differences are observed in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.05). 6. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the perception of Herbal health care drugs, the followings are observed. First, inspecting general characteristics and insurance claims due to increased co-payments(deductible amount) reveals similar differences in case of working period (p<0.01) and in case of total monthly sales amount (p <0.01). Secondly, inspecting general characteristics and the obstacles that hinder granular type drugs from being accepted as health care insurance drugs shows similar differences in case of working period (p<0.05). 7. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the understanding of Oriental Herbal pharmaceutical companies, the followings are observed. First, opinions on the general characteristics of pharmaceutical companies, when examined with variance analysis, shows similar differences in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.05). Secondly, when opinions are examined on general characteristics and the problems of herbal pharmaceutical companies, similar differences are found in case of working period (p<0.01) and in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.001). Lastly, opinions on the general characteristics and reforms of pharmaceutical companies, similar differences are observed in case of working period (p<0.001). 8. Upon investigating the general characteristics of the improvement of insurance Herbal drugs, the followings are observed. First, regarding general characteristics and insurance benefits, similar differences are observed in case of working period (p<0.05), in case of total monthly sales amount (p<0.05), and in case of average number of daily patients (p<0.01). Secondly, opinions on the general characteristics and the needs for the improvement of Herbal insurance drugs are examined in 5 different aspects, which are the approval of granular type drugs as insurance drugs, the expanded practices of the number of prescription insurance drugs, the needs of a variety of formulations, the needs of TFT of which numbers of Oriental medical doctors are members for the revision of the existing system, and the needs of adjusting the current ceiling of the fixed amount and the fixed rate. When processed by the analysis of variance, the results show similar differences in case of average number of daily patients (p<0.01). Conclusion : From the results of this study the first measures to take are, to reform overall insurance benefit system, including insurance co-payment system(fixed rate cap adjustment), to expand the number of the herbal drugs to be prescribed matching with insurance benefit accordingly, and to revitalize herbal medicine insurance system through the change of various formulations. In addition, it is recommended to improve the effectiveness of herbal medicine by making plans to enhance the efficacy of herbal medicine and by enabling small pharmaceutical companies to outgrow themselves.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.177-188
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• 2010

Objective : This study was designed to evaluate the treatment effects and the prevention of side effects from antituberculosis drugs by using oriental medicine on a pulmonary tuberculosis patient. Methods : The clinical data was analyzed on a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis whose main symptoms were general weakness, anorexia, weight loss, tachycardia, night sweats, fever, coughing and chest pain. The patient was treated from June 17, 2008 to April 1, 2009, using herbal medicine (Cheongpyebyeolgab-tang) with antituberculosis drugs. Results : After treatment, the symptoms disappeared faster than with western medicine treatment only. Laboratory examinations and radiograph impressions also improved. No side effects of the antituberculosis drugs were noted. Conclusions : This suggests that oriental medicine therapy is effective for pulmonary tuberculosis and prevents the side effects of the antituberculosis drugs.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.506-514
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• 1997

This study was conducted to improve preparations of oriental drugs by enzyme. Total sugar, reduced sugar, hydrolysis rate, and amylose content were compared in Korean yam starch and some oriental drugs treated different enzyme levels and treatment times. The results were as follows. Reduced sugar and hydrolysis rate by enzyme of yam starch were significantly increased according to increments of enzyme level and treatment time. Amylose content in yam starch was significantly decreased to increment of enzyme level and treatment time. Total sugar content in some oriental drugs of Sangmaeksan, Yukmigiwhang, Yukshinsan, Manbungsarungsan, and Sanyaksogalum were 46.08, 44.87, 11.15, 10.67, and $6.l6mg/m{\ell}$, respectively. There was no significant difference in hydrolysis rate by enzyme of Sangmaeksan, Yukmigiwhang, Manbungsarungsan. However, hydrolysis rates of Yukshinsan and Sanyaksogalum were significantly highest in 0.2% enzyme and 0.5% enzyme groups, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.644-649
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• 1988

The inhibitory activities against bacterial ${\alpha}-amylase$of oriental drugs from animals, plant and mineral origin were investigated. In final screening test, it was found that Areca catechu L., Cinnamomum cassia Pres 1. and Ephedra sinica Stapf had stronger inhibitory activities against ${\alpha}-amylase$ than other oriental drugs used in this experiment.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.157-172
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• 1999

This treatise, after review recent data on Oriental Medical toxicity, gets a conclusion on toxic concept of Oriental Medicine. 1. In the oriental medicine, the concept of toxic character contains propensity which disposition is inclined, and general meaning covered with the effect of a medicine, a side effect, formation of a medicine Besides, the concept diversely is used in the cause of a disease, names, symptoms, how to treat, medicines, prevention name, etc. 2. Every herbal drugs has toxic character. Levels of toxicity are nonexistence(無毒), existence(有毒), a little(小毒), always(常毒), serious(大毒), fatal toxic(劇毒), whose concepts in the Oriental Medicine are divided relative and absolute at the same time. 3. The examples of the fatal events by poisoning up to now are more than 400 cases(in China). 4. The factors of toxicity are the amount used unsuitably, the combination, directions, and interactions between western and oriental medicine, etc. The reduction of toxicity and how to detoxicate is several methods. The toxic science in Oriental Medicine based on the formation of oriental medicine present principles which use herbal drugs safely and availablely, utilizing th dispositions and efficiencies. It has positive, learning spirits which prevent abuse of oriental medicine, and which exactly diagnose and use the herbal drugs in the treatment with absolute toxic medicine. However, I think that scientific, positive experimental research is necessary to setup dose-response relation, be in relative quantity of toxic character, operate on the reactive mechanism exactly.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2000

Although Oriental medicines have long been used effectively in treating many diseases throughout the world, the pharmacological mechanisms of most Oriental medicines used have not been defined. As part of our continuing search for biologically active antiallergic drugs from natural sources, Oriental medicines were analyzed. Some Oriental medicines have been used against various allergic diseases for generations, and still occupies an important place in traditional medicine in Korea. It is also still unclear how Oriental medicine prevents allergic disease in experimental animal models. Some Korean folk medicines inhibited the mast cell-mediated allergic reaction. This review summarizes the effective folk medicine in experimental effect of allergic reaction. Potential antiallergic folk medicines include: Poncirus trifoliata; Siegesbeckia glabrescence; Solanum lyratum; Aquilaria agallocha; Ulmi radicis; Polygonum tinctorium; Hwanglyun-Haedok-Tang; Rehmannia glutinosa; Kum- Hwag-San; Syzygium aromaticm; Spirulina platensis; Sosiho-Tang; Sinomenium acutum; Schizonepta tenuifolia; Shini-San; Magnoliae flos; Sochungryoung-Tang; Oryza sativa; Cryptotympana atrata; Salviae radix; Rosa davurica; Asiasari radix; Chung-Dae-San; and Cichorium intybus. Understanding the mechanisms of action for these Oriental medicines can permit drug development and laying of the ground-work for evaluating potential synergistic effects by addition and subtraction of prescriptions.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.223-239
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• 2001

A literature study on cancer therapy of warm-hot oriental medicine was done, and the results were as follows. 1. In oriental medicine, oncogens are six exopathogens, seven modes of emotion, overwork, pathogenic factors, and especially related with pathologic cold situation. 2. There are many capillaries in tuomr, and because temperature of inner space of tumor is higher than normal organization. Tumor cell has a character which is weak for high temperature. 3. Warm-hot herb drugs have effects of dissipating mass, warming kidney to reinforce yang and dispering, so it has a function of suppressing tumor as well as improving immunity in cancer therapy. 4. In traditional medical books, main prescriptions of cancer therapy are xinzhiyinyanggongjiwan(新製陰陽攻積丸), qianjinxiaoshiwan(千金硝石丸), feiqiwan(肥氣丸), xibenwan(息賁丸), fuliangwan(伏梁丸), beiqiwan, bentunwan(賁豚丸), zengsunwujiwan(增損五積丸), and these are composed of warm-hot herb drugs. 5. In current, the study of warm-hot drugs is progressed in immunological capacity, anti-tumor activity, stimulating bone marrow and regulating hormone secretion. It will be expected that advanced study of these must be accomplished in cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.34 no.2 s.133
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• pp.145-149
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• 2003

Many chemotherapeutic drugs were developed and contributed to the increase of cure rate of cancer, however severe side effect of these drugs is a major cause of poor quality of life of cancer patients. Effect of deer blood on cancer therapy was investigated in mouse tumor model. Deer blood itself was shown to have mild antitumor activity. However it has significant effect on the reduction of the side effects of chemotherapy. Deer blood recovered the reduction of WBC and platelet (myelotoxicity) during fluorouracil chemotherapy. Deer blood also recovered the increase of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN; indicator of renal toxicity) and increase of serum amylase activity (AMY; indicator of pancreatic toxicity) almost to the control level during cisplatin chemotherapy. Fluorouracil and cisplatin are major chemotherapeutic drugs which are currently used in clinical cancer therapy, and the results strongly suggest that deer blood can be used for reducing the side effects and improving the quality of life during chemotherapy of cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.289-319
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• 1997

Non-medical use of drugs to enhance performance at Olympic Games by athletes has been prohibited by the International Olympic Committee(IOC) since 1968 on medical and ethical grounds. IOC wants to protect athlete from harmful side effect of drugs due to misuse of it. It also, ethically, wants to have Games run on fair base, not fortified by performance enhancing drugs, The banned substances include stimulants, narcotic analgesics, anabolic sterolds, ${\beta}-blockers$ and diuretics. In order to prevent the positive reaction in the doping test induced by herb medicine, this study was done on about Bojungchisheup-tang. The laboratory set up doping analyses methods to cover as many drugs as possible without sacrificing sensitivity and specificity within one procedure. Its screening method consisted of four different procedures. The results were negative. According to the above results, Bojungchisheup-tang taken by athletes would show the negative reaction in the doping test. So its prescription for athletes can be given without worries of the doping test.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.57-64
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• 1972

For the purpose of scientific evaluation of oriental medicine, statistical analyses of oriental medicine formularies have been attempted. Four hundred and sixty seven prescriptions in 'Bang-Yak-Hap-Pyon', the most popular formulary of oriental medicine in Korea, were analysed to obtain statistical characteristics on the prescription frequency and origin distribution of two hundred and ninety three herb drugs.