• CELLMED
• /
• v.4 no.4
• /
• pp.23.1-23.8
• /
• 2014

Psoriasis is a common, chronic, recurrent, immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of skin. Although conventional topical and systemic therapies yield remission for a while, they carry a risk of many side effects that limit the long term use of these agents and the disease recurs generally in a short period of time after cessation of therapy. An increasing number of psoriatic patients are using herbal products as a treatment to control their disease with less side effects. Clinicians should be aware of plants used in psoriasis and side effects related with them. The aim of this article is to review the different herbs used in psoriasis treatment.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.557-565
• /
• 2019

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream in a chronic cough patient who had not responded to various medications for more than a few months. Methods: An 81 year-old female patient who was suspected to be suffered from Upper Airway Cough Syndrome (UACS) was examined. The patient was treated with local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream. We used the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, Cough-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire, and Verbal Numerical Rating Scale to assess the patient's respiratory symptoms. Results: Local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream resulted in the improvement of cough symptoms. The quality of life due to the alleviation of symptoms also significantly improved. Adverse effects were not observed. Conclusions: This study suggests that local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream may be an effective therapy for the treatment of chronic cough in patients with UACS.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.23-36
• /
• 2020

Objective: This study was aimed to report the therapeutic effects of herbal medicine on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Methods: The prior studies were searched from the databases included PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKi, CiNii, KISS, NDSL, KMBASE, and OASIS until September 2020. The main search keywords were chemotherapy, peripheral neuropathy, and herbal medicine, and only randomized controlled trials that analyzed the therapeutic efficacy of herbal medicine were included. The Cochrane's Risk of Bias was used for assessment of the risk of bias and the Review Manager 5.3 program was used for meta-analysis. Meta-analyses were grouped by the administration routes of herbal medicines (oral administration or topical use). Results: Nine studies with a total of 563 participants were included. Compared with usual care, the effective rate was higher in oral administrated herbal medicine (RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.23; p<0.001, I2=31%). In addition, topical herbal medicine showed an significantly higher effective rate than placebo (RR 2.20, 95% CI 1.52 to 3.18; p<0.001, I2=0%) and usual care (RR 2.24, 95% CI 1.74 to 2.89; p<0.001, I2=66%). There was no severe adverse effect in all participants. Conclusions: Herbal medicine appears to improve neuropathy caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients more than conventional therapy of CIPN. However, as there is heterogeneity between the included studies and a lack of blinding, further well-designed researches are more needed.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.245-262
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review clinical studies of traditional Korean medicine treatment (herb medicine) on vaginal atrophy. Methods: Key words "Vaginal atrophy", "Vulvovaginal atrophy", "Vaginal dryness", "Atrophic vaginitis", "Herb medicine", "Acupuncture", "Moxibustion", "Catgut embedding" were searched on 11 database systems (PMC, CENTRAL, EMBASE, CNKI, KTKP, KISS, NDSL, OASIS, DBpia, KMBASE, RISS) on May 31th 2019. In all searches, limits were set for MeSH (human) and language (English, Chinese or Korean). Results: 18 controlled clinical trials were collected in accordance with the selection and exclusion criteria. The types of intervention were herbal medicine, and types of herbal medicine were decoction, cream, suppository, oil, ect. The study results and methods of intervention were analyzed. Conclusions: Among the 18 trials, 5 studies showed that herbal medicine with hormone or antiprotozoal therapy was more effective than hormone or antiprotozoal therapy alone. And 2 studies showed that herbal medicine treatment was more effective than oil treatment of topical use. There was no abnormal vaginal bleeding, breast swelling and pain in TCM group.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.106-122
• /
• 2022

Objectives : In this study, we aimed to analyze the latest knowledge of pityriasis rosea(PR) through oriental-western medical review on PR. Methods : We searched Pubmed, CNKI, and OASIS to select papers related to the cause, mechanism, diagnosis, classification, treatment, and herbal treatment of PR. Results : The results are as follows. 1. Although the exact cause of PR is not known, it has recently been found that reactivation of latent human herpesvirus-6 and human herpesvirus-7 infection is a possible etiology. Most patients require emollients, antihistamines, topical steroids, and macrolides. Acyclovir, and narrow-band UVB therapy are also used. 2. The cause and mechanism of PR in Chinese and Korean medicine can be mainly summarized as wind-heat, blood heat, and blood deficiency and wind-dryness. Most of the herbal medicine used have the effects of clearing heat, cooling the blood, detoxifying, dispelling wind, relieving itching, nourishing blood, and moistening dryness. Conclusions : In Chinese and Korean medicine, it is necessary to organize the representative prescriptions according to pattern identification, and it is also necessary to study the atypical types of PR and its treatment methods. It is thought that research on oriental and western combination therapy should be continuously conducted, and efforts to develop Korean medicine formulations are needed to revitalize clinical research in Korea.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.196-205
• /
• 2023

Objectives : We would like to report what symptoms appear in patients experiencing steroid rebound phenomenon and how to manage and treat them at Korean medicine hospital. Methods : A 20-year-old woman who had been using topical and oral steroids for more than 6 weeks presented to the hospital. She hospitalized for 5 weeks and stopped using steroid. The treatment applied was acupuncture, wet dressing therapy and herbal medicine including Yangdokbackho-tang, Sunbangpaedok-tang and Danguieumja. We assessed symptoms through Inflammation Index and Chronicization Index. Results : Right after she stopped using steroid, symptoms of skin got worse gradually. However, after 5 weeks of treatment, all symptoms except itching and dryness disappeared. When symptom was severe, Inflammation Index and Chronicization Index was 12 and 9 points and after the treatment they were 2 and 4 points. Conclusions : This study shows various symptoms in patients with topical steroid addiction and how to manage at Korean medicine hospital.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.11-24
• /
• 2020

Objective : Radiodermatitis is a common sequelae in 95% of patients receiving radiation therapy, which is important to be well managed as it can affect the patient's quality of life as well as the cancer treatment schedule. The aim of this study is to review and summarize the interventions available for the treatment of acute radiodermatitis, including traditional Korean medicine, and to propose treatment algorithms for clinicians. Methods : To collect studies about managements for radiodermatitis, domestic and foreign database were used such as Korean journal of traditional knowledge portal (KTKP), Korean studies information service system (KISS), national discovery or science leaders (NDSL), and oriental medicine advance searching integrated system (OASIS), Pubmed, Google scholar and Scopus. Results : Thirty-two studies were selected. There were nine studies on usual care and dressing, eleven studies on chemical agents, two studies on biological preparations, and ten studies on herbal medicines. Conclusion : Hygienic options and dressings have proved to be useful in the management of radiodermatitis. Chemical agents such as corticosteroid, statin, and topical antibiotic agent have proved to alleviate symptoms and severity, regenerate damaged skin, and prevent secondary infection. In biological preparations, EGF (epidermal growth factor) and GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) could be used to protect skin and prevent radiodermatitis. For herbal medicines, Calendula, catechin, β-sitosterol, and Jaungo (紫雲膏) may be effective for symptoms including pain, itching, and burning sensation induced by radiation therapy. Because of some research with conflicting results, further studies are needed to propose an algorithm for more optimal treatments.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.438-444
• /
• 2014

Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold. (B. kazinoki) has long been used in the manufacture of paper in Asian countries. Although B. kazinoki leaves (BK) have been employed in dermatological therapy, use of BK has not been tested in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Using Nc/Nga mice, which are genetically predisposed to develop AD-like skin lesions, we confirmed the efficacy of BK in AD treatment. BK extract was applied topically to Dermatophagoides farinae-induced AD-like lesions in Nc/Nga mice, and the effects were assessed both clinically and by measuring skin thickness on the back and ears. We measured the effects of BK extract on plasma levels of IgE and IL-4. We also measured the ability of BK extract to inhibit the secretion of hTARC in HaCaT cells after stimulation by TNF-${\alpha}$ and IFN-${\gamma}$. We found that BK extract significantly reduced ear and dorsal skin thickness and the clinical signs of AD, as well as significantly down-regulating the plasma levels of IgE and IL-4 (p<0.01 for each comparison). Moreover, $500{\mu}g/mL$ of BK extract inhibited hTARC secretion in HaCaT cells by activated TNF-${\alpha}$/IFN-${\gamma}$ by about 87%. These findings suggest that topical application of BK extract has excellent potential in the treatment of AD.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.42-73
• /
• 2023

Objectives : In order to investigate the current status of recent clinical evidence related to complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) treatment for burns and to inform research and treatment strategies for future, we publish a scoping review(ScR) of randomized controlled trials(RCTs). Methods : The research question of the ScR was "Are there any RCTs of CAM treatment for burn?". RCTs published from 2000 to 2022 were identified in 7 databases(PubMed, Cochrane, CNKI, OASIS, RISS, KCI, KMbase) in March 2023. Data were tabulated and analyzed descriptively with respect to the research questions. Results : 41 RCTs were included. 21(51.2%) were conducted in China, 13(31.7%) in Iran. The main treatment criteria were herbal medicine in 28 cases, acupuncture in 9 cases, chuna therapy in 4 cases, and psychotherapy in 3 cases. Among the herbal medicine, there were 19 topical medications, 5 injections(intravenous pharmacopuncture), 4 aerosol drugs(aromatherapy), and 1 oral drug. Among the acupuncture, there were 4 plum blossom needles(seven-star needles), 2 wrist-ankle acupunctures, 2 press needles, and 1 electroacupuncture. CAM treatments were effective in treating burns. It reduced pain and pruritus at the burn site, helped recovery and management of the donor site, reduced anxiety and pain during dressing change, improved hematological problems and vital signs, and finally lowered the mortality rate. CAM treatments also lowered health care costs. Conclusions : CAM treatments for burns is prospective, and that it deserves to make high-quality studies including additional large-scale RCTs.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.327-337
• /
• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to report the clinical effect of short- term admission program on primary palmar/plantar hyperhidrosis in children and adolescents. Methods : Between January 2011 and January 2012, a total of 11 patients with clinical diagnosis of primary palmar/plantar hyperhidrosis were treated with hospitalization which consisted of iontophoresis, electro-acupuncture, herbal medicine, topical therapy and physical therapy. The effects were evaluated as quality of life with dermatology life quality index (DLQI), severity of discomfort using visual analogue scale (VAS), and the patients' subjective satisfaction. We analyzed the patients' improvement before and after admission treatment, as well as six month later. Results : After treatment, the 11 patients' quality of life and severity of discomfort improved significantly. They also were satisfied with oriental treatments for hyper hidrosis. Six months later, 6 of 11 patients had visited the hyperhidrosis clinic. Their symptoms had improved and remained stable. Conclusions : The short-term admission program is effective on primary palmar/plantar hyperhidrosis. Further studies with a larger number of cases will be needed in the future.