• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.95-103
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• 2010

Objectives : Abnormal movements are among the most common psychogenic symptoms, and psychogenic movement disorders(PMD) are estimated to account for 2-3% of patients in movement disorders clinics. Psychogenic tremor is the most frequent symptoms among psychogenic movement disorders. There are no treatment studies specific to PMD and lack any generally accepted treatment strategies. Methods : In this case, a 40 years old women had been suffered from head tremor for 4-5 years without any evidence for other neurological disorders and medical problems. Her symptom caused by stress events and severity of symptom had been change the level of by stress. We treated her with korean traditional herbal medicine(Chengsimyeonjatang), Qigong-based Stress Reduction Program(BQSRP), Giungoroen(wise saying and lofty opinion) and Gyeongjapyeongji(desensitizing the unease) for 2 months. Results : After treatment, the severity and frequency of the head tremors were decreased. In addition, anxiety level also decreased. Conclusions : This result suggests that our oriental medical treatments was effective on psychogenic tremor.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.232-236
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• 2016

Objective: Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. Patients with this disease suffer from various peripheral sensory symptoms that are not easily alleviated. We report on a case of a patient with diabetic neuropathy whose symptoms were alleviated after traditional Korean medical treatment.Methods: A patient with hand and foot numbness and coldness diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy was treated with Palmijihwang-tang (Bai Wei Di Huang Wa, 八味地黃湯) three times a day. The progress was evaluated with the numerical rating scale (NRS), neuropathy disability score (NDS), and neuropathy symptom score (NSS).Results: The improvement of symptoms appeared to be faster and more effective than that of conventional treatment. The improvement was observed from the second day of the treatment.Conclusions: This case study shows that Palmijihwang-tang may be an effective treatment for diabetic neuropathy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.160-167
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• 2019

Background: Pain is a complex mechanism which involves different systems, including the opioidergic and GABAergic systems. Due to the side effects of chemical analgesic agents, attention toward natural agents have been increased. Artemisinin is an herbal compound with widespread modern and traditional therapeutic indications, which its interaction with the GABAergic system and antinoniceptive effects on neuropathic pain have shown. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of artemisinin during inflammatory pain and interaction with the GABAergic and opioidergic systems by using a writhing response test. Methods: On the whole, 198 adult male albino mice were used in 4 experiments, including 9 groups (n = 6) each with three replicates, by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of artemisinin (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg), naloxone (2 mg/kg), bicuculline (2 mg/kg), saclofen (2 mg/kg), indomethacin (5 mg/kg), and ethanol (10 mL/kg). Writhing test responses were induced by i.p. injection of 10 mL/kg of 0.6% acetic acid, and the percentage of writhing inhibition was recorded. Results: Results showed significant dose dependent anti-nociceptive effects from artemisinin which, at a 10 mg/kg dose, was statistically similar to indomethacin. Neither saclofen nor naloxone had antinociceptive effects and did not antagonize antinociceptive effects of artemisinin, whereas bicuculline significantly inhibited the antinocicptive effect of artemisinin. Conclusions: It seems that antinocicptive effects of artemisinin are mediated by $GABA_A$ receptors.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2019

This paper confirmed the effect of Baekho-tang(白虎湯) on psoriasis patient diagnosed with Yangmyung-Yeoljeung(陽明熱證). We treated patients with psoriasis classified as Yangmyung-Yeoljeung(陽明熱證) according to Shanghanlun(傷寒論) with Baekho-tang(白虎湯). Two patients was treated with Baekho-tang(白虎湯) for 18 days and 75 days, respectively. Baekho-tang(白虎湯) used in the treatment consisted of Gypsum Fibrosum 16g, Oryza semen 12.5g, Anemarrhena Rhizoma 6g and Glycyrrhizae Radix 2g. The severity of psoriasis was evaluated by PASI(psoriasis area severity index) and pictures. Also we checked the change in Pruritus by VAS(visual analogue scale). After the Baekho-tang(白虎湯) treatment, the PASI of 2 patients decreased from 13 to 2.8 and from 10.8 to 0.8 respectively. In addition, VAS of 2 patients diminished from 10 to 3 and from 8 to 1 respectively. Moreover, no side effects were observed. We received effective results by giving Baekho-tang to Psoriasis patients with sweaty, dry mouth, and heating sensation. Anti-inflammatory, antipyretic effects and immunomodulatory functions of Baekho-tang(白虎湯) could lead to improvement of psoriasis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.517-526
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• 2019

Background: The root of Panax ginseng, a member of Araliaceae family, has been used as herbal medicine and functional food in Asia for thousands of years. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng is the most widely used "Qi-invigorating" herbs, which provides tonic and preventive effects by resisting oxidative stress, influencing energy metabolism, and improving mitochondrial function. Very few reports have systematically measured cell mitochondrial bioenergetics after ginseng treatment. Methods: Here, H9C2 cell line, a rat cardiomyoblast, was treated with ginseng extracts having extracted using solvents of different polarity, i.e., water, 50% ethanol, and 90% ethanol, and subsequently, the oxygen consumption rate in healthy and tert-butyl hydroperoxideetreated live cultures was determined by Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer. Results: The 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng possessed the strongest antioxidative and tonic activities to mitochondrial respiration and therefore provided the best protective effects to H9C2 cardiomyocytes. By increasing the spare respiratory capacity of stressed H9C2 cells up to three-folds of that of healthy cells, the 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng greatly improved the tolerance of myocardial cells to oxidative damage. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the low polarity extracts of ginseng could be the best extract, as compared with others, in regulating the oxygen consumption rate of cultured cardiomyocytes during mitochondrial respiration.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Objectives : Rosae Multiflorae Fructus is a traditional medicine derived from the fruit of Rosa multiflora Thunb. a member of the Rosaceae family. Even though it has a single origin, the possibility of adulterants has always existed. In fact, we had discovered suspicious commercial samples of Rosae Multiflorae Fructus, imported from China. Methods : To define the taxonomic origin of Rosae Multiflorae Fructus and its adulterants, DNA barcode analysis of the internal transcribed spacer, trnL-F intergenic spacer, and psbA-trnH sequences was carried out. These DNA barcode sequences from the correct origin of Rosae Multiflorae Fructus were analyzed and compared with those of other samples from genus Rosa used as medicinal herbs. Results : The analyses of the three DNA barcode sequences efficiently distinguished Rosae Multiflorae Fructus from six other species in genus Rosa and also separated each species used in this study. According to the DNA barcoding results, none of the suspicious commercial samples were Rosae Multiflorae Fructus. RMF09 was identified as Rosa acicularis, whereas RMF10 and RMF11 were identified as Rosa davurica and Rosa rugosa, respectively. These results corroborated the existence of adulterants of Rosae Multiflorae Fructus. Conclusions : Our research provides useful information that could be used as a criterion for distinguishing between Rosae Multiflorae Fructus and its adulterants. These results will help in the prevention of adulteration and also suggest effective methods for verifying the origin of commercial herbal medicines derived from genus Rosa.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2023

Objectives: Psychiatric symptoms in epilepsy are very common, and the most common symptoms are depression, insomnia, and anxiety. These symptoms not only lower the quality of life of epilepsy patients, but also elevate the risk of epileptic seizures. There are no specific criteria for the available antiepileptic drugs to ameliorate these symptoms in patients with epilepsy, and there is a lack of evidence to support the efficacy and safety of existing drugs. The Shugan Jieyu capsule (SJC) is a traditional herbal medicine composed of Acanthopanax senticosus and Hypericum perforatum and is reported to be effective in relieving psychiatric symptoms. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of SJC as a treatment for psychiatric symptoms in epilepsy patients. Methods: Electronic databases will be investigated for publications in English, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. The participants of the study are epilepsy patients with psychiatric symptoms diagnosed using any validated criteria. All types of controls will be compared-placebo, conventional treatments, and no treatment-to groups treated with SJC or modified SJC. We will measure the degree of improvement in psychiatric symptoms and check epileptic symptoms, such as the frequency of seizures. The study selection and data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers, who will also assess methodological quality using the risk-of-bias tool by Cochrane. We will use Review Manager software (RevMan) to carry out all statistical analyses. Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis will be performed in accordance with the PRISMA-P statement. Conclusion: This systematic review is the first study to assess the efficacy and safety of SJC for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms in epilepsy. We expect that this study will provide clinically applicable evidence for patients with epilepsy when selecting drug treatments.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.740-746
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• 2004

In order to identify the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of natural herbal extracts, widely used in the Korean traditional medicine, an in vitro screening system was designed using pGL3, a luciferase reporter vector, and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and cyclooxygenase (COX)-II as target genes. The promoter regions of each gene was generated by PCR using the human chromosome as template DNA, and inserted into pGL3 vector with Kpnl and Hindlll. The final construct was transfected into human myleomonocytic leukemia cells (U937) that could be differentiated and activated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Using this system, we tested the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of several herbal extracts being regarded to have the medicinal effects of diminishing the body heat and complementing Qi. The well-known chemicals of PD98059 and berberine chloride were used as controls of the transcriptional inhibitors of TNF-α and COX-II, respectively. Among them, Salvia miltiorrhiza (Dan-Sam) was found to exhibit the significant medicinal properties of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.157-169
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• 2023

Gracilaria Verrucosa (GV), a seaweed used in traditional Korean medicine, was studied for its effects on MI-induced heart failure in rats. MI is caused by a blocked coronary artery, leading to severe cardiac dysfunction. The study used a rat model to assess cardiac changes over time and evaluate the impact of GV on heart failure. Ischemia was induced through LAD ligation surgery, and the extent of ischemic area was measured as a prognostic factor. GV extract administration significantly improved cardiac morphology and reduced cardiac weight compared to the MI group. GV treatment also improved cardiac function, as evidenced by positive effects on chamber dilation during MI-induced heart failure. Parameters such as ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) were measured. The MI group showed decreased EF and FS compared to the sham group, while these parameters improved in the GV group. GV treatment also reduced levels of LDH, CPK, and CK-MB in the serum, indicating reduced myocardial damage. Histological analysis revealed that GV treatment attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, with reduced collagen deposition in the myocardium. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed suppressed expression of TGF-β1 and collagen 1, involved in fibrosis. In conclusion, GV showed potential in improving cardiac function in a rat model of MI-induced heart failure. It alleviated myocardial damage, attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, and suppressed fibrotic markers. Further studies are needed to explore its clinical efficacy and underlying mechanisms in cardiac diseases beyond animal models.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.344-351
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• 2004

Systemic sclerosis Sine scleroderma(ssSSc) is an uncommon subtype of Systemic sclerosis(SSc), which is believed to attack internal organs without causing changes in the skin. Electrogastrography has been known to be a simple, non-invasive, and effective method in assessing gastric motility. In this new study, a case of Systemic sclerosis Sine Scleroderma exhibiting gastric symptoms was observed. For this, we applied herbal medicine. manual acupucture, electro-acupucture, and lumbar skin wanning. After applying these therapies, both systemic and dyspeptic symptoms of the patient improved. Electrogastrography suggests a relation between gastric myoelectrical activity and the patient's improvement in dyspeptic symptoms. Therefore, based on study of Oriental medical classics and recent medical articles, clinically emperical success in treating gastric dysmotility was seen in a patient with Systemic sclerosis Sine Scleroderma.