• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.294-303
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• 2010

We determined arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium concentrations in Chinese herbal medicines sold in the United States by medical use parts. 54 kinds of herbal products including 9 medical use parts (radix, rhizoma, cortex, pericarpium, fructus, lignum, semen, folium, and herba) were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for arsenic, lead and cadmium, and using mercury analyzer for mercury. Arsenic (median concentration, 0.25 mg/g), mercury (0.20 mg/g), lead (3.78 mg/g) and cadmium (0.39 mg/g) were detected in 71%, 54%, 35%, and 18% of 143 herbal medicine samples, respectively. A total of 27% and 12% of 143 products analyzed contained mercury and cadmium above the regulatory standards. Herba and folium (leaves of herbal plants) were the most contaminated parts from metals, whereas pericarpium, lignum and semen (outer layers and seeds) were less contaminated. This study suggests that metal contamination is different by medical use parts. Our findings provide further evidence that efforts to protect people using traditional remedies from metal intoxication should be made to enforce the regulatory standards.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.205-216
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• 2009

Objectives : To establish the fundaments for EBM of Traditional Korean Medicine, the papers on Guibi-tang(Guipitang) which were frequently used in medical institutions of Traditional Korean Medicine were analyzed through researching domestic and international literatures. Methods : The papers were classified by the year of publishment, by experimental methods, by laboratory animals used in biological experiment and by the kinds of studies on biological efficacy. Results : Of total 39 papers were registered in domestic journals. Since 1980, publishments of papers have continuously increased. The papers on biological studies were 34 volumes, clinical studies were 5 volumes. Biological studies mainly showed the effects of anti-stress, anti-oxidant, hemostasis, anti-osteoporosis, gastroprotection, reproductive ability, brain cell activity, radioprotection. And clinical studies showed improvements of fearful throbbing, memory and orientation, insomnia, vericose vein, schizophrenia. Conclusions : Guibi-tang(Guipitang) could be used to fortify the spleen, nourish the heart and then control the blood. However biological studies need to be conducted in accordance with clinical study and further clinical studies on randomized controlled trials should be proceeded.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.70-105
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• 2023

This study was conducted to examine the current status of traditional korean medicine studies on gastroesophageal reflux disease in Korea, identify deficiencies, and suggest the direction of future medicine research methods to lay the foundation for traditional korean medicine treatment. All domestic papers on the korean traditional treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease were selected among the literature published until August 2022 in six domestic databases. A total of 52 selected research data were classified into experimental research papers, clinical research papers, and review papers. In experimental papers, to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment, improvement of esophageal mucosal lesions, anti-inflammatory mechanisms, antioxidant mechanisms, esophageal mucosal protection mechanisms, gastric peristalsis control, and gastric acid secretion inhibition mechanisms were used as evaluation measures. In the clinical research paper, the basis for diagnosis of cases was clinical symptoms through medical history listening and diagnosis through visits to hospitals in the past. The average treatment period was 40.7 days, and the duration of treatment was not significantly affected by the duration of the disease. The most widely used Korean medicine treatment intervention was herbal medicine. There were 3 literature review studies, 3 systematic literature review and meta-analysis studies, 1 comparative review study for clinical trial guideline development, all using Chinese papers. This study included all domestic papers on gastroesophageal reflux disease to identify the research trend of the Korean oriental medicine community, and based on this, it is meaningful to confirm areas that need to be supplemented in future research plans.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.44-68
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• 2018

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the trend in the research on breast cancer using traditional Korean medicine (TKM) and establish the direction for further study. Methods: Breast cancer studies using Korean medicine were searched using the Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS). The search term was 'breast' and there was no restriction in year. The searched studies were analyzed according to the type of research. Results: 1. 83 studies were searched. The types and numbers of study were as follows: 42 were in vitro studies, 5 were in vivo studies, 12 were studies for review, and 27 were clinical research including case reports. 2. Various cell lines such as MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, and MCF-10A were used for in vitro studies. The studies reported a decrease in cell viability, induction of apoptosis, and change of expression in cancer-related genes. In vivo studies also reported induction of apoptosis, and anti-proliferative activity of herbal medicine against the cancer cells. 3. Among the clinical research, 8 were cross-sectional studies, 3 were controlled-trial, and 15 were case reports. The baseline characteristics of breast cancer patients were analyzed in the cross-sectional studies. Interventions such as pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, massage, Qi gong, acupuncture, electroacupuncture and moxibustion were used in clinical research. 4. Research on the review of breast cancer covered various subjects as follows: herbal medicine, acupuncture, pattern identification of breast cancer in traditional Korean medicine, analysis of previous experimental studies, and clinical trials. Conclusion: We have found the applicability of TKM for treatment of breast cancer through this review. It is necessary to conduct further studies, such as well-designed clinical trials based on the results from experimental research.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.295-311
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• 2019

Objectives: This research aimed to investigate Chinese clinical studies on the treatment of central post-stroke pain (CPSP) and thalamic syndrome after stroke with traditional herbal medicine (THM). Methods: Randomized controlled trials verifying the effects of herbal medicine on treating CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke were included in the study. Electrical and hand search were conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), National Discovery for Science Leaders (NDSL), Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (Oasis) for CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke. A literature search was performed in the Chinese and Korean databases for papers published from January 1, 2010 to October 1, 2018. The selected literature was assessed by Cochrane's risk of bias. Results: Twelve reports on randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria from the 227 identified reports. Effective rate, comparison of visual analogy scale, present pain intensity, pain grading index, recurrence rate, follow-up, and a 36-item short form survey instrument were used to evaluate the treatments. The effective rate of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group in all papers. Side effects occurred less frequently in the treatment group than in the western medicine control group. Conclusions: The treatment of CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke with THM was shown to be highly effective. Additional well-designed clinical trials are needed. This study can be used as a basis for further research on the treatment of CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.176-180
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• 2007

Background : Advanced-stage endometrial cancer patients show a poor prognosis because of limited success from surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Recently, the uses of complimentary and alternative medicines have gained popularity for these patients. Cases : The first case is a 46-year-old patient with FIGO stage IVb endometrial cancer who had distant metastasis on her supraclavicular LNs area; the second, a 72-year-old stage Ib patient who could not be treated with surgery or chemotherapy because of chronic heart disease and her refusal of radiation therapy due to her advanced age. They remain alive and in stable condition under a strict traditional herbal medicine regiment 41 and 52 months, respectively, after diagnosis. Conclusion : We present two cases of endometrial cancer patients who desire to be treated by traditional herbal medication with no further development.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.373-388
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aimed to provide basic data for research by investigating non-clinical experimental studies on herbal medicines and its compounds for precocious puberty. Methods : A search was conducted for all literature until October 2023 using combinations of keywords such as precocious puberty, puberty, and chinese medicine in three databases (Pubmed, OASIS, and ScienceON). Results : 1. In animal experiments, studies were mainly conducted using a model that induced precocious puberty by subcutaneously administering danazol to SD rats on the 5th day after birth, and in cell experiments, precocious puberty was induced by treating GT1-7 cells with kisspeptin 10 or estradiol. 2. Anemarrhenae Rhizoma, Phellodendri Cortex, and Prunellae Spica were mainly used as herbal medicine to evaluate their efficacy on precocious puberty in non-clinical experiments. 3. Macroscopic observation, hematological analysis, histological analysis, and genetic analysis were performed as methods to analyze the experimental results. Conclusions : In this study, the effects of herbal medicine on precocious puberty and non-clinical research methods were confirmed. Based on the results of this study, it is expected that non-clinical effectiveness and mechanism research on materials that are clinically effective in Traditional Korean Medicine will be revitalized.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.26-43
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• 2018

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze recent traditional Chinese medicine clinical studies for treatment of childhood obesity. Methods We analyzed 11 clinical studies from January, 2000 to March, 2018 about childhood obesity from the China Academic Journal (CAJ) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). All selected studies were Randomized Controlled Trials and analyzed in order of publication year, demographic information, treatment method, evaluation methods, results, adverse reactions and relapse after treatment discontinuation. Results The main Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment was the herbal decoctions, granules and pills. In most studies, the total efficacy of the treatment group was reported to be higher than that of the control group. Adverse reactions were found in small number of studies. Frequently used medical herbs were Crataegi Fructus (山?), Atractylodis Rhizoma (蒼朮), Citri Pericarpium (陳皮), Poria (茯?), and Nelumbinis Folium (荷葉). Also, Water-draining and swelling-dispersing medicinal (利水退腫藥), Qi-regulating medicinal (理氣藥), Resolving dampness with aroma medicinal (芳香化濕藥), Blood-activating and stasis-dispelling medicinal (活血祛瘀藥), Qi-tonifying medicinal (補氣藥), and Digestant medicinal (消食藥) were commonly used. Conclusions This study showed that traditional Chinese medicine, especially herbal medicine treatment can be effective and safe option for treating childhood obesity. These research results can be utilized in other clinical studies as well as in treatment of childhood obesity. Additional well-designed randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews are need to confirm the conclusion.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.112-120
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• 2015

Purpose : To observe effects of TKM (Traditional Korean Medicine) treatment for 2 patients who had verruca plana after having laser epilation of leg hair. Methods : We did retrospective chart review for 2 verucca plana patients who had been treated by TKM. TKM treatment included herbal treatment, herbal acupuncture and herbal ointment. Results : After TKM treatment, the patients' verucca plana remarkably disappeared and there was no recurrence. Conclusion : This study suggest that TKM may be an effective treatment for verucca plana.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2002

Toad venom, 'Chan su' in Chinese and 'somso' in Korean, is a well-known traditional oriental medicine obtained from the skin venom gland of the toad. Formulations of toad venom have been widely applied in China, Japan, Korea and other oriental countries for a long time. It is often found in traditional Chinese formulations, such as Jiuxin (or Kyushin in Japan), Yixin, Huoxin, Shexiang baoxin wan, Lu shen wan and Laryngitis pills. According to a pharmaceutical chemistry study, toad venom contains multiple biological active substances, such as bufalin, resibufogenin and cinobufagin. Modern pharmacological studies indicated that toad venom has multiple pharmacological actions, including acting as a cardiotonic, antitumor local anesthetic effects, stimulates the respiratory center, vasopressor action, anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects. Like other medications, toad venom also has certain toxicity and adverse effects, for example, inducing delayed afterdepolarization and triggered arrhythmia. The major chemical constituents, basic pharmacological actions and adverse reactions of toad venom are discussed in this article.