Traditional Chinese Herbal Prescription Research Articles

Inhibitory effect of Shimotsu-to, a traditional Chinese herbal prescription, on acute inflammation in rats and guinea pigs

We examined the effect of topical application of Shimotsu-to, a traditional Chinese herbal prescription, on carrageenin-induced edema in rats and ultraviolet radiation-induced erythema in guinea pigs. Shimotsu-to (5% in water) markedly suppressed an acute edema of rat hindpaw induced by 1% carrageenin, and was more effective than any other single crude drug componcent of Shimotsu-to, Topical treatment with this prescription also inhibited ultraviolet erythema on the back skin of guinea pigs (a human sunbrun model). These results suggest the therapeutic effect on acute inflammation by topical application of Shimotsu-to.

Inhibitory effect of rikkunshi-to, a traditional Chinese herbal prescription, on tumor promotion in two-stage carcinogenesis in mouse skin.

We report the inhibitory effect of topical application of extracts of a traditional Chinese herbal prescription on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation in mice. Methanol and water extracts obtained from 22 traditional Chinese herbal prescriptions were assayed and their inhibition ratios calculated. In general, the methanol extracts produced more effective inhibition than the water extracts. Of the various traditional Chinese herbal prescriptions, the methanol extract of Rikkunshi-to was more effective than other prescriptions as far as inhibition of TPA-induced inflammation was concerned. Hoelen, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Atractylodis Rhizoma, components of Rikkunshi-to markedly inhibited the inflammatory activity involved by TPA in mice. Furthermore, topical application of the methanol extract of Rikkunshi-to markedly inhibited TPA-induced tumor promotion in two-stage carcinogenesis in mouse skin.