ABSTRACT
The skin condition of patients with senile pruritus is considered to be in the state of “Kekkyo” in oriental medicine. For the treatment of this disease, “Ho-ketsu-zai” has been primarily used in the past in the therapy of oriental herbal medicine. There have been reports describing “Jyuzen-taiho-to” as effective in healing itchiness among patients with atopic dermatitis, but not very much is known about the results of the use of this drug for the treatment of senile pruritus. I have encountered four cases of senile pruritus, for which the administration of “Jyuzen-taiho-to” extract preparation was effective. These cases included two male and two female patients with an average age of 79 years. In all cases, skin dryness was observed and “Kikyo” and “Kekkyo” were present. To these patients, 1/3-1/2 of the normal dosage of the extract preparation was given, and the effects appeared within two to six weeks. “Jyuzen-taiho-to” seems to be one of the drugs very useful for the treatment of the patients with senile pruritus. The presence of “Kikyo” is suggested as an index for the administration of the drug.