ABSTRACT
We evaluated the efficacy of yokukansan-based prescriptions for patients with headache. Forty-five patients with headache (34 migraine, 6 tension-type, and 5 combined headaches), or 6 males and 39 females, mean age 38 (25 to 68) years were treated with yokukansan-based prescriptions according to their Sho diagnosis, for 1 to 24 months. Relationships between headache improvement, and 31 factors including age, sex, height, body weight and other symptoms at first examination, were qualified with multi-dimensional analysis. Factors such as painful eye sensation, back stiffness, eyestrain and irritability were significant indicators of headache improvement. Three of these factors (painful eye sensation, back stiffness and irritability) were the best subset of explanatory variables. Yokukansan-based prescriptions seemed to be effective for “liver-related” headache, and were thought to be useful to relieve a triggering or worsening of headache factors. And to our knowledge, this is the first paper to propose the importance of examinations of the back, when considering yokukansan-based prescriptions.