RESUMO
Kakkonkajutsubuto belongs to the Ephedra herb drug group and has useful properties for stiff shoulders, scapular neuralgia, and rheumatoid arthritis of the upper body. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of kakkonkajutsubuto in patients with neck, shoulder, and upper-extremity pain from the viewpoint of decrease in a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and adverse reactions. One hundred and twenty-four patients who had no gastrointestinal disorder, hot flashes, excessive sweating or other select symptoms were treated with kakkonkajutsubuto (5.0-7.5g/day). The VAS was used for the assessment of pain-relieving effect.Eighty-one patients improved dramatically (their pre/post administration VAS ratio was less than 50%), 21 improved (between 51 to 75%), and 22 did not improve (more than 76%). Eighty-two point three percent of patients improved in total. Five patients showed adverse reactions, such as general fatigue, stomachache, and edema, but these were not clinically significant. This study suggests that kakkonkajutsubuto can be used more widely for neck, shoulder, or upper-extremity pain.