Successful Kampo Treatment for Three Patients with Hypogeusia / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

Most patients with taste disorders are usually treated with zinc, but there still remain many untreatable patients, including non-responders and those of advanced age. In this study, we report on three patients with hypogeusia who showed improvement after the administration of Kampo medicine. A 49-year-old female diagnosed with hypogeusia and hyposensation of the oral cavity responded to Oren-gedoku-to. A 43-year-old male diagnosed as having schizophrenia and hypogeusia and a 76-year-old female with idiopathic hypogeusia responded to Saiko-ka-ryukotsu-borei-to. Kampo medicines are considered to normalize zinc-related neuro-transmissions originating in the vallate taste buds. Furthermore, the curative effect of Oren-gedoku-to on inflammation-injured oral cavity membranes, and the psychotropic effect of Saiko-ka-ryukotsu-borei-to on improving hypogeusia, were shown in our patients. It should be noted that the recent increase in aged patients complaining of taste disorders might be related to aging-associated depression. Saiko-ka-ryukotsu-borei-to or related Kampo formulations are considered to have wide applications for depressed or aged patients with hypogeusia.