Diseases and Findings of the Shigyakusan Effective Cases in Our Institution / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

We retrospectively surveyed and analyzed medical records of 41 effective cases with shigyakusan including shigyakusan decoction and shigyakusan extract. In classics, fullness in chest and hypochondrium and rectus abdominis muscle stiffness along with coldness of the extremities is regarded as important clinical indication of shigyakusan. In this analysis, patients who present fullness in chest and hypochondrium are more than 90%, and patients presenting rectus abdominis muscle stiffness are more than 60%, confirming that these findings are important. On the other hand, although more than half of the patients feel excessive sensitivity to cold, only about 20% of the patients had coldness of the extremities as objective Kampo findings in their medical records. Until now, coldness of the extremities has been considered to be important because shigyaku means Japanese expression of it. But our obtained results show that shigyakusan is used for the patients who do not have cold extremities.