Applications of Orento Based on“Upper Heat and Middle Cold” / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

Orento is generally used for upper gastrointestinal symptoms. We have used orento for various diseases based on “upper heat and middle cold”. As a result of the evaluation of 30 responders to orento, the most frequent sign of “upper heat” was “yellow tongue coating” (29/30 responders), while the most frequent sign of “middle cold” was “preference for warm foods and beverages” (27/30 responders). Compared with the non-­responder group, the responder group showed significantly higher frequencies of “gastrointestinal cold”, which is the sum of “preference for warm foods and beverages” and “aggravation of gastrointestinal symptoms by cold foods and beverages” (29/30 responders, p = 0.047), and “upper/lower gastrointestinal symptoms” (29/30 responders, p = 0.014). These results suggest that “yellow tongue coating” is the most important sign for “upper heat” while “gastrointestinal cold” is the most important sign for “middle cold”. As Kampo patterns for orento, gastrointestinal symptoms often occur, but there is a possibility of upper or lower gastrointestinal symptoms, skin disorders, and sleep disorders.