ABSTRACT
To assess the effects of Byakko-ka-ninjin-to on thirst and body weight gain in chronic hemodialysis patients with excessive interdialytic body weight gain, 8 patients (4 men and 4 women, ranging in age from 47 to 75) were prescribed Byakko-ka-ninjin-to extract tablets, 6-12 tablets per day, for 10 weeks. In 4 of the patients, thirst symptoms improved, resulting in significant reduction of interdialytic weight gain. This effect continued to be significant even after cessation of the agent. In the cases of 4 patients whose thirst symptoms did not improve, interdialytic weight gain was not reduced either during or after treatment. For all 8 patients, there were no significant changes in cardiothoracic index, and no adverse effects or events were observed either during or after treatment. Significant reduction in interdialytic weight gain was observed only in the patients with reduced thirst, which suggests that Byakko-ka-ninjin-to allows patients to limit their weight gain by drinking less. These results suggest that Byakko-ka-ninjin-to could be a useful and safe agent to reduce excessive interdialytic body weight gain, at least in a significant cohort of chronic hemodialysis patients.
ABSTRACT
The author treated a 43-year-old woman suffering from generalized eczema with Kampo medicine. During the two months prior to coming to the author's hospital, the patient had been given topical corticosteroids for eruptions with itching in the lower extremities by a local dermatologist. The topical corticosteroids improved her skin lesions, but the effect was temporary. When she stopped using these topical corticosteroids, the eruptions not only recurred, but were larger than before. When she visited this hospital for the first time, exudative erythema and macules were seen over the upper and lower limbs and trunk. The author prescribed Byakko-ka-ninjin-to for her skin lesions. Within two weeks, her erythema and itching had improved, and within four months, her eczema had almost entirely disappeared. One year and seven months later, administration of Kampo was stopped, and there has been no recurrence since she first came for treatment (two years and five months).
ABSTRACT
Disopyramide phosphate, administered to treat arrhythmias, has an anti -cholinergic effect and produces thirst. As the herbal preparation Byakko-ka-ninjin-to is known to ameliorate the symptom of thirst, Kanebo Byakko-ka-ninjin-to extract was administered orally at a dose of 6.0g/day for 12 weeks. Its efficacy was monitored in the 11 patients receiving this treatment for thirst resulting from Disopyramide phosphate in the form of time-release tablets.<br>No adverse influence on the effectiveness of the Disopyramide phosphate in the treatment of arrythmias was observed upon administration of this Kampo formula. No side effects were observed in 81.8% of the cases. “Remarkable improvement” in thirst was reported by 18.2% of the cases, “improvement” was described by 27.3%, “slight improvement” was presented by 18.2% and “no remarkable change” was experienced by 18.2%. No cases (0%) had “worsening” and no evaluation was possible in 18.2% of the cases. The overall efficacy, which included cases in which the Kampo formula was considered “slightly effective” or better, and which also included the safety of the formula, was 63.6%.<br>This study suggested that Byakko-ka-ninjin-to is useful in the amelioration of the symptom of thirst, a common side-effect of Disopyramide phosphate.
ABSTRACT
The effect of Byakko-ka Ninjin-to-on xerostomia in elderly patients and the relationship between the improvement of subjective symptoms and kampo diagnosis were studied. Xerostomia improved in 60 percent of 30 patients treated with Byakko-ka-Ninjin-to. There were significantly more patients who were less advanced in years and with a good constitution in the effective group than in the non-effective group.<br>Although the occurrence of appetiteoss was significantly higher in the non-effective group, there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the occurence of constipation, diarrhoea, boborysmus, upper abdominal bloatedness or cold constitution. No significant differences between the groups were shown in the occurrence of oral kampo diagnosis such as bitter taste in the mouth, thirst, stickiness in the mouth, and mucosal dryness.<br>From these results it is concluded that Byakko-ka-Ninjin-to is effective for elderly patients who are not too advanced in year and who have a good constitution and (<i>sthenia</i>).
