Traditional medicine for the treatment of common cold in Korean adults: A nationwide population-based study

Exploring Bioactive Phytomedicines for Advancing Pulmonary Infection Management: Insights and Future Prospects

Pulmonary infections have a profound influence on global mortality rates. Medicinal plants offer a promising approach to address this challenge, providing nontoxic alternatives with higher levels of public acceptance and compliance, particularly in regions where access to conventional medications or diagnostic resources may be limited. Understanding the pathophysiology of viruses and bacteria enables researchers to identify biomarkers essential for triggering diseases. This knowledge allows the discovery of biological molecules capable of either preventing or alleviating symptoms associated with these infections. In this review, medicinal plants that have an effect on COVID-19, influenza A, bacterial and viral pneumonia, and tuberculosis are discussed. Drug delivery has been briefly discussed as well. It examines the effect of bioactive constituents of these plants and synthesizes findings from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies conducted over the past decade. In conclusion, many medicinal plants can be used to treat pulmonary infections, but further in-depth studies are needed as most of the current studies are only at preliminary stages. Extensive investigation and clinical studies are warranted to fully elucidate their mechanisms of action and optimize their use in clinical practice.

Analysis of the Use of Korean Medicine Treatments among Children and Adolescents in South Korea: Analysis of Nationally Representative Sample

Korean medicine (KM) is pivotal within South Korea's healthcare system. This study aimed to investigate the current use and determinants associated with KM among children and adolescents through an analysis of the 2019 Korea Health Panel Annual Data. Subjects were divided into two groups: the integrative medicine (IM) group, utilizing both KM and conventional medicine (CM) (n = 163), and the CM-only group (n = 1843) for the year 2019. Differences in various factors between the IM and CM groups were investigated using the chi-square test or t-tests. Moreover, binomial logistic regression was employed to ascertain factors influencing the choice of KM over exclusive CM utilization. The IM group had a higher mean age (p = 0.011) and annual household income (p < 0.001) compared to the CM group. The regression analysis indicated a significant association between the use of both KM and CM and being an adolescent (p = 0.011), residing in Seoul/Gyeonggi/Incheon (p = 0.017), living in Daejeon/Chungcheong/Sejong (p = 0.001), and belonging to the first income percentile (p = 0.002). Significant differences were observed in the KM usage patterns between the groups of children and adolescents. These insights could contribute to the development of strategies for the optimal allocation of medical resources within South Korea's distinctive medical framework.

Effects of herbal medicines (Eunkyosan/Yin qiao san and Samsoeum/Shen su yin) for treating the common cold: A randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial

Background

Eunkyosan (EKS) and Samsoeum (SSE), which are called Yin qiao san and Shen su yin in Chinese, are commonly used herbal medicines for the common cold in East Asian countries. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of EKS and SSE for treating the common cold.

Methods

A randomized, patient-assessor-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel, and multicenter clinical trial was conducted. Adult participants who had one or more cold within 48 h before screening, were randomly allocated to EKS, SSE, or placebo groups. The recruitment goal was planned to be 375 participants. They took an EKS, SSE, or placebo, thrice daily for up to 8 days. The primary outcome was the change in the total score of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Scale-21-Korean version (WURSS-21-K) on day 6 compared to the baseline. The secondary outcomes included visual analog scale (VAS) scores and the duration of symptoms was assessed throughout the trial.

Results

A total of 128 participants were enrolled and 44, 42, and 42 were allocated to the EKS, SSE, and placebo groups, respectively. This study was prematurely terminated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were unable to recruit all the planned participants (n = 375). EKS showed significant clinical effectiveness over the placebo group in the treatment of the common cold, as assessed by the total, symptom, and quality of life scores of WURSS-21-K and VAS, whereas SSE showed significant improvement over the placebo group in terms of WURSS-21-K symptom score. No severe adverse events were reported.

Conclusions

Although EKS and SSE demonstrated statistically significant clinical effectiveness and safety in patients with the common cold, we failed to recruit our pre-planned number of participants. Future definitive full-scale studies are needed to confirm these results.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials. gov, registration number: NCT04073511. Registered on 29 August 2019.

Herbal Medicine Prescriptions for Functional Dyspepsia: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Korea

Background

Herbal medicine is widely used for the treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) in East Asian countries. We aimed to analyze the prescription patterns of herbal medicine for patients with FD in Korean medicine clinical settings through the analysis of national health insurance claims data over the past 10 years and to check how herbal medicine has been used for FD within the scope of national health insurance.

Methods

All prescription data claimed to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service with the diagnosis of FD and herbal medicine prescriptions in 2010–2019 were reviewed. We estimated the demographics, clinical characteristics, and annual prescription amount and cost of each herbal medicine. Frequent comorbidities of FD were investigated by analyzing the frequency of the Korean standard classification of diseases codes used together with FD.

Results

In total, 19,388,248 herbal medicine prescriptions were identified. Herbal medicine prescriptions were mostly claimed by women, the elderly, outpatients at Korean medicine clinics, and national health insurance; the number increased every year. The most frequently prescribed herbal medicine was Pingwei-san (Pyeongwi-san) (31.12%), followed by Xiangshapingwei-san (Hyangsapyeongwi-san) (23.20%), Qiongxia-tang (Gungha-tang) (6.31%), and Banxiaxiexin-tang (Banhasasim-tang) (6.25%). The total cost of herbal medicine prescriptions increased every year, and it was highest for Xiangshapingwei-san (Hyangsapyeongwi-san) (19.37%), followed by Banxiaxiexin-tang (Banhasasim-tang) (17.50%) and then Pingwei-san (Pyeongwi-san) (15.63%). Musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases including low back pain and myalgia were the commonest comorbidities associated with FD.

Conclusion

This is the first study to investigate the disease burden and actual prescription pattern of herbal medicine for FD using claim data. Future clinical research and related healthcare policies should be established based on our study.