Clinical evaluation of Moku-boi-to (Mu-Fang-Yi-Tang): A Japanese and Chinese traditional medicine for heart failure.

Accession number;02A0904517
Title;Clinical evaluation of Moku-boi-to (Mu-Fang-Yi-Tang): A Japanese and Chinese traditional medicine for heart failure.
Author; YAKUBO S (Nihon Univ. School Of Medicine, Tokyo, Jpn) KINOSHITA Y (Nihon Univ. School Of Medicine, Tokyo, Jpn) ARAKAWA Y (Nihon Univ. School Of Medicine, Tokyo, Jpn) TAKAHASHI M (Tsumura Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Jpn) KITANAKA S (Nihon Univ. Coll. Pharmacy, Chiba, Jpn)
Journal Title;Journal of Traditional Medicines
Journal Code:Y0941A
ISSN:1340-6302
VOL.19;NO.5;PAGE.159-163(2002)
Figure&Table&Reference;FIG.2, REF.18
Pub. Country;Japan
Language;English
Abstract;As for Japanese and Chinese traditional Kampo medicine for treatment of heart failure, Moku-boi-to (Mu-Fang-Yi-Tang) is the most widely known; however, the efficacy of traditional medicines has been assessed only qualitatively, based on the improvement of symptoms and it is difficult to estimate it accurately based on clinical examinations. The plasma concentration of brain natriuretic peptide(BNP) is an indicator of the degree of heart failure or cardiac function. Thus, we tried to investigate the effect of Moku-boi-to in patients with heart failure based on a qualitative assessment of symptoms and on the changes in the plasma concentration of BNP. We studied 12 patients with moderate chronic heart failure [New York Heart Association(NYHA) class 2 or 3]. We assessed the effect of Moku-boi-to using Moku-boi-to extract granules (Tsumura Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) (TJ-36). Before and after treatment with TJ-36 for more than 12 weeks, we investigated heart failure symptoms, NYHA class, plasma BNP concentration, as well as several other parameters. In this study we observed cardiac arrhythmia in 2 patients (16.7%). Of the 12 patients, nine showed improvement of the symptoms (75.0%). In the 10 patients in whom we measured all parameters, the decrease of plasma BNP concentration and the improvement of NYHA class were significant (p<0.01). Thus we think that Moku-boi-to may serve as an adjuvant to other therapies for heart failure. (author abst.)