Positive Health Online

Abstract

SUGAYA and colleagues, Division of Oriental Medicine, Tokyo Hospital, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Japan, examined the gene expression regulatory activities of a Japanese herbal mixture, Saiko-keishi-to-ka shakuyaku (SK, TJ-960).

Background

Japanese herbal medicine has long been considered as only supplementary therapy to Western medicine.

Methodology

Results

The investigators found that the herbal mixture, Saiko-keishi-to-ka shakuyaku (SK, TJ-960), displayed activities that suggested regulation of gene expression, including increased expression of seizure-related gene PTZ-17, proto-oncogene c-fos and heat shock protein HSP 72.

Conclusion

According to the authors, their results provide a scientific basis for an important ancient concept and the use of herbal mixtures as 'therapy against diseases which will be suffered in the future' . The authors also suggest that the findings may lead to the development of therapies and even perhaps prevention of intractable epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and developmental disorders occurring during pregnancy and the postnatal period, and to prevention of metastasis or relapse of various cancers.

References

Sugaya E et al. Regulation of gene expression by herbal medicines – a new paradigm of gene therapy for multifocal abnormalities of genes. Research Communications in Molecular Pathology and Pharmacology 106 (3): 171-80. 1999.