Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2009, 219(4)

The Herbal Medicine Daikenchuto Increases Blood Flow in the Superior Mesenteric Artery

SHIN TAKAYAMA,¹ TAKASHI SEKI,¹ MASASHI WATANABE,¹ YASUTAKE MONMA,¹ NORIHIRO SUGITA,² SATOSHI KONNO,³ KOH IWASAKI,¹ TAKASHI TAKEDA,¹ TOMOYUKI YAMBE,³ MAKOTO YOSHIZAWA,⁴ SHIN-ICHI NITTA³ and NOBUO YAEGASHI¹

¹Center for Asian Traditional Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
²Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
³Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
⁴Research Division on Advanced Information Technology, Cyberscience Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

Daikenchuto is a traditional herbal medicine that is used for the treatment of cold feeling in the abdomen, while Orengedokuto, also a traditional herbal medicine, is used for treating inflammatory and ulcerative diseases affecting internal organs. However, the effects of these herbal medicines on cardiac output (CO) and intestinal blood flow have never been investigated. This examiner-blinded randomized crossover study intended to clarify the influence of Daikenchuto and Orengedokuto on CO and blood flow volume in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Fourteen healthy men (35 ± 7 years old) were randomly assigned to two groups: group A and group B. Initially, all subjects were given 50 ml of water orally. After 7 days, subjects in group A were given 5.0 g of Daikenchuto, and 7 days later they were given 2.5 g of Orengedokuto. These herbal medicines were given to group B subjects in the reverse order. CO and SMA blood flow volume were measured from rest to 90 min after the administration of water or each medicine. There was a significant increase in SMA blood flow volume after the administration of Daikenchuto, compared to water alone (p < 0.05) and Orengedokuto (p < 0.05). SMA blood flow volume was significantly increased between 5 and 90 min after administration of Daikenchuto (p < 0.01) compared to the resting state. However, there was no significant change in CO after the administration of either agent. The present study indicates that Daikenchuto increases SMA blood flow volume without increasing CO.

keywords —— superior mesenteric artery; ultrasound; herbal medicine; hemodynamics; Daikenchuto.

© 2009 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2009, 219, 319-330

Correspondence: Takashi Seki, M.D., Ph.D., Center for Asian Traditional Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8574, Japan.

e-mail: t-seki@m.tains.tohoku.ac.jp