Efficacy of traditional herbal medicine, Yokukansan on patients with neuropathi

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Masui. 2009 Oct;58(10):1248-55.

Efficacy of traditional herbal medicine, Yokukansan on patients with neuropathic

pain

Nakamura Y, Tajima K, Kawagoe I, Kanai M, Mitsuhata H.

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Juntendo University School of

Medicine, Tokyo 113-8421.

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain that is the chronic, severe, and intractable pain,

interferes with activities of daily living (ADL) and consequently reduces

quality of life (QOL). We reported the efficacy of Yokukansan in patients with

neuropathic pain, including acute herpetic pain, postherpetic neuralgia, central

poststroke pain, post-traumatic spinal cord injury pain, thalamic syndrome,

complex regional pain syndrome and symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia.

Yokukansan was more effective compared with traditional medicines, such as

tricyclic antidepressants, carbamazepine, gabapentin, and opioids etc., which

are recommended to treat neuropathic pain. Recently, effects of Yokukansan is

reported on the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in

elderly patients with dementia.

Repeated administration of Yokukansan decreases expression of

5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 2A receptors in the prefrontal cortex in mice, and

Yokukansan also protects destruction of myelin sheaths in rats with thiamine

deficient-induced encephalopathy.

Mechanism of effectiveness of Yokukansan on neuropathic pain has not been

established; however, efficacy of Yokukansan on neuropathic pain has been shown

clinically.

CONCLUSIONS: As far as we know, this is the first report that Yokukansan was

effective on neuropathic pain. Yokukansan without serious adverse reactions may

be a possible medicine for treatment of neuropathic pain in future.