We report on a case of ascites with liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) that was successfully treated with a combination of inchinkoto and goreisan (inchinkoto-go-goreisan). Our patient, a 58-year-old woman had neglected her chronic B hepatitis and diabetes mellitus, and had not been treated with medication. She was admitted to our hospital because of severe jaundice and the ascites, which were noted when she consulted us for traumatic neck pain. Though we administered human albumin with diuretics, e.g. the combination of furosemide and spironolactone, the ascites did not improve. After administering a combination of inchinkoto and goreisan decoction, however, the ascites decreased rapidly within a month. In this case, we found that an inchinkoto-go-goreisan decoction was more effective than an inchinkoto decoction or a goreisan extract. This suggests that the effects of Gardenia and Rheum they are made from can be significant.

Persistent hiccups impair the quality of life of patients, and are sometimes difficult to treat. In our hospital, we usually use a shiteito decoction to treat hiccups, however, there are no published data about the effect of shiteito on hiccups. We retrospectively investigated patients with hiccups treated with a shiteito decoction as a first-line drug from February 1, 2014 to February 28, 2016. Twenty-seven patients were included (three women), and their ages ranged from 24 to 89 years (mean age : 65.4 ± 15.1 years). The shiteito decoction was completely or partially effective in 66.7% of all patients, and 59.3% of all patients completely recovered. In most cases, the hiccups disappeared within two days, and 88.9% of the patients with complete or partial recovery found the decoction to be effective within four days. Shiteito was an effective hiccup treatment, and since it could be easily administered at bedside, it would be useful regardless of patient pattern.