Shohangekabukuryoto, an herbal mixture, was administered to 15 patients with postnasal drip. Ten patients responded to this therapy and 5 failed to respond to it. Subjective symptoms and objective findings were analyzed and compared between the responders and nonresponders. Nausea was not observed in any patient. In the responders, watery rhinorrhea and shinsuion was often noted. Patients showing viscous rhinorrhea without shinsuion were considered nonresponders. These results suggest that shohangekabukuryoto is an herbal mixture that may be used for treating patients with postnasal watery rhinorrhea accompanied by shinsuion, despite the absence of evident nausea.

We encountered 2 cases of vomiting that were successfully treated with daisaikoto. In case1, the patient was a 16-year-old girl. She was vomiting in the hospital with pneumonia. Referring to the vomiting and kyokyo-kuman (Subchondrial resistance and discomfort), vomiting gradually disappeared after administration of daisaikoto. In case 2, the patient was a 73-year-old woman. After aspiration pneumonia, she developed nausea and vomiting and experienced constipation and kyokyo-kuman. The nausea and vomiting gradually disappeared after the administration of daisaikoto. These findings suggested that daisaikoto, in combination with a large amount of Zingiberis Rhizoma on classic text, suppresses nausea.

We encountered 4 cases of calf cramps in which the herbal mixture shakuyakukanzoto was ineffective but another herbal mixture sokeikakketsuto was effective. In case 1, the patient was a 73-year-old man. He had a history of calf cramps, and started experiencing calf cramps more frequently about1month before he made his first visit to our department. Shakuyakukanzoto (7.5g/day) was initially prescribed, but the frequency of cramps did not change. Then, shakuyakukanzoto was replaced with sokeikakketsuto (7.5g/day), and this resulted in rapid alleviation of the symptom. In case 2, the patient was a 67-year-old woman undergoing outpatient care for shoulder stiffness, low back pain, etc. She started experiencing calf cramps at night and underwent shakuyakukanzoto (7.5g/day) treatment. The frequency of cramps did not change, and hence, shakuyakukanzoto was replaced with sokeikakketsuto (2.5g at bedtime). The symptom was alleviated in response to this therapy. In case 3, the patient was a 66-year-old woman undergoing treatment for low back pain at our department. She experienced calf cramps and was treated with shakuyakukanzobushito (3.0g/day). The response was poor, and the herbal mixture was replaced with sokeikakketsuto (7.5g/day), which resulted in the disappearance of her cramps. In case 4, the patient was a 75-year-old man undergoing treatment for a cold sensation in the left leg. He experienced calf cramps and was treated with shakuyakukanzobushito (1.5g/day). This therapy resulted in only temporary relief from the symptom. After the herbal mixture was replaced with sokeikakketsuto (2.5g/day), the cramps disappeared rapidly. Thus, sokeikakketsuto, which improves blood flow and is thought to manifest analgesic effects, may be used for treating patients with calf cramps who do not respond to shakuyakukanzoto.

A 51-year-old male with cyclic neutropenia, on whom we previously reported, was admitted to our hospital with severe abdominal pain and diarrhea four years and seven months after his last hospitalization. Since then, he has received Kampo treatment at our hospital every three weeks, with good clinical results. This time, he was at first treated with Kampo daikenchuto combined with bushikobeito, which had been effective during his last hospitalization, although this time the remedy had no effect. From the viewpoint of Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine, it was considered that the patient had severe cold syndrome. He was given uzukeishito three times a day (at 10.00, 15.00 and 20.00 hours). The dose of uzu in uzukeishito was gradually increased. Daiuzusen, in which the dose of uzu (an aconite) was 1g or 2g, was also administered five times a day due to the patient's very severe abdominal pain. On the fourth day of uzukeishito administration, the patient felt very hot and still had severe abdominal pain, although this pain was different from the previous pain, thirty minutes after daiuzusen (with 2g dose of uzu) was administered. This reaction can better be explained as mengen rather than uzu poisoning. Very soon he had a good appetite, his abdominal pain was reduced and the cycle of neutropenia was normalized. The case suggests that in cases of very severe cold syndrome, frequent and high-dose administration of aconite component medicine can be effective.