A 41-year-old man had been suffering from loss of appetite and abdominal distension since November, 1990 and was diagnosed as suffering from chronic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia and mild depression as a result of examinations. His symptoms were not cured by various kinds of western drugs and he was admitted to our hospital on June 19, 1992. We diagnosed his symptoms as caused by chronic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia and regurgitated bile juice based on his general examinations (Kyoukyoukuman) and findings of gastrointestinal fiberscopy (GIF) . He made favorable progress on Saikokeishi-To within one week and his weight increased from 55 kilograms to 58 kilograms five months. 5 months after treatment with Saikokeishi-To, GIF findings were considered to have shown improvement but histological findings of gastritis with intestinal metaplasia were considered to have been aggravated. Saikokeishi-To cured his symptoms and increased his body weight, but failed to improve histological findings in the gastric mucosa. Therefore Saikokeishi-To may have a good psychological effect and improve gastrointestinal motility.

Objective: Bakumondo-to (Mai men dong tang, B), a traditional Chinese blended medicine, has notable antitussive activity in bronchitic guinea-pigs. In this study, we examined whether or not B was effective in treating postinfectious cough.
Methodology: Consenting, non-smoking patients who met the following diagnostic criteria were selected as subjects: (1) those who had been coughing continuously for more than two weeks postinfectiously; (2) who did not use angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors orally; (3) who had no history of nasal and/or paranasal disease, chronic pulmonary disease, atopy or gastroesophageal reflux disease; and (4) who had normal chest X-rays, respiratory function, peripheral eosinophil counts, levels of C-reactive protein, and serum IgE concentrations. Subjects were randomized into two groups: those given a daily dose of 9g of B extract granules orally for one week, and those given a daily dose of 60mg dextromethorphan hydrobromide (D) orally for one week. Using a cough diary (in which cough was scored from 0 to 9 points), we compared and studied the antitussive effects between the two groups.
Results: Group B was comprised of thirteen patients, and Group D, twelve. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to age, sex, cough scores at the time of hospital visits, duration of continuous coughing, and test results. Significant antitussive effects were seen in both groups. However, cough scores decreased significantly from the second day for the B group, and on the third, sixth and seventh day for the D group. Compared with the D group subjects, those in the B group showed higher antitussive effects on the second days (P<0.05). No serious side effects were observed for either group.
Conclusion: In this randomized open trial, we concluded that Bakumondo-to is an effective treatment in non-smoking patients with postinfectious cough, and it appears to demonstrate an antitussive action immediately after administration.