Efficacy of Shitei-To, a Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulation, Against Convulsions in Mice

Abstract

The anticonvulsant effects of Shitei-To and its components on maximal electroshock seizures and chemical convulsions were examined. Shitei-To significantly prolonged the latency to bicuculline (2.0 mg/kg, s.c.)-induced clonic convulsions. Repeated treatment with Shitei-To also significantly prolonged the latency to strychnine (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.)-and pentylenetetrazol (90 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced clonic convulsions. On the other hand, Shitei-To had no effect on maximal electroshock seizures. Of the components of Shitei-To, Shitei had almost the same effect as Shitei-To against the clonic convulsions induced by the three chemical agents tested. These findings suggest that Shitei-To has anticonvulsant effects.

Clove

“…Repeated dosing of Shitei-To at 3 g/kg protected against the development of chemically induced seizures and convulsions. 147,148 However, the specific contribution of clove extract cannot be determined.…”

Botanicals and Herbs: A Traditional Approach to Treating Epilepsy

“…42 Herbal therapies used to treat convulsive diseases in Asia in modern times include Chai-Hu-Long-Ku-Mu-Li-Tan (TW-001), a mixture of extracts from 13 herbal therapies; Gastrodia elata (Tian Ma; gastrodia root); Uncaria rhynchophylla (cat's claw); Menispermum dauricum (moonseed); Shitei-To, a mixture of extracts from three medicinal herbs, Shitei (kaki calyx; the calyx of Diospyros kaki persimmon), Shokyo (gingerroot; rhizome of Zingiber officinale), and Choji (clove; pharmaceutical name, caryophylli flos; the flowerbud of Syzygium aromaticum); mixture of radish (Raphanus sativus) and pepper (Piper species, containing the alkaloid piperine); Qingyangshen (root of Cynanchum otophyllum); Kanbaku-taiso-to, a mixture of three herbal drugs, glycyrrhizae radix (licorice root; Glycyrrhiza species), tritici semen (wheat seed; Triticum aestivum), and zizyphi fructus (spiny jujube fruit; Ziziphus spinosa); paeoniae radix (peony root; Paeonia lactiflora, synonym P. albiflora); and Zheng Tai instant powder (a complex prescription of traditional Chinese medicines used for tonic-clonic seizures). 43 Several of these herbal therapies have been shown to have neuroprotective properties, [44][45][46] efficacy in animal models of epilepsy [47][48][49] and hippocampal slice models, 50 and effects on gene expression. 51 These studies generally do not specify, however, the methods used to 1) authenticate the source plants, 2) produce extracts and fractions, 3) characterize the active ingredients, or 4) perform the preclinical evaluations.…”