Korean Traditional Medicine in Treating Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Case Series

Abstract

In Korea, patients with mild cognitive impairment can choose to receive treatment of Korean medicine, and Korean medicine hospitals provide specialized medical care for the prevention and management of cognitive disorders. The aim of the study is to explore the role of Korean medicine therapy for patients with mild cognitive impairment in a real clinical setting. Fifteen patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment were enrolled in this prospective observational study in three Korean medicine hospitals. Korean medicine treatments were delivered by experienced professionals and not restricted to standardized treatment. Outcome measures were prospectively planned to examine the Korean-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (K-MoCA), Korean-Mini Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), and other detailed neuropsychological assessment at the baseline and after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment. Korean medicine treatment for MCI treatment in the real-world clinical setting included herbal medicine and acupuncture. The most frequently used herbs in herbal decoctions were Acori Graminei Rhizoma, Polygalae Radix, and Poria Sclerotium Cum Pini Radix. The herbal medicine formulae used in this study were classified into three categories: tonifying Qi (33.3%), tonifying kidney (46.7%), and calming liver (20%) formulae. In the cognitive ability assessment, the K-MoCA score significantly improved after treatment (mean difference 2.6; 95% CI: 1.3 to 3.9, p=0.001). The K-MMSE score slightly increased after treatment; however, the improvement was not statistically significant (mean difference 0.8; 95% CI: −0.5 to 2.0, p=0.195). In detailed neuropsychological assessment, the cognitive domains of executive functions and memory after the treatment were distinctively improved. In this prospective observational case series, we could see the real clinical environments of treating patients with mild cognitive impairment in Korean medicine hospitals. Patients treated with Korean medicine showed improved results in the neuropsychological assessment after 12 and 24 weeks.

Effect of Water Extract of Mangosteen Pericarp on Donepezil Pharmacokinetics in Mice

“…Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form neurodegenerative disease accompanying progressive memory and cognitive impairment [1][2][3]. The accumulation of senile plaques composed by the aggregated β-amyloid (Aβ), formation of neurofibrillary tangle as aggregates of phosphorylated tau protein, and progressive loss of cholinergic neurons and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have been characterized as main pathological features of AD [4][5][6].…”

“…Regulatory agencies (e.g., FDA, EMA, etc.) suggest that the evaluation of the pharmacokinetic herb-drug interactions [37][38][39][40], as well as of PK-based HDIs (e.g., herbal product combinated with donepezil as a drug for AD treatment), is also necessary [3,41].…”

Herbal Medicine for Patients with Cognitive Impairment: An Observational Study

“…In this study, we used licensed herbal medicine products manufactured by pharmaceutical companies that were produced according to the Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia (KHP), and modification of compositional herbs was not possible. Therefore, the use of frequently added herbs for cognitive disorders, such as Acori Graminei Rhizoma and Polygalae Radix 32–34 was difficult. In this study, the patients’ cognitive functions generally improved after the herbal medicine treatment, even without those herbs.…”

“…herbs was not possible. Therefore, the use of frequently added herbs for cognitive disorders, such as Acori Graminei Rhizoma and Polygalae Radix [32][33][34] was difficult.…”

Oral Administration of East Asian Herbal Medicine for Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Association Rule Analysis to Identify Core Herb Combinations

“…In addition, there has been a belief that it is difficult to derive social and medical contributions as much as synthetic medications. Recent scientific research, on the contrary, has indicated that the combinatorial effect of mixed EAHM preparation can be particularly effective for complicated disorders, such as PN, autoimmune disease, degenerative disease, and cancer, which do not react well with single compound-based modern pharmaceutics [121][122][123][124]. As an example, recent research has demonstrated that EAHM can be used in large-scale public health emergencies, such as COVID-19 or preventive medicine using modern analytical tools, such as synthetic biology, data mining, and genomics [123,[125][126][127][128].…”