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KMID : 0861120000040020025
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Korean Journal of Oriental Preventive Medicine
2000 Volume.4 No. 2 p.25 ~ p.56
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Therapeutical Effect with Trace Elements in Herbal Medicine
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Park Hae-Mo
Lee Sun-Dong
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Abstract
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Trace element are involved in enzymatic activities, immunological reactions. physiological mechanisms. Deficiency in some trace elements, such as iron and iodine. is still an important health problem, The role of trace elements deficiency is suspected in various clinical situations and is now confirmed by well designed supplementation studies. However, the importance of trace elements as chinese herbal constituents is not sufficiently appreciated by the oriental medical profession, although in recent years a significant increase of new finding on their essential character in chinese herbal medicine occurred. It is well known that herbal medicine contains a variety of trace elements which would show therapeutic effects with active components in herbal medicine . In china, recent work showed some positive correlation between trace element and traditional chinese medicine (TCM) in terms of therapeutic effects even if their role in therapeutic effects is still obscure. In korea, not much attention has been on the therapeutic importance of trace element contained in herbal medicine Here, the therapeutic effects of trace element in TCM were reviewed and summarized. 1. Iron, copper, zinc and manganese are mainly contained in TCM. In addtion, chromium, magnesium, molybdenum, nickel, alminium, cobalt, arsenic and selenium has been studied for their therapeutic effects 2. Zinc, is decreased in patients who have deficiency of kindney(腎虛) and chronic disease. Fe is decreased in patients who have deficiency of blood(血虛). However copper is increased in patients who have chronic disease and hepatic disease.3 Iron concentration is high in herbs used for tonifying and nourishing yin or blood(補陰補血藥) Zinc concentration is high also in herb used for tonifying kidiney and vital essence(補腎補精藥). In addition. copper concentration Is high in herb used for replenishing qi(補氣藥) 4 In herbal drugs, the therapeutic substances in TCM are not only organic but also inorganic. It seems that trace elements would be one of components in herb for its therapeutic effects. This indicates that therapeutic effects of TCM should be extended not only to herb itself, bur also to trace elements contained in herb.
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KEYWORD
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Trace Elements, Herb, Herbal Drugs, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Korean Medicine
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