Scientists at the Kinki University School of Medicine in Osaka, Japan have found a new use for a centuries-old Japanese herbal remedy. The remedy, sho seriyu to, has been shown to improve the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, a condition that causes the nasal passages to become inflamed.

A research team led by Dr. Shigenori Nakajima examined 220 patients with allergic rhinitis and divided them into two groups. One group received sho seriyu to supplements (consisting of pinelliae tuber; glycyrrhiza root; cinnamon bark; schisandra fruit; asiasarum root; paeoniae root radux; ephedrae root; and dried ginger) three times daily for two weeks; the other group received a placebo.

Both groups were monitored for symptoms such as frequency and severity of sneezing; runny nose; and nasal congestion. More than 44% of patients in the sho seriyu to group reported a "significant" relief of all symptoms, compared with only 18.1% in the placebo group. Moreover, sho seriyu to was not found to cause drowsiness in the study group.

Nakajima's findings were presented at the Hong Kong Allergy Convention in January.

More Contemporary Health

home

(C)GAA - an English-Chinese bilingual site. Contact: James Young GC BA, guangyacollege@yahoo.com