A pentaherbs capsule as a treatment option for atopic dermatitis in children: an open-labeled case series

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), but its therapeutic effects are debatable. We evaluated the clinical and biochemical effects of a TCM capsule (PentaHerbs capsule) in children with AD. After a run-in period of 4 weeks, children old enough to manage oral medication were admitted and their disease severity was evaluated by the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Blood was obtained for complete blood count, total and allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), biochemical studies and inflammatory markers of AD severity [serum cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP)] prior to, and after 3 months of, TCM use. Three PentaHerbs capsules twice a day were prescribed for 4 months. Patients were followed monthly to ensure compliance, and SCORAD scores were obtained at each visit. Five boys and four girls participated in the study. All patients had detectable food or inhalant-specific IgE in serum. There was significant improvement in the overall and component SCORAD scores. There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-treatment values of the serum CTACK, MDC, TARC and ECP levels but CTACK showed a decreasing trend (p = 0.069). No clinical or biochemical evidence of any adverse drug reaction was observed during the study period. The PentaHerbs capsules were well tolerated by the children and apparent beneficial effects were noted clinically. A larger, randomized placebo-controlled study is required to confirm the efficacy of this formulation for AD.