Preventive effects of eastern medication (Kampo) on the progression of chronic renal failure

Twenty-two patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) were investigated. The patients were mainly administered decoctions of rhubarb (symbol in text) for 4 weeks. After that, traditional Chinese (Kampo) prescriptions, most of them involving Wen-Pi-Tang were given for another 4 weeks. Following administration of these prescriptions, the levels of serum methylguanidine (MG), blood urea nitrogen and serum inorganic phosphorus improved significantly, although the values of serum creatinine (Cr) were not changed remarkably. The fact that the serum MG/Cr ratio was reduced after the therapy suggested that rhubarb possessed the potential to scavenge hydroxyl radicals by which MG was produced from Cr through creatol, as reported recently. The serum Cr concentration was determined over an observation period of more than 40 weeks in each of the 7 cases. Evaluation of the progression rate of CRF was made from the slopes of the regression lines. After analysis, 5 of the 7 cases showed significant retardation of progression after the administration of Kampo prescriptions during 106 ± 32 (mean ± SD) weeks. Of the 5 cases, 2 were prescribed Wen-Pi-Tang, another 2 cases were treated with Wen-Pi-Tang and Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang and the last was treated with Ba-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan. This study demonstrated that the traditional Chinese prescriptions, most of them comprising Wen-Pi-Tang and/or Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang, retarded the progression of CRF.