Successful treatment of orthostatic dysregulation with Japanese (Kampo) herbal medicine ryokeijutsukanto.

CONTEXT

Pharmacologic treatment of dizziness is still not well-established. Consequently, traditional Japanese (Kampo) herbal medicine is commonly used. Ryokeijutsukanto is used to treat dizziness caused by orthostatic dysregulation (OD).

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ryokeijutsukanto, a traditional Japanese (Kampo) herbal medicine, in treating dizziness, including light-headedness and/or palpitations. We focused on dizziness caused by OD, a condition commonly treated with ryokeijutsukanto.

DESIGN

We used a case series design.

SETTING

The study was centered in the department of internal medicine and department of otolaryngology at a general hospital.

PATIENTS

We tested ryokeijutsukanto in four female patients who were experiencing dizziness and who were diagnosed with OD.

INTERVENTION(S): The patients received ryokeijutsukanto (1.5 g to 4.2 g of dried extract daily).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ryokeijutsukanto was prescribed to the four patients; clinical efficacy and improvement in dizziness were assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale and Vertigo Symptom Scale-Short Form.

RESULTS

All patients intended to continue Kampo treatment since high curative effects and no adverse effects were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report elucidating the effectiveness of ryokeijutsukanto in treating dizziness as a result of OD. Ryokeijutsukanto may be an appropriate complementary therapy for OD.