Medline Herbal Abstracts

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Omer B, Krebs S, Omer H, Noor TO. Steroid-sparing effect of wormwood

(Artemisia absinthium) in Crohn's disease: A double-blind placebo-

controlled study. Phytomedicine. 2007 Jan 18; [Epub ahead of print]

Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New

Haven, CT, USA. In this double-blind study carried out at five sites in

Germany, 40 patients suffering from Crohn's disease receiving a stable

daily dose of steroids at an equivalent of 40mg or less of prednisone for at

least 3 weeks were administered a herbal blend containing Artemisia

absinthium (wormwood herb; 3x500mg/day) or a placebo for 10 weeks.

Besides steroids, 5-aminosalicylates, if dose remained constant for at least

4 weeks prior to entering the trial and/or azathioprine, stable dose for at

least 8 weeks, or methotrexate, stable dose for at least 6 weeks, were

permitted as concomitant medications. The recruited 40 patients - 20 in

each treatment group, were evaluated with the help of a Crohn's Disease

Activity Index (CDAI) questionnaire, an Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Questionnaire (IBDQ), the 21-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and

an 8-item Visual Analogue Scale (VA-Scale) in 2-week intervals during the

first 10 study weeks, and then at week 12, 16 and 20, which were the trial-

medication free observation periods. The initial stable dose of steroids was

maintained until week 2, after that a defined tapering schedule was started

so that at the start of week 10 all the patients were free of steroids. At the

end of week 10 the trial medication was also discontinued. The concomitant

medications were maintained at the same dose levels till the end of the

observation period that was the end of week 20. There was a steady

improvement in CD symptoms in 18 patients (90%) who received

wormwood in spite of tapering of steroids as shown by CDA-Index, IBDQ,

HAMD, and VAS. After 8 weeks of treatment with wormwood there was

almost complete remission of symptoms in 13 (65%) patients in this group

as compared to none in the placebo group. This remission persisted till the

end of the observation period that was week 20, and the addition of steroids

was not necessary. In two (10%) patients did the re-starting of corticoids

become necessary? On the other hand, the CD conditions of the patients

who received the placebo deteriorated after the tapering of steroids, and re-

starting steroids became necessary in 16 (80%) patients in this group after

week 10. These results strongly suggest that wormwood has a steroid

sparing effect. The improvements in HAMD scores indicate that wormwood

also has an effect on the mood and quality of life of CD patients, which is

not achieved by other standard medications. PMID: 17240130 [PubMed - as

supplied by publisher]

 

Tohyama M, Arakaki N, Tamaki K, Shimoji T. [A case of drug-induced

pneumonitis due to levofloxacin and kampo medicine][Article in Japanese]

Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi. 2006 Dec;44(12):951-6. Nakagami Hospital.

A 55-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea on

exertion. Hypoxemia and restrictive ventilatory impairment were observed

on admission. Chest radiographs showed diffuse patchy infiltration shadows

in both lungs. We suspected drug-induced pneumonitis, because her history

of fever seemed to be related to drug administration for sinusitis. Her

symptoms and findings were gradually decreased by discontinuation of the

drugs. Transbronchial lung biopsy specimens showed lymphocyte dominant

infiltration in the alveolar septa and Masson bodies. Drug lymphocyte

stimulation tests were positive for levofloxacin and Shini Seihai To (Xinyi

Qingfei Tang), a kampo medicine. On the basis of these findings, we arrived

at a diagnosis of drug-induced pneumonitis caused by these drugs. PMID:

17233393 [PubMed - in process] Best regards, HOME

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