Chinese Herbal Preparation Effective in Treating Eczema
Reference: Latchman Y, Banerjee P, Poulter LW, et al. Association of immunological changes with clinical efficacy in atopic eczema patients treated with traditional Chinese herbal therapy (Zemaphyte(R)). Int Arch Allergy Immunol 1996; 109:243-9.
Summary: Eighteen patients with atopic eczema and 19 healthy controls were randomly assigned to treatment with either a freeze dried preparation of Zemaphyte(R) or a decoction of fresh herbs based on the traditional Chinese formula of Zemaphyte(R) for an eight-week period. All patients with eczema showed significant improvement (50%) in both erythema and surface damage over the course of the trial. No difference in the clinical outcome was found between the two formulations. Total serum IgE levels remained unchanged in the eczema group, although a significant decrease in the levels of IgE complexes was noted compared to baseline. The number of interleukin-4 (IL4) induced CD14 monocytes was found to have decreased significantly from baseline in the eczema group following treatment. Patients with eczema also demonstrated an increase in the soluble interleukin-2 receptor when compared to controls initially. This significantly decreased over the course of treatment. Soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecules were elevated pre-treatment in the eczema group as compared to controls and showed a significant decrease after treatment. No significant changes were seen in the control group with Zemaphyte(R) treatment. The authors conclude that Zemaphyte(R) is efficacious in the treatment of atopic eczema possibly due to its effects on adhesion molecule expression, interleukin-4, IgE and CD23 pathways.
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