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BOOK REVIEW Helping Traditional Chinese Medicine Serve the West An introduction to the book "Chinese Patent Medicine" Edited by Chen Keji, M. D., et al. Hunan Science and Technology Press, ; Changsha, Hunan. 1997,416pp. ISBN 7 - 5357 - 2047 - 1/R 386 Song Jun ( ~
~)
Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing (100091)
Peter Gigante ( : ~ , ) East-West Therapy Center, Melbourne 3185,Australia
"Chinese Patent Medicine" has been published by Hunan Science & Technology Press in 1997, of which the editor-in-chief is Professor Chen Keji, the famous expert on the integration of Chinese and Western medicine in China. This is the first book in the field of Chinese Patent Medicine published in English in China, edited by Chinese scholars, and provides a valuable contribution to the academic exchange between Chinese and Western medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine ( T C M ) is the dominant traditional medicine in China and one of major traditional medical systems in the world. TCM has several thousand years' history, and is one of the treasures of Chinese culture, having played a very important role in the development and prosperity of the Chinese nation during this period. In recent years, more and more people are paying attention to traditional medicine for disease prevention, treatment and health promotion. Because of increasing demand, the Office of Alternative Medicine fOAM) has been set up under the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States, and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology ( R M I T University) in Australia has set up a high standard Chinese medicine program, the first five-year, full time, Government funded degree program in Chinese medicine at a reputable public university in a western country.
Chinese medicines are one of the most important methods in TCM for prevention and treatment of disease. From the earliest foundations of the theoretical system of TCM, Chinese medicine prescriptions were used and recorded, and many formulae can be found in the classical text, "The Yellow E m p e r o r ' s Canon of Internal Medicine". Most prescriptions recorded in the ancient TCM classical works have been fully proved and are effective in clinical application. To make Chinese medicine more convenient, more efficacious and safe, various kinds of Chinese medicine preparations have been designed, and are known as patent medicine. This is a pocket reference book for Chinese patent medicine, which provides a collection of 355 efficient, valuable, most famous and commonly used prescriptions among Chinese patent medicines. They have been selected from several references including the "Chinese National Essential Chinese Patent Medicines" ({dO[];t~kc~h~.e-"q}). The selections in the book are organized into six categories medicine for internal disease, gynaecopathy, pediatrics, surgical disease, diseases of the five sense organs and health care. We found this organization made the book a practical clinical reference, demonstrating the appropriate use of each medicine in the treatment of commonly encountered diseases, such as common cold, insomnia, digestive complaints, coronary heart disease and dysmenorrhea. The
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medicines are classified into different functional groups according to their actions within TCM. The book utilizes a standard format for each entry, which facilitated easier distinction between similar medicines in the same class. The book introduces each patent medicine with the Chinese nomenclature, with phonetics and characters, and English translation. The principal ingredients, functions, indications, directions for use and precautions of each medicine are then described. By combining disease categories with traditional differentiation, the book enables more precise selection of the appropriate medicine for individual needs. For example, there are 24 formulae provided for relieving exterior syndrome such as common cold, with the ingredients and indications described for each. The user of the book can then select according to a differential diagnosis to more effectively overcome the disease and expedite recovery. The book provides a phonetics index, although the absence of English titles, disease
names or primary symptoms references in the index makes it less convenient to use. The format, while practical, is somewhat inconsistent, with some entries describing the primary symptoms, but lacking disease correspondences, while others associating diseases but having minimal signs and symptoms. We believe these minor shortcomings can be overcome in a second, revised edition. In summary, "Chinese Patent Medicines" is an important contribution to the references available in English for the growing interest in TCM worldwide. Although relatively concise, with only a fraction of the total number of available patent medicines now manufactured in China, it has selected many of the most important and presented them in a practical format, in a size that is convenient for the desktop. We believe this book is a useful tool to assist the western health practitioner to employ Chinese patent medicines to support the health of the populations of western countries.
Effect of Panax Notoginseng Saponins on Ca 2 +, CaM in Rabbits of Craniocerebral Injury Han Jin'an (~,~),
Sun Zenghui
(:~]sf~)
Department of Neurosurgery, The 477 Hospital of PLA, Xiangfan, Hubei ( 4 4 1 0 0 3 )
Hu Weiyi (~,1~t~)
General Hospital of Chengdu Military Region, Chengdu
Objective: To explore the change of nerve cell Ca2§ Ca2§ and the effect of Panax Notoginseng saponins ( P N S ) on them in craniocerebral injury. Methods: Blood and brain contents of Ca2§ , CaM were examined by radio-immunoassay (RIA) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), and effect of PNS on these parameters was observed in craniocerebral injury rabbits. Results: The levels of Ca2+ and CaM in blood and in brain were sig-
nificantly positively correlated. PNS could reduce Ca2§ and CaM contents in blood and in cerebral tissue. Conclusion: PNS could block the Ca2+-overload and Ca2*-CaM complex production in nerve cell after cranial cerebral injury, thereby to protect the injured brain in a certain degree. Blood CaM level is an objective index for assessment of Ca2§ -overload in nerve cell. Original article on CJIM ( Chin ) 1999 ; 19(4) :227