THE EFFECTS OF GOSHAJINKIGAN, A HERBAL MEDICINE, ON SUBJECTIVE SYMPTOMS AND VIBRATORY THRESHOLD IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC NEUROPATHY

Goshajinkigan, a herbal medicine, has long been used in Japan to allev iate the subjective symptoms of diabetic neuropathy; however, its effe cts have not been confirmed objectively. We evaluated its effects on s ubjective symptoms and on vibration sensation in patients with diabeti c neuropathy. The oral administration of 7.5 g/day of Goshajinkigan fo r 3 months (treatment period) relieved subjective symptoms of numbness in 9 of 13 patients. When the drug was discontinued for 2 months as a washout period, the subjective symptom worsened in 7 of 13 patients. Chi-square analysis revealed significant effects of Goshajiniagan on s ubjective symptoms (P < 0.001 for numbness and P < 0.05 for cold sensa tion). Vibration sensation was evaluated by measuring vibratory thresh old using an SMV-5 vibrometer. There were significant changes in vibra tory thresholds by paired t-test (P < 0.05) both in the upper and the lower extremities during the treatment and washout periods. Chi-square analysis also revealed a significant effect of Goshajinkigan on vibra tory threshold (P < 0.01). There was no significant change in glycosyl ated hemoglobin as a whole during the study. These observations confir m that Goshajinkigan relieves subjective symptoms and demonstrate that it improves vibration sensation in patients with diabetic neuropathy.