PRELIMINARY STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF A HERBAL PRESCRIPTION, HOKOEI-TO, ON THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM IN PAROUS RATS

Hokoei-to extract was administered orally to parous rats for 25 days t o examine its effects on sex hormones. Hokoei-to, containing Taraxaci Radix collected in autumn, induced a significant increase of progester one and oestradiol and a significant decrease of luteinizing hormone ( LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). With Hokoei-to extract con taining Taraxaci Radix collected in spring, progesterone was also incr eased significantly, but oestradiol increased only slightly, and LH an d FSH showed a tendency to decrease, without any statistically signifi cant changes. The effects of this type of Hokoei-to were thus weaker t han those of Hokoei-to containing Taraxaci Radix collected in autumn, Our findings suggest that the latter also has some effect on serum che mical constituents, such as triglyceride, albumin, glutamic oxaloaceti c transaminase and glutamic pyruvic transaminase,