Traditional Japanese medicine Daikenchuto improves functional constipation in poststroke patients

Takehiro Numata, Shin Takayama, Muneshige Tobita, Shuichi Ishida, Dai Katayose, Mitsutoshi Shinkawa, Takashi Oikawa, Takanori Aonuma, Soichiro Kaneko, Junichi Tanaka, Seiki Kanemura, Koh Iwasaki, Tadashi Ishii, Nobuo Yaegashi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Poststroke patients with functional constipation, assessed by the Rome III criteria, from 6 hospitals were recruited in a study on the effects of the traditional Japanese medicine Daikenchuto (DKT) on constipation. Thirty-four patients (17 men and 17 women; mean age: 78.1 ± 11.6 years) were randomly assigned to 2 groups; all patients received conventional therapy for constipation, and patients in the DKT group received 15 g/day of DKT for 4 weeks. Constipation scoring system (CSS) points and the gas volume score (GVS) (the measure of the intestinal gas volume calculated from plain abdominal radiographs) were recorded before and after a 4-week observation period. The total score on the CSS improved significantly in the DKT group compared to the control (P < 0.01). In addition, scores for some CSS subcategories (frequency of bowel movements, feeling of incomplete evacuation, and need for enema/disimpaction) significantly improved in the DKT group (P < 0.01, P = 0.049, and P = 0.03, resp.). The GVS was also significantly reduced in the DKT group compared to the control (P = 0.03). DKT in addition to conventional therapy is effective in treating functional constipation in poststroke patients. This study was a randomized controlled trial and was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (no. UMIN000007393).

Original languageEnglish
Article number231258
JournalEvidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

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