Pharmacognostic outlooks on medical herbs of Sasang typology

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to review the pharmacognostic characteristics of Sasang type-specific medical herbs and suggest biological mechanisms that might be related to the personalized treatment of the East.Major compounds and their pharmacological activities of medical herbs for each Sasang types were systematically reviewed. The pharmacognostic characteristics of its main compounds were systematically analyzed with previous studies and three web-based databases.Sasang type-specific medical herbs were selected, and biological effects of their phytochemicals were reviewed from the pathophysiological features of each Sasang types. Phenolics were dominant in Tae-Yang type-specific herbs, iridoids and triterpenes with antipyretic and diuretic effects were in So-Yang type-specific, saponins (triterpene saponins and steroidal saponins) with antitussive effects were in Tae-Eum type-specific, and monoterpene and sesquiterpenes with stomachic effect were in So-Eum type-specific herbs.Pharmacognostic understandings on Sasang type-specific medical herbs with consideration of type-specific pathophysiological features were provided for the first time. This study would contribute to in-depth understandings on the pathophysiology of Sasang typology and integration of East-Asian and Western personalized medicine.

Biopsychological and pathophysiological features of Cold-Heat subgroup of Sasang typology with Sasang Digestive Function Inventory, Sasang Personality Questionnaire and Body Mass Index

“…Members of the Heat subgroup of Tae-Eum type tend to be characterized by high perspiration, high thirst, high drinking, hard stool, high vulnerability to heat, and good appetite and digestion. For these individuals, Pueraiae radix and Rhei rhizoma is prescribed to drain out the internal heat via stool as a type- and subgroup-specific medication 4 , 15 , 41 , 42 .…”

“…Differential diagnosis of Cold-Heat subgroup and Sasang type with clinically validated SPQ, SDFI, and BMI would be useful for clinicians planning safe and effective person-centered acupuncture and medications 14 , 15 , as well as for Western clinicians who want to incorporate Sasang typology into their treatments as integrative medical technique in the near future 2 , 11 .…”

“…The Sasang typology of Korea is a personalized medicine scrutinized in the book Longevity and Life Preservation in Eastern Medicine (1894, 1900) of Jema Lee (1837-1900) 1 , 4 that has been used with proven safety and effectiveness for hundreds of years 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 . The Sasang typology divides people into four groups, Tae-Yang, So-Yang, Tae-Eum and So-Eum types based on pathophysiological symptoms, biopsychological traits, previous history and clinical responses to treatment, and provide type- and subgroup-specific acupuncture and medical herbs ( Table 1 ) 1 , 2 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 .…”

The Yin-Yang personality from biopsychological perspective using revised Sasang Personality Questionnaire

“… 2 , 13 It has been applied in various research areas studying biopsychological, physical, and pathological characteristics, along with disease susceptibility and treatment response of Yin-Yang personality. 14 , 15 …”

Analysis of Sasang Constitutional Medicine as an Optimal Preventive Care Strategy for Hemophilia Patients

“…ere are also type-specific pathophysiological symptoms (TSPS), and the reactivity of medical herbs differs according to the Sasang type [12,13]. Furthermore, SCM can help to explain the genetic differences among individuals [14,15].…”