Successful treatment of orthostatic dysregulation with Japanese (Kampo) herbal medicine ryokeijutsukanto

CONTEXT: Pharmacologic treatment of dizziness is still not well-established. Consequently, traditional Japanese (Kampo) herbal medicine is commonly used. Ryokeijutsukanto is used to treat dizziness caused by orthostatic dysregulation (OD). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ryokeijutsukanto, a traditional Japanese (Kampo) herbal medicine, in treating dizziness, including light-headedness and/or palpitations. We focused on dizziness caused by OD, a condition commonly treated with ryokeijutsukanto. DESIGN: We used a case series design. SETTING: The study was centered in the department of internal medicine and department of otolaryngology at a general hospital. PATIENTS: We tested ryokeijutsukanto in four female patients who were experiencing dizziness and who were diagnosed with OD. INTERVENTION(S): The patients received ryokeijutsukanto (1.5 g to 4.2 g of dried extract daily). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ryokeijutsukanto was prescribed to the four patients; clinical efficacy and improvement in dizziness were assessed using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale and Vertigo Symptom Scale-Short Form. RESULTS: All patients intended to continue Kampo treatment since high curative effects and no adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report elucidating the effectiveness of ryokeijutsukanto in treating dizziness as a result of OD. Ryokeijutsukanto may be an appropriate complementary therapy for OD.