A review on pharmacological properties of Jodeungsan

The span of life of human beings has lengthened because of medical progress and so on. Consequently, the old have begun to remark that quality of life (QOL) is as important as extension of the life expectancy. However, some diseases such as stroke, cancer induce decrease of QOL. In case of the stroke, it is followed by chronic headache and dementia as an aftereffect, causing serious decrease of QOL. Jodeungsan, traditional medicine, have been prescribed for headache and hypertension. Many clinical trials and laboratory experiments about pharmacological effects of Jodeungsan have been reported. Jodeungsan ameliorated chronic headache and improved recognitive deficit. Moreover, Jodeungsan lowered blood pressure in hypertensive condition which is one of a major cause of stroke. These effects of Jodeungsan on several diseases are partly attributed to antioxidant effect. This report reviews the pharmacological effect of Jodeungsan in the view of stroke-related diseases.