[The effects of bakumondo-to (mai-men-dong-tang) on asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients with increased cough sensitivity].

Some patients with bronchial asthma (BA) have increased throat sensitivity. In some instances, it is envisaged that this may result in increased coughing or wheezing. Bakumondo-to is a traditional herbal medicine that is well known to reduce coughing in patients with BA and chronic bronchitis.The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Bakumondo-to on cough sensitivity in patients with BA and non-asthmatic (non-BA) conditions. The effect on respiratory tract inflammation was also examined.We examined 21 BA and 22 non-BA subjects whose cough threshold for capsaicin was less than 3.9 microM. We prepared 1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.2, 15.6, 7.80, 3.90, 1.95, 0.98, and 0.49 microM solutions. Cough thresholds to a concentration of inhaled capsaicin solution causing 5 or more coughs was measured before treatment and after 2 months or more of treatment with Bakumondo-to (9 g/day, TJ-29). The number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood, the sputum eosinophil ratio, and the ECP level in the serum were also measured before and after treatment.1. Bakumondo-to significantly improved the cough threshold value in 76% of patients with BA and in 82% with non-BA conditions. 2. Bakumondo-to was more effective in reducing cough sensitivity to capsaicin in BA than in non-BA conditions. 3. While Bakumondo-to did not significantly reduce the sputum eosinophil count, its effectiveness in suppressing cough was greatest in patients whose sputum eosinophil count was > or = 2%. It remains to be established whether Bakumondo-to inhibits eosinophil activation. Our results suggest that Bakumondo-to is an effective therapeutic preparation for cough hypersensitivity accompanying chronic cough disease, especially in cases of severe allergic inflammation.