Introduction: Arterial elasticity is the significant indicator of atherosclerosis. Recently, the treatment of subclinical atherosclerosis is important for preventing cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of the Korean herbal medicine, Geiji-Bokryung-Hwan (GBH), on carotid arterial elasticity in healthy male subjects. Methods: This study was conducted with a pilot randomized controlled, cross-over design. Subjects were enrolled in Kyung Hee Medical Center visitors, with meeting criteria, and allocated to the two groups; One group received GBH with water, and the other group received only water at the first phase. The measurements were repeated three times at 2 hourly intervals. After one week of wash-out period, the two groups were repeated using the same procedure. Common carotid strain, erythrocyte deformability, carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and pulse rate values of each subjects were measured before administration and 2, 4 h after administration. Results: Fifteen subjects were enrolled into this study. Common carotid arterial circumference strain after GBH administration showed a significantly different interaction effect as compared to water administration (p < 0.05). There was no statistically difference between the two groups in terms of erythrocyte deformability, carotid intima-media thickness, pulse pressure or pulse rate. Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests that GBH could improve vascular endothelial wall function by increasing the common carotid artery elasticity in healthy male subjects.
