Dietary Herb Extract Rikkunshi-To Ameliorates Gastroparesis in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study

Objective: To perform an open trial on the effects of the extract of the dietary herb Rikkunshi-to (RKT) on gastroparesis in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, using objective parameters given by the C-13-sodium acetate expiration breath test (gastric emptying study). Methods: Twenty patients with PD were enrolled into this study. Eleven patients were male and 9 were female, with the following characteristics (mean +/- SD): age, 69.4 +/- 8.17 years; disease duration, 4.34 +/- 4.03 years; modified Hoehn and Yahr stage, 2.37 +/- 0.98, and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part 3 motor score, 16.6 +/- 7.37. Fourteen patients came to the clinic due to constipation; 16 patients were taking 288 +/- 72 mg/day levodopa/carbidopa, 2 were taking dopamine agonists, and the others were not treated yet. All patients underwent the breath test. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t test. Results: RKT was well tolerated by all patients and none experienced abdominal pain or other adverse effects, except for its bitter taste. RKT significantly reduced the peak time of the C-13-dose-excess curve (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this pilot trial, we found a significant shortening of the gastric emptying time after administration of the dietary herb extract RKT in PD patients. Further studies examining both gastric emptying and delayed-on in PD are warranted. (C) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel