Prescription system to calculate precise doses of Chinese herbal medicine to avoid toxic effects
Dai-Ying Lin,
Wei-Te Huang,
Yu-Chuan Lin,
Hao-Hsiu Hung,
Shi-Chen Ou,
Chin-Wei Chang,
Hung-En Lin,
Ting-Yen Lin,
Ching-Wen Chang,
Hui-Chun Hung,
Sheng-Teng Huang
Affiliations
Dai-Ying Lin
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Wei-Te Huang
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Yu-Chuan Lin
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Hao-Hsiu Hung
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Shi-Chen Ou
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
Chin-Wei Chang
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Hung-En Lin
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Ting-Yen Lin
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Ching-Wen Chang
Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology, National Central University, Taiwan
Hui-Chun Hung
Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology, National Central University, Taiwan
Sheng-Teng Huang
Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Research Cancer Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Tainan, Taiwan; Corresponding author. School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd, North District, Taichung, 40447, Taiwan.
Background and objectives: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a therapeutic system which has been practiced for thousands of years. Although for much of its history the decoction of medicinal herbs was the most common method of consuming the herbal treatments, TCM prescriptions are now primarily prepared using concentrated Chinese herbal extracts (CCHE) in powder or granular form. However, determining the precise dose of each single Chinese herbal constituent within a prescription creates a challenge in clinical practice due to the potential risk of toxicity. To alleviate this, we invented the Chinese Intelligence Prescription System (CIPS) to calculate the exact dose of each single herb within an individual prescription. Methods: In this study, we applied CIPS in a real-world setting to analyze clinical prescriptions collected and prepared at the TCM Pharmacy of China Medical University Hospital (CMUH). Results: Our investigation revealed that 3% of all prescriptions filled in a 1-month period contained inexact dosages, suggesting that more than 170,000 prescriptions filled in Taiwan in a given month may contain potentially toxic components. We further analyzed the data to determine the excess dosages and outline the possible associated side effects. Conclusions: In conclusion, CIPS offers TCM practitioners the ability to prepare exact Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) prescriptions in order to avoid toxic effects, thereby ensuring patient safety.
