Volume 8, Number 3 | Fall 2013

Clinical Report 2 (Kampo Medicine)
A Case in which the Administration of Multiple Kampo
Drugs Improved the Symptoms of ASD and ADHD in a
15-year-ole Boy

Hideaki Yamaguchi
Tosei General Hospital

Tsumura Kanbakudaisoto extract 5g (single use at times ofanxiety)
The patient clearly began to calm down after taking theprescription, and his respiratory symptoms also abated. The
single-use drug for times of anxiety was also effective.
In March, the patient took the entrance examination and got
into his first-choice school. At his request, he continued toIntroduction
Children encounter various issues and environmental
changes at each stage of their growth. Most children
overcome these issues and changes as they grow up, butsome are unable to fully cope with them, and may fall into astate of mental disorientation. Kampo therapy is effective asa pharmacotherapy for such cases.

take the above prescription in addition to Concerta even after
entering high school, but the Kampo drugs were terminatedafter a month.
Observation:
Children with ASD lack sufficient reality processing
capacity, so their symptoms may be exacerbated byenvironmental changes. In this case, the patient had beenCase: 15-year-old boy with an autistic spectrum disorder(AHD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Chief complaint: Agitation and panic about taking theentrance examination
History of present illness: At the age of six, the patient wasdiagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at a specializedinstitution. From around the age of ten, he began to exhibit
marked impulsiveness and inattentiveness, so he was put on
methylphenidate. Thereafter, the patient adapted to regularclasses for general students, and did well. However, fromaround November in his third year in junior high school,
before the entrance examination season, he began to become
agitated and restless, and would frequently clear his throat.
In December, he had episodes of panic about taking trial
examinations, to the point that his daily life was disrupted.
As it was unpreferable to increase the dosage ofmethylphenidate, Kampo therapy was attempted.
Interview and findings: The patient was agitated by worries
about the entrance examination, and complained of feelingthat something was caught in his throat. Tip of tongue: red.
Pulse: sunken and thin. Abdomen: nothing in particular.
Treatment and course:
Category 1 (heart and liver blood deficiency), category 2 (qiaccumulation and counterflow), and category 3 (upwardflaming of heart fire) were thought to apply, so the following
prescription was administered.

nervous about the coming examination, so the mostappropriate prescription was selected from among category
1, 2 and 3 drugs, to allow the patient to cope with theexamination.
Reference:
Categories of states of the heart in traditional medicine
and corresponding prescriptions
Category 1 (mainly weakness of the heart, heart blood
deficiency, liver qi deficiency)
Anxiousness, insecurity, sadness, fear (timidity), etc.
In particular, depressive and passive feelings continue
for a prolonged period.
Pre s cription: kanbakutaisoto , kamikihito ,keishikaryukotsuboreito, etc.
Category 2 (mainly liver depression qi stagnation)
Depression, insecurity, anxiousness, hysterics, etc.
Physical tension is strong, and moods tend to readilychange.
Prescription: shigyakusan, saibokuto, etc.
Category 3 (mainly hyperactivity of heart fire, upwardflaming of liver fire, gallbladder stagnation with
disturbance from phlegm)
Anxiousness, short temper, restlessness, impatience, etc.
In particular, agitated symptoms tend to continue for a
prolonged period.
Prescription: yokukansan, yokukansankachinpihange,orengedokuto, daisaikotokyodaio, etc.

Tsumura orengedokuto extract 5g (twice/day)
Tsumura hangekobokuto extract 5g (twice/day)22

The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)