Traditional Japanese Medicine Daikenchuto Improves Functional Constipation in Poststroke Patients

Abstract EN

Poststroke patients with functional constipation, assessed by the Rome III criteria, from 6 hospitals were recruited in a study on the effects of the traditional Japanese medicine Daikenchuto (DKT) on constipation.

Thirty-four patients (17 men and 17 women; mean age: 78.1 ± 11.6 years) were randomly assigned to 2 groups; all patients received conventional therapy for constipation, and patients in the DKT group received 15 g/day of DKT for 4 weeks.

Constipation scoring system (CSS) points and the gas volume score (GVS) (the measure of the intestinal gas volume calculated from plain abdominal radiographs) were recorded before and after a 4-week observation period.

The total score on the CSS improved significantly in the DKT group compared to the control ( P < 0.01 ) .

In addition, scores for some CSS subcategories (frequency of bowel movements, feeling of incomplete evacuation, and need for enema/disimpaction) significantly improved in the DKT group ( P < 0.01 , P = 0.049 , and P = 0.03 , resp.).

The GVS was also significantly reduced in the DKT group compared to the control ( P = 0.03 ) .

DKT in addition to conventional therapy is effective in treating functional constipation in poststroke patients.

This study was a randomized controlled trial and was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (no.

UMIN000007393).