The Effects of Herbal Medicines on Blood Fluidity in Rats

In oriental medicine the conception of “oketsu”, or stagnation of blood flow, is widely known. Some herbal medicines which eliminate the oketsu syndrome are known as “ku-oketsu-yaku”. This study attempted to examine the effects of ku-oketsu-yaku on the blood fluidity of rats using a micro channel array flow analyzer. Repeated oral adminiatration of “Tokaku-joki-to”, “Kangen-karyu” or “Toki-shakuyaku-san” as ku-oketsu-yaku, once daily for one week, increased blood fluidity in rats when heparin, but not EDTA, was used as the anticoagulant. Single applications of these herbal medicines did not have a consistent effects. However “Gorei-san” and “Kan-baku-taiso-to”, which have no effect on oketsu, did not increase or decrease the blood fluidity with either anticoagulant. As heparin only blocks coagulation but EDTA blocks both blood coagulation and platelet agglutination, our results indicate that ku-oketsu-yaku may increase blood fluidity mainly through an action on the platelet agglutination mechanism. These results scientifically demonstrate, for the first time, that ku-oketsu-yaku does indeed increase the blood fluidity of rats.