General Use of Chinese Herbal Products among Female Patients with Mastitis in Taiwan

Shu-Huey Chou; Chun-Che Huang; Ching-Heng Lin; Kun-Chang Wu; Pei-Jung Chiang

doi:10.1155/2022/3876240

General Use of Chinese Herbal Products among Female Patients with Mastitis in Taiwan

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Mar 25:2022:3876240. doi: 10.1155/2022/3876240. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Shu-Huey Chou¹, Chun-Che Huang², Ching-Heng Lin^{3

4

5

6}, Kun-Chang Wu⁷, Pei-Jung Chiang^{1

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
² Department of Healthcare Administration, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
³ Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Public Health, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Industrial Engineering and Enterprise Information, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁷ School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁸ Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Abstract

Objectives: Little information is available regarding the use of Chinese herbal medicine to treat mastitis. This study evaluated the prescription patterns of Chinese herbal medicine products in women with mastitis in Taiwan.

Design: This is a population-based cross-sectional study. Setting. 8,531 women aged 20-49 years, who received a diagnosis of mastitis between 2004 and 2013, were identified from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database in Taiwan. We collected data on demographic characteristics, including age, monthly insurance premium, and urbanization level. The ten most Chinese herbal medicines prescribed for mastitis were assessed, including frequency, percentage, average daily dose, and average duration of prescription. Main outcome measures. We analysed the ten most single Chinese herbs and Chinese herbal formulae prescribed for mastitis.

Results: Overall, 437 (5.1%) women received Chinese herbal medicine to treat mastitis. Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl.; 22.3%), Pu Gong Yin (Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.; 7.8%), and Wang Bu Liu Xing (Vaccaria hispanica (Mill.) Rauschert; 3.5%) were three of the most commonly prescribed single Chinese herbs for mastitis. Xian-Fang-Huo-Ming-Yin (18.2%), Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San (9.1%), and Chai-Hu-Shu-Gan-San (8.4%) were three of the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formulae.

Conclusion: Xian-Fang-Huo-Ming-Yin can clear heat, detoxify body, alleviate swelling, activate blood, and relieve pain. It was the most frequently prescribed Chinese herbal formula in patients with mastitis.