Effects of Japanese herbal medicine, Juzen-taiho-to, in otitis-prone children - a preliminary study

Conclusion: Juzen-taiho-to (JTT, TJ-48), a Japanese herbal medicine that improves immune function, was found to be effective in otitis-prone in children. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of JTT against intractable and recurrent infections in immature immune systems, we administered JTT to otitis-prone infants and investigated clinical changes before and during JTT administration. Subjects and methods: Twenty-four otitis-prone infants were administered JTT at 0.10-0.14 g/kg/day twice a day for 3 months. We compared clinical course, such as frequency of acute otitis media (AOM), duration of fever and antibiotics administration, and hospital visits for the periods before and during JTT administration. Results: Medication compliance rate was 87.5%, and administration of JTT led to remission in 95.2% patients. No apparent side effects were observed. The frequency of AOM decreased significantly (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p=0.000) with JTT. The duration of fever (p=0.000) and administration of antibiotics (p=0.001), as well as the number of hospital visits (p=0.001) and emergent hospital visits (p=0.000) showed significant decreases after JTT administration. After the end of the JTT period, 14 of 21 (66.7%) patients started to take it again, as they experienced purulent otitis media and/or other infections after discontinuation. The frequency of AOM increased significantly after stopping JTT (p=0.004) and decreased again with JTT resumption (p=0.005).