Abstract
As the number of atopic dermatitis patients, especially standardized therapy-resistant adult patients, is recently increasing, oriental medicine represented by Kampo therapy shows a tendency to be in great demand by the patients. It is, therefore, important to evaluate efficacy of Kampo therapy for atopic dermatitis objectively. The aim of this study was to examine efficacy and usefulness of an evidence-based Kampo therapy for patients with atopic dermatitis. Of 20 reports selected, there were a few randomized controlled trials and most of studies were non-randomized, non-parallel case series. These results suggest that the number of studies to evaluate efficacy of Kampo therapy and high levels of evidence in the primary clinical reserch for atopic dermatitis are limited at present. Taking into account some unique aspects of the management of Kampo therapy, which is distinct from Western medicine, and difficulty of case-control studies using an adequate placebo, original evaluating methods for Kampo therapy should be introduced in order to critically appraise efficacy of an evidence-based Kampo therapy for atopic dermatitis.
