[Evaluation of therapeutic effects of Chinese materia medica by tongue image analysis software 1.0 based on tongue colors].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the therapeutic effects of Chinese materia medica in treating patients with different syndromes by tongue image analysis software 1.0 based on tongue colors, and to discuss the feasibility of applying this computer science-based techniques into drug evaluation.


METHODS
The tongue colors and the areas of tongue fur were examined and analyzed by the tongue image analysis software 1.0 in healthy persons and the patients with different syndromes before and after treatment. The parameters of tongue colors consisted of the followings: the hue (H), the lightness (L), the saturation (S), and the values of red (R), green (G) and blue (B).


RESULTS
Obvious differences could be revealed in tongue color index between the healthy persons and the patients in five groups of different syndromes. There also existed some significant differences in those index between patients before and after treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The tongue image analysis software 1.0 based on tongue colors is helpful to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Chinese materia medica.
Zhu
Feng-Lan
FL
Department of Internal Medicine, Taicang First People's Hospital, Taicang, Jiangsu Province 215400, China. zf153505032@sina.com
Gu
Chao
C
Zhang
Zhi-Feng
ZF
Zhou
Chang-Le
CL
Xu
Jia-Tuo
JT
Liu
Xiao-Gu
XG
Li
Wen-Shu
WS
Zhu
Hui-Qing
HQ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003116:Color; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D014059:Tongue; D016711:Yang Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy; D016710:Yin Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal