title: Safety of the traditional Korean herbal medicine CGX: a 6-month repeated-dose study in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  CGX is a traditional Korean herbal medicine used to treat chronic liver diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmaceutical safety of hepatoprotective herbal medicine, CGX via systemic 6-month repeated dose toxicity study in SD rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male and female SD rats were administered CGX for 6 months (0, 100, 200, or 400 mg kg(-1), respectively). The rats were visually inspected for changes in behavior, body weight, food and water consumption, and appearance during the experiment period. At the end of the experiment, urine, hematological, biochemical analysis, and histopathological examination were carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No drug-induced abnormalities were found as clinical signs or in the histopathology, hematology, blood biochemistry, and urinalysis results for any administered doses of CGX.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that CGX is safe and could be considered as an effective and prospective herbal formulation in clinical applications with a wide therapeutic index.
authors.affiliation: Liver and Immunology Research Center, Institute of Traditional Medicine and Bioscience of Daejeon University, 22-5, Daeheung-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon 301-724, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jang Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Hyeong Geug
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hye Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Nak Won
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Chang Gue
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Son
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley