Clinical effects of Chinese herbal medicine for allergic rhinitis: Reviews of classical and
modern literature
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of
Science
Jenny Manuela Kreiner
Bachelor of Applied Science (Chinese Medicine)/Bachelor of Applied Science (Human
Biology), RMIT University
Postgraduate Diploma (English Language Teaching), University of Sheffield
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of South Australia
School of Health and Biomedical Sciences
College of Science, Engineering and Health
RMIT University
December 2016
i
Declaration
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of the author
alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for any
academic award; the content of the thesis is the result of work which has been carried out since
the official commencement date of the approved research program; and any editorial work, paid
or unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged.
Jenny Kreiner
Date: 15 December 2016
ii
Acknowledgement
I would to thank my supervisors Dr Angela Wei Hong Yang, Dr George Binh Lenon and
Professor Eddie Pang for their guidance in research. In the course of my research project, I have
tapped on the experiences of my supervisors immensely. I would like to extend my sincere
thanks to Angela and George for coping with all the hard and grinding queries thrown their way
as well as Eddie for his invaluable input on my project. In turn, I like to extend my gratitude to
Dr Brian May for reaching out amidst the cold hard-thriving intellectual environment. My
workload in the challenging undertakings of the classical data-mining was eased owing to a
content list of the classical texts provided by both Dr Brian May and Ms Su-Yueh Chang.
My Master’s research was a continuation of my supervisor, Dr Angela Wei Hong Yang’s
Cochrane systematic review project. Angela’s project was partially funded by the RMIT
Emerging Researcher Grant and Grant Number R24 AT001293 from America’s National
Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The contents of this
systematic review are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent
the official views of the NCCAM or the National Institutes of Health. Angela’s project also
received the support provided by the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders
Group (searching, editing and feedback), particularly Ms Gemma Sandberg for searching
English databases, Ms Miranda Cumpston for training and advice, as well as Ms Jenny Bellorini
for ongoing support. I thank Miss Amy Hsiewe Ying Tan for data extraction of the Japanese
paper.
Last, my husband, Kevin, for without his continuous encouragement and support, I would not
even embark on this journey of research.
iii
Acronyms and abbreviations
ALT
Alanine transaminase
AR
Allergic rhinitis
ARIA
Allergic Rhinitis and its impact on Asthma
ASD
Asian sand storm
AS-IV
Astragaloside IV
AST
Aspartate aminotransferase
ATR
Atractyloside
BUN
Blood urea nitrogen
C
Cimifugin
CAMT
Camptothecin
CAM
Complementary and alternative medicine
cAMP
3′5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate
CATR
Carboxytractyloside
CCL
Chemokine ligands
CD
Cluster of differentiation
CHM
Chinese herbal medicine
CM
Chinese medicine
COX
Cyclooxygenase
Cr
Creatinine
CREB
cAMP response element binding
cysLTs
Cysteinyl leukotrienes
Cϵ
Heavy chain
ECP
Eosinophil cationic protein
ECRHS
European Community Respiratory Health Study
iv
EGFR
Epidermal growth factor receptor
ENT
Ear, nose and throat
ERKs
Extracellular signal-regulated kinases
FcɛRI
Fc receptor specific for ɛ heavy chains
GC
Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin
GH
sec-O-glucosylhamaudol
Glu
Glucocorticosteroids
GM-CSF
Colony-stimulating factor
GV
4-O-β-D-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol
HCA
Hierarchical cluster analysis
IAR
Intermittent allergic rhinitis
ICAM-1
Intracellular adhesion molecule 1
IgE
Immunoglobulin E
IL
Interleukin
iNOS
Inducible nitric oxide synthase
IRF-3
Interferon regulatory factor-3
ITAMs
Immune-receptor tyrosine-based activation motifs
ITT
Intention to treat
Iϵ
Light chain
JNK
c-Jun NH (2) terminal kinase
LOX
5-lipoxygenase
LT
Leukotriene
MAPKs
Mitogen activated protein kinases
MD
Mean difference
MDA
Malondialdehyde
MEG
Methyleugenol