14 DAY TRIAL // Researchers writing in the scientific journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience argue that a Chinese herbal medicine dubbed Ji-Sui-Kang (JSK, for short) could one day be used to treat patients who have suffered extensive spinal cord injuries.
By the looks of it, said concoction is surprisingly effective at reducing tissue damage, promoting tissue regeneration and improving locomotor function.
In order to test JSK's ability to treat spinal cord injuries, the scientists carried out a series of experiments on rats.
What they did was injure the spinal cords of several such rodents, and then split the animals into two groups.
The rats in the first group were administered JSK on a daily basis, whereas the ones in the second group were given saline, EurekAlert reports.
Just 7 days after they had been administered their first dose of JSK, the rats in the first group showed signs of being able to control their hind limbs far better than the rats on saline.
After two more weeks, the rats on JSK were found to also have less trouble supporting their weight. What's more, their movements appeared more coordinated.
The researchers who worked on this study theorize that said Chinese herbal medicine works by encouraging cell growth.
“Our data suggest that JSK may enhance tissue recovery by reducing cell growth inhibitors and by promoting the proliferation of cells within the injured spinal cord,” specialist Michel P. Rathbone sums up his and his colleagues' findings.
What's interesting is that, although not many scientific investigations on the topic have been carried out over the years, Chinese medical practitioners appear to have long been aware of JSK's properties.
“A number of anecdotal reports from Chinese medicine practitioners indicate that treatment with a novel herbal formulation, JSK, for periods of one week or three months improved functional recovery.”
“Our present study provides an important and necessary foundation for further studies of JSK,” researcher Shucui Jiang wished to stress.