Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Control Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Wu-Chu-Yu Tang on Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

GERD is due to gastric content reflux to esophagus cause symptom and complication including intra-esophagus such as reflux esophagitis, and extra-esophagus such as cough etc. Because the changes of dietary habit, and improvement of examination skill and data analysis, the prevalence of GERD increased 2.5 multiple from 1995 to 2002, and suggesting the prevalence is 25% in Taiwan community. Although proton pump inhibitor (PPI) can inhibit gastric acid secretion, relief symptom and enhancing repair of esophageal damage, therefore, PPI is a main drug for the treatment of GRED, but because of PPI has disadvantage of poor compliance, and slow gastric empty time and hypersensitivity, and about 40-50% of GERD patients is inefficacy. In addition, PPI produces bone fracture, community pneumonia and diarrhea in patient with long-term use. Wu-Chu-Yu tang consists of Evodia fargesii Dode (Evodia Fruit), Panax ginseng C. (Ginseng), Ziziphus jujube Mill (Chinses Date), Zingiber officinale Rosee (Fresh Ginger). According to "I-Fang-Chi-Chieh" and "Shanghonzobinglun" recordings that Wu-Chu-Yu tang can treat vomiting, and also can relax gastric tonicity and can enhance peristalsis of stomach. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of Wu-Chu-Yu tang on GRED, and this effect of Wu-Chu-Yu tang compared to PPI Omeprazole.