Background : Chemotherapy-induced emesis is one of the common and intolerable side effect that cancer patients suffer. Banhasasim-Tang is a herbal prescription for use in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and hepatobiliary system in Oriental Medicine.

Objective : This study aimed to investigate the effect of banhasasim-tang intravenous herbal acupuncture (BST-IVHA) on emesis induced by chemotherapy in rats.

Methods : This study used MTX-induced Rat-Pica model. The rats were randomly allocated into seven groups; normal group, two saline groups, four BST groups (groups treated with BST-IVHA). All the experimental animals except those in the normal group were injected with MTX. Those in the pre-treatment groups were treated with saline injection (saline group) or BST-IVHA (BST group) before MTX injection. Those in the post-treatment groups were treated with saline injection or BST-IVHA after MTX injection. Two different dosages of BST-IVHA solution (low dose; BST-1 group, high dose; BST-2 group) were used. The changes in body weight, food intake, and kaolin consumption at 24h, 48h, and 60h were monitored and analyzed.

Results :
1. No significant change was found in body weight.
2. The food intake at 48h was increased significantly in the BST-1 pre-treatment group compared to the saline group.
3. The kaolin consumption was significantly decreased in the BST-1 pre-treatment group at 24h and 60h, in the BST-2 pre-treatment group at 48h and 60h, in the BST-1 post-treatment group at 24h, 48h and 60h, in the BST-2 post-treatment group at 48h and 60h compared to the saline group.

Conclusions : Banhasasim-tang intravenous herbal acupuncture showed an anti-emetic effect in MTX-induced rat-pica model. This result suggests that banhasasim-tang intravenous herbal acupuncture could be an effective treatment for chemotherapy-induced emesis.