Refined rhubarb tablets in the treatment of acute hemorrhaging of the upper digestive tract

Abstract

Refined rhubarb tablets were used to treat 182 cases of acute hemorrhaging of the upper digestive tract with a total effective rate of 96.1% and an average hemostatic time of 2.8 days. Prospective and double blind comparative studies of the drug revealed that it had a remarkably higher hemostatic effect than compound western medicines (P<0.01) and was superior to crude rhubarb, which usually caused nausea and vomiting and had unstable therapeutic effects. Acute and subacute toxicity determinations, genetic toxicologic tests, as well as determinations of various indexes of blood vessels, pepsin, blood rheology, platelets, bleeding and blood coagulation factors were done, suggesting that refined rhubarb tablets were non-toxic, safe and effective in local hemostasis and general hemodilution-like hemostasis. © 1995, The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press. All rights reserved.