• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.255-260
• /
• 2021

Crohn's disease (CD) is an idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with unknown etiopathogenesis. Currently there are no definitive treatment modalities for CD. This case report presents clinical remission and its maintenance of CD induced by Korean herbal medicine treatment. A 56-year-old male patient diagnosed as CD by capsule endoscopy presented to a Korean Medicine clinic with severe abdominal pain as a chief complaint. Despite taking 5-aminosalicylic acid and immunosuppressant for 2 years, his abdominal pain was worsening at the time of visit. Treatment was initiated with Jinmoo-tang based on pattern identification and continued for approximately a year with some modifications according to patient's symptom changes. He was mainly given Jinmoo-Tang for a year and clinical remission was achieved; he could stop taking western medications. For 6 years since then, he took Korean medicine from time to time when he felt his condition went down and he is still maintaining remission. There were no adverse events reported. This case report suggests that individualized Korean herbal medicine treatment may have the potential for induction and maintenance of clinical remission of CD. Further research is warranted to establish an evidence-base for such approach.