• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.1126-1134
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• 2006

Human fungal infections are uncommon in normally healthy persons, being confined to conditions such as candidiasis (thrush) and dermatophyte skin infections such as athlete's foot. However, in the immunocompromised host, a variety of normally mild or nonpathogenic fungi can cause potentially fatal infections. Furthermore, the relativeease with which people can now visit 'exotic' countries provides the means for unusual fungal infections to be imported into this country. Mycoses appear in many different forms and areas. Fungal infections or mycoses are classified depending on the degree of tissue involvement and mode of entry into the host. These are Cutaneous, Subcutaneous, Systemic, and Opportunistic. Cutaneous mycoses specially appears symptoms on the skin. They are treated by amphotericinB, nystatin, grycelfulvin, micronazole and ketaconazole, etc, but these medicines are been careful about using, because most of them have serious side effects and toxicities. So, on the purpose of finding safe novel medicines, we have researched oriental medicines and search them to treat mycoses. In oriental medicines treating mycoses, we pay attention to orient applications that directly have an effect on disorder lesions. Oriental applications consists of various herbs and have a lot of forms, so we try to classify them as herbs and forms

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.799-806
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• 2006

Fungi cause a number of plant and animal diseases. Because fungi are more chemically and genetically similar to animals than other organisms, this makes fungal diseases very difficult to treat. Human fungal infections are uncommon in normally healthy persons, being confined to conditions such as candidiasis (thrush) and dermatophyte skin infections such as athlete's foot. However, in the immunocompromised host, a variety of normally mild or nonpathogenic fungi can cause potentially fatal infections. Furthermore, the relative ease with which people can now visit 'exotic' countries provides the means for unusual fungal infections to be imported into this country. Fungal infections or mycoses are classified depending on the degree of tissue involvement and mode of entry into the host. These are Cutaneous, Subcutaneous, Systemic, and Opportunistic. As listed above, in superficial mycoses infection is localised to the skin, the hair, and the nails. An example is 'ringworm' or 'tinea', an infection of the skin by a dermatophyte. Ringworm refers to the characteristic central clearing that often occurs in dermatophyte infections of the skin. Dermatophyte members of the genera Trycophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton are responsible for the disease. Tinea can infect various sites of the body, including the scalp (tinea capitis), the beard (tinea barbae) the foot (tinea pedis: 'athlete's foot') and the groin (tinea cruris). All occur in the United Kingdom although tinea infections, other than pedis, are now rare. Candids albicans is a yeast causing candidiasis or 'thrush' in humans. As a superficial mycoses, candidiasis typically infects the mouth or vagina. C. albicans is part of the normal flora of the vagina and gastrointestinal tract and is termed a 'commensal' However, during times of ill health or impaired immunity the balance can alter and the organism multiplies to cause disease. Antibiotic treatment can also alter the normal bacterial flora allowing C. albicans to flourish. If we study mycoses of the orient medicine, we can improve the medical skills about mycoses.