| Disease | 31 FEMALES WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHREMATOSUS WERE TREATED WITH LEIGONGTENG (TRIPTERYGIUM WILFORDII) SYRUP (1.0 GM/ML. DOSAGE WAS 15 ML THREE TIMES DAILY. 21 CASES WERE TREATED FOR 6 MONTHS AND 10 CASES FOR 1-3 YEARS.
SERUM ESTRADIOL AND ESTRADIOL/TESTOSTERONE RATIO, BUT NOT SERUM TESTOSTERONE, PROGESTERONE, LH, FSH AND PROLACTIN WERE HIGHER THAN NORMAL VALUES. IN THE SHORT TERM TREATMENT GROUP, ESTRADIOL AND ESTRADIOL/TESTOSTERONE, RATIO WERE DECREASED.
LH AND FSH INCREASED AND TESTOSTERONE, PROGESTERONE AND PROLACTIN WERE NOT AFFECTED AFTER TREATMENT. IN THE LONG-TERM THERAPY GROUP, SERUM ESTRADIOL, TESTOSTERONE, PROLACTIN AND ESTRADIOL/TESTOSTERONE RATIO WERE CLOSE NORMAL POST-TREATMENT.
BUT, LH AND FSH WERE INCREASED AND PROGESTERONE DECREASED. THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECT IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE DROP IN SERUM ESTRADIOL LEVEL AND ESTRADIOL/TESTOSTERONE RATIO. |