Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 months

The delayed union of fractures poses considerable challenges in orthopedic treatment, affecting patients’ quality of life and healthcare outcomes. Although various treatment options are available, their efficacy may be limited in patients with prolonged delayed union. This study investigated the the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Eunbyul Cho, Seri Lee, Youngjin Choi, Changsop Yang, Hyeonjun Woo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Endocrinology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1595784/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850111059102269440
author Eunbyul Cho
Eunbyul Cho
Seri Lee
Youngjin Choi
Changsop Yang
Hyeonjun Woo
author_facet Eunbyul Cho
Eunbyul Cho
Seri Lee
Youngjin Choi
Changsop Yang
Hyeonjun Woo
author_sort Eunbyul Cho
collection DOAJ
description The delayed union of fractures poses considerable challenges in orthopedic treatment, affecting patients’ quality of life and healthcare outcomes. Although various treatment options are available, their efficacy may be limited in patients with prolonged delayed union. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of Jeopgol-tang (JGT), a traditional herbal decoction, for treating cases of delayed union persisting for more than 5 months. Three patients with different fracture sites (pubic ramus, multiple metatarsals, and femoral neck) who exhibited insufficient healing after conventional treatment were administered JGT (100 mL per pack, twice daily) for 2–6 months depending on individual healing progress and fracture complexity. Radiological assessments demonstrated progressive improvement in all cases. Notably, one patient avoided reoperation after exhibiting initial signs of bone healing within 1 month of treatment, whereas all patients achieved complete union and reported improved mobility and reduced pain. These findings suggest that JGT could be an effective complementary treatment option for delayed union, particularly in cases in which conventional treatments have yielded limited success. Nevertheless, larger prospective clinical trials and mechanistic studies are required to validate these results and to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of JGT.
format Article
id doaj-art-b094e8800a264206afca97e6e9b2f491
institution OA Journals
issn 1664-2392
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Endocrinology
spelling doaj-art-b094e8800a264206afca97e6e9b2f4912025-08-20T02:37:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Endocrinology1664-23922025-06-011610.3389/fendo.2025.15957841595784Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 monthsEunbyul Cho0Eunbyul Cho1Seri Lee2Youngjin Choi3Changsop Yang4Hyeonjun Woo5Korean Medicine (KM) Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Diagnostics, College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of KoreaCollege of Korean Medicine, Dongguk University, Goyang, Republic of KoreaKyunghee Dabok Korean Medicine Clinic, Seoul, Republic of KoreaKorean Medicine (KM) Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation, College of Korean Medicine, Semyung University, Jecheon, Republic of KoreaThe delayed union of fractures poses considerable challenges in orthopedic treatment, affecting patients’ quality of life and healthcare outcomes. Although various treatment options are available, their efficacy may be limited in patients with prolonged delayed union. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of Jeopgol-tang (JGT), a traditional herbal decoction, for treating cases of delayed union persisting for more than 5 months. Three patients with different fracture sites (pubic ramus, multiple metatarsals, and femoral neck) who exhibited insufficient healing after conventional treatment were administered JGT (100 mL per pack, twice daily) for 2–6 months depending on individual healing progress and fracture complexity. Radiological assessments demonstrated progressive improvement in all cases. Notably, one patient avoided reoperation after exhibiting initial signs of bone healing within 1 month of treatment, whereas all patients achieved complete union and reported improved mobility and reduced pain. These findings suggest that JGT could be an effective complementary treatment option for delayed union, particularly in cases in which conventional treatments have yielded limited success. Nevertheless, larger prospective clinical trials and mechanistic studies are required to validate these results and to explore the therapeutic mechanisms of JGT.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1595784/fullfracturedelayed unionherbal medicineJeopgol-tangcase report
spellingShingle Eunbyul Cho
Eunbyul Cho
Seri Lee
Youngjin Choi
Changsop Yang
Hyeonjun Woo
Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 months
Frontiers in Endocrinology
fracture
delayed union
herbal medicine
Jeopgol-tang
case report
title Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 months
title_full Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 months
title_fullStr Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 months
title_full_unstemmed Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 months
title_short Case Report: Therapeutic potential of traditional Korean herbal medicine Jeopgol-tang in bone regeneration: a case series of delayed union over 5 months
title_sort case report therapeutic potential of traditional korean herbal medicine jeopgol tang in bone regeneration a case series of delayed union over 5 months
topic fracture
delayed union
herbal medicine
Jeopgol-tang
case report
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1595784/full
work_keys_str_mv AT eunbyulcho casereporttherapeuticpotentialoftraditionalkoreanherbalmedicinejeopgoltanginboneregenerationacaseseriesofdelayedunionover5months
AT eunbyulcho casereporttherapeuticpotentialoftraditionalkoreanherbalmedicinejeopgoltanginboneregenerationacaseseriesofdelayedunionover5months
AT serilee casereporttherapeuticpotentialoftraditionalkoreanherbalmedicinejeopgoltanginboneregenerationacaseseriesofdelayedunionover5months
AT youngjinchoi casereporttherapeuticpotentialoftraditionalkoreanherbalmedicinejeopgoltanginboneregenerationacaseseriesofdelayedunionover5months
AT changsopyang casereporttherapeuticpotentialoftraditionalkoreanherbalmedicinejeopgoltanginboneregenerationacaseseriesofdelayedunionover5months
AT hyeonjunwoo casereporttherapeuticpotentialoftraditionalkoreanherbalmedicinejeopgoltanginboneregenerationacaseseriesofdelayedunionover5months