Song, Ji-Hye, Won, Seul-Ki, Eom, Geun-Hyang et al. · International journal of molecular sciences · 2021 · DOI
Researchers tested a herbal mixture called myelophil (made from two traditional medicinal plants) in mice engineered to show ME/CFS-like symptoms including fatigue, pain, and depression. The treatment improved all three symptoms and appeared to work by increasing important brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, reducing inflammation, and protecting against cell damage. While these results are encouraging, this study was only in mice, so it's too early to know if the same benefits would occur in people with ME/CFS.
ME/CFS lacks approved treatments and understanding of underlying biology. This study provides preclinical evidence for a multi-target mechanism involving neurotransmitter dysregulation and neuroinflammation, potentially informing future therapeutic development and clinical trial design for ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that myelophil is effective in humans with ME/CFS—it only demonstrates effects in a mouse model. The reserpine model captures some ME/CFS symptoms but not the full complexity of the disease. Correlation between observed molecular changes and symptom improvement does not establish causation.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Song, Ji-Hye, Won, Seul-Ki, Eom, Geun-Hyang, Lee, Da-Som, Park, Byung-Jin, Lee, Jin-Seok, et al. (2021). Improvement Effects of Myelophil on Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a Reserpine-Induced Mouse Model.. International journal of molecular sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910199
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-song-2021-improvement-effects,
author = {Song, Ji-Hye and Won, Seul-Ki and Eom, Geun-Hyang and Lee, Da-Som and Park, Byung-Jin and Lee, Jin-Seok and Son, Chang-Gue and Park, Ji-Yeun},
title = {Improvement Effects of Myelophil on Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a Reserpine-Induced Mouse Model.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.3390/ijms221910199},
note = {PubMed: 34638540},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/song-2021-improvement-effects},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/song-2021-improvement-effects
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