Wang, Xin Q, Takahashi, Takashi, Zhu, Shi-Jie et al. · Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2004 · DOI
Researchers tested a Japanese herbal medicine called Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41) in mice with an experimentally induced condition similar to ME/CFS. Mice treated with the herb showed better activity levels and survived longer than untreated mice, suggesting the herb may help reduce activity loss associated with chronic fatigue-like conditions.
Understanding mechanisms by which herbal medicines may mitigate activity loss in CFS-like conditions could inform both conventional and complementary treatment approaches. This work bridges traditional medicine and contemporary immunology, potentially identifying biomarkers and pathways relevant to human ME/CFS.
This animal model study does not prove TJ-41 is safe or effective in human ME/CFS patients. BA-induced fatigue in mice may not fully recapitulate human ME/CFS pathophysiology, and findings cannot be directly translated to clinical use without further mechanistic and clinical validation. The study does not establish which component(s) of TJ-41 are active or clarify whether suppressed IL-10 is causally related to improved activity.
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
Wang, Xin Q, Takahashi, Takashi, Zhu, Shi-Jie, Moriya, Junji, Saegusa, Seiichiro, Yamakawa, Jun'ichi, et al. (2004). Effect of Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41), a Japanese Herbal Medicine, on Daily Activity in a Murine Model of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/neh020
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wang-2004-effect-hochu,
author = {Wang, Xin Q and Takahashi, Takashi and Zhu, Shi-Jie and Moriya, Junji and Saegusa, Seiichiro and Yamakawa, Jun'ichi and Kusaka, Kazuya and Itoh, Tohru and Kanda, Tsugiyasu},
title = {Effect of Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41), a Japanese Herbal Medicine, on Daily Activity in a Murine Model of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1093/ecam/neh020},
note = {PubMed: 15480446},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wang-2004-effect-hochu},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wang-2004-effect-hochu
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