三伏貼之文獻回顧與實證醫學研究

Sanfutie: A Comprehensive Review of Acupoint Herbal Patching Therapy for Allergic Diseases

三伏貼為目前國內常見之中醫治療過敏性疾病的方法，為中醫外治法之體現。由於台灣地處亞熱帶，氣候溫暖潮濕，過敏性疾患包含氣喘、過敏性鼻炎等盛行率居高不下，坊間多以三伏貼等穴位貼敷治療，於一年中盛夏轉秋之際進行三次穴位貼敷的療程。三伏貼是以《黃帝內經》中「冬病夏治」的概念，以刺激性藥物調成膏狀，貼敷於穴位之上，而達到調節免疫系統，降低過敏性疾患發作頻率及嚴重度的效果。國內外實證醫學證實，穴位貼敷對於過敏性鼻炎、氣喘及慢性阻塞性肺病之療效顯著。藥物動力學試驗亦證實，在穴位及非穴位處進行貼敷，其藥物濃度亦有差異。唯對於在「三伏天」進行穴位貼敷，是否相對於其他時間貼敷更為有效，尚無相關研究證實。目前有關三伏貼的研究亦多侷限於過敏性疾患，未來仍需更嚴謹的動物模型試驗確立機制，藉以擴增適應症範圍。

Sanfutie is a special form of acupoint herbal patching therapy performed topically with irritating herbs in the ＂dog days＂ to optimize therapeutic effects. According to the literature, Sanfutie can be used to treat various allergic diseases. Currently, there is encouraging evidence for Sanfutie treating respiratory diseases, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Some published clinical trials or reviews concluded that Sanfutie can improve symptoms and quality of life of allergic rhinitis, and reduce the attack frequency of asthma and COPD without severe adverse effects. Two researches investigated the possible immune-modulating mechanism of acupoint herbal patching. However, clinical trials comparing acupoint herbal patching performed in the dog days and non-dog days are still lacking. Moreover, no study evaluates the efficacy of Sanfutie in treating allergic diseases other than respiratory system. More researches focusing on the mechanism and the relations between climate and efficacy are required to benefit future clinical practice.