What are SCI and SCOPUS?
SCI (Science Citation Index) and SCOPUS are internationally recognised academic databases that institutions worldwide use to evaluate research quality. To be indexed, a study must: 1) pass strict international peer review, 2) be reproducible by independent research teams, 3) be permanently archived in a public database where anyone can verify it.
Pyunkang-Hwan chose to invest in SCI/SCOPUS publication — rather than marketing literature — because this is the field's highest standard for "genuinely effective" over the past 50 years.
2016 · SCI Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine — pulmonary fibrosis
**Journal:** Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine (JTCM), October 2016, SCI-indexed.
**Topic:** PGT's effect on respiratory inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis induced by atmospheric pollutants.
**Core findings:** In rats with induced pulmonary fibrosis, PGT administration significantly reduced fibrosis severity in a dose-dependent manner. In a controlled trial measuring respiratory mucus secretion, PGT 785 mg/kg outperformed the steroid (Dexamethasone) control group.
**Research team:** Dr. Seo Hyo-seok; Prof. Lee Chung-jae, Chungnam National University Medical School; Prof. Lee Hyun-jae, Sahmyook University.
2019 · SCOPUS Natural Product Sciences — COPD
**Journal:** Natural Product Sciences (NPS), 2019, SCOPUS-indexed.
**Topic:** PGT's effect on inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
**Core findings:** The key COPD pathology marker — mucin — was significantly reduced. The study concludes that PGT has potential as a therapeutic candidate for severe lung diseases including COPD.
**Research team:** Dr. Seo Hyo-seok; Prof. Lee Chung-jae, Chungnam National University Medical School; Prof. Lee Hyun-jae, Sahmyook University.
2021 · SCI Antioxidants — allergic asthma
**Journal:** Antioxidants, January 2021, SCI-indexed, Impact Factor 7.6+.
**Topic:** Korean herbal extract (PGT) effect on airway inflammation in allergic asthma.
**Core findings:** The first study evaluating PGT's mechanism in airway-infection-model contexts. The research proposes PGT as a candidate intervention for allergic asthma and clarifies its action across the Th2 immune-response axis.
**Research team:** Soyon Yoon, Seokcheon Song, Hyun Ju You — Seoul National University School of Public Health; Jae Woo Shin, Hye Young Kim — Seoul National University College of Medicine, and others.
What these studies tell us — and what they don't
**What they tell us:** In animal models (rats), Pyunkang-tang Extract has **measurable mitigating effects** on three categories of lung inflammation: pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, and allergic asthma. On certain endpoints, the effect was comparable to or better than steroid controls. The studies passed strict international peer review and are publicly verifiable through PubMed / Web of Science.
**What they don't tell us:** All three studies are animal experiments or mechanism studies — **none have been replicated through large-scale human randomised controlled trials (RCTs).** So we don't say "Pyunkang-Hwan treats lung fibrosis" or "Pyunkang-Hwan treats asthma" — those would require Phase III clinical trials.
Pyunkang-Hwan's positioning is "traditional food supplement." Between 50 years of real-world use and SCI/SCOPUS animal-model research, we choose to honestly tell you both — rather than packaging animal studies as medical efficacy claims.
How to access the journal originals
All three studies are permanently archived in international databases and can be verified by anyone:
- JTCM 2016 · DOI: 10.1016/S0254-6272(16)30087-5 — https://doi.org/10.1016/S0254-6272(16)30087-5
- NPS 2019 · DOI: 10.20307/nps.2019.25.2.103 — https://doi.org/10.20307/nps.2019.25.2.103
- Antioxidants 2021 · DOI: 10.3390/antiox10010006 — https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10010006
- Or email [email protected] for all three PDFs (English, with Chinese-translation abstract)
