便秘對於癌末病患而言，是一種普遍存在且嚴重的問題，經常造成病人整體狀況的惡化，也造成病患家屬極大的焦慮1-2。癌末病人，由於疼痛的症狀，依安寧照護原則，給予口服或針劑嗎啡類止痛劑，也容易造成便秘、食慾不佳或腹脹等症狀，臨床上使用Laxative 治療便秘，效果有時不明顯3-4。
本研究為隨機單盲先驅性研究，收案病患為彰化基督教醫院安寧病房癌末病患，總共收案人數為 27 人，分實驗組與對照組進行臨床試驗。
本研究給予複方中藥大黃甘草湯，每日生大黃 2 克及生甘草 0.5克，分成四次給藥，為期六天。評估工具選用「安寧照護試辦計畫」品質監控指標5、癌症病患生命質量測定量表 (EORTC QLQ-C30 V3.0)6 及生活品質評估表 (ECOG：Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status)。
本研究結果發現，實驗組給予大黃甘草湯明顯改善便秘、食慾不振及腹脹症狀，並達到統計學上的意義。
Constipation is a severe and common symptom among late-stage cancer patients, and it causes great the anxiety for the patient's family. Terminal cancer patients receive morphine to reduce the pain syndrome also cause constipation, poor appetite and abdominal fullness very easily. And the laxative doesn’t work so well to treat this kind of constipation.
This is a single-blinded, randomized controlled trail pilot study. The patients were included in the hospice of Changhua Christian Hospital. There were 27 patients included and separated them into the experimental and the control groups.
We use the herbal medicine DaHuang GangTsao Tang to the patients four times a day and last for 6 days. The quality index of Hospice care trail, questionnaire of EORTC QLQ-C30 V3.0 and questionnaire of ECOG are used to evaluate the outcome measure.
The conclusion showed that the herbal medicine DaHuang GangTsao Tang can improve the constipation, poor appetite and abdominal fullness syndrome and reach significant statistical meaning.
