Objectives : In the present study, the authors intended to investigate whether two oriental medical prescriptions named chwiyeon-tang and chihyosan-gamibang significantly affect much release from cultured hamster tracheal surface epithelial HTSE cells. Methods : Confluent HTSE cells were metabolically radiolabeled with 3H-glucosamine for 24 hrs and chased for 30 min in the presence of chwiyeon-tang or chihyosan-gamibang to assess the effect of each agent on 3H-mucin release. Possible cytotoxicities of each agent were assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase LDH release. Also, the effect of chwiyeon-tang and chihyosan-gamibang on contractility of isolated tracheal smooth muscle were investigated. Results : (1) Chwiyeon-tang significantly inhibited mucin release from cultured HTSE cells, with significant cytotoxicity ; (2) Chihyosan-gamibang significantly stimulated mucin release from cultured HTSE cells, with minute cytotoxicity ; (3) Chwiyeon-tang and Chihyosan-gamibang did not affect contractility of isolated tracheal smooth muscle. Conclusions : We suggest that the effects of Chwiyeon-tang and Chihyosan-gamibang with their components should be further investigated and it is of great value to find, from oriental medical prescriptions, noel agents which might regulate mucin secretion from airway goblet cells.