Japanese herbal kampo medicines exert a comprehensive action through multiple ingredients acting on multiple targets: new prescriptions for Japanese herbal kampo medicines based on the elucidation of their mechanisms of action

Abstract

In recent years, the importance of supportive care for cancer patients has been emphasized, and Japanese herbal kampo medicine has come to be positioned as an important drug that contributes to supportive care suffering from cancer itself and/or several side effects. In addition, the effects and mechanism of action of kampo medicines have come to be recognized with scientific evidence. Scientific evidence has become the basis for prescribing of some kampo medicines in addition to “sho”, the status of clinical phenomena normally determines prescription of kampo medicine. Hangeshashinto, rikkunshito and daikenchuto, typical kampo medicines to be performed their properties with scientifically approached basic medicines, are taken up and presented in this paper. At the same time, we will introduce the prospects for future kampo medicine research.