Effects of Kampo Medicines and their Fragrances

Abstract

In recent years, research in pharmacology has made remarkable progress. However, there are still many things that we do not know about both Kampo medicines and their fragrances such as mechanisms of action, etc., even though they have existed since ancient times. Were they not studied because they were unproductive subjects for research, or were they not the subject of research because they were difficult to elucidate? In this review article, I would like to summarize the background of Kampo medicines and their fragrances, and hope to provide suggestions for future clarification of the effects of the fragrances in Kampo medicines.