Recently drug abuse has been increasing among Japanese younger population, becoming a big social problem. Although the abused drugs include marihuana and narcotics, they are also used for medicinal purposes. Therefore, I will discuss the merit and demerit of marihuana in this preface.
Marihuana is produced from Cannabis sativa L. which is an annual and a dioecism plant belonging to Cannabinaceae. C. sativa has the oldest history of cultivation as one of fiber crops in the world. More than 70 cannabinoids have been isolated from marihuana and elucidated their structures. Among them tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has the most strong narcotic and hallucinatory effects.
Recently, two types of receptor related to THC, CB1 and CB2, have been determined in the brain and macrophage resulting that two internal ligands, anandamide and 2-arachidonyl glyceride have been isolated. These findings have promoted the medical use of marihuana and/or cannabinoids directly and the research of drug development from cannabinoids. On the other hand the typical pharmacological activities such as psychotomimetic, psychiatric and mental instability (cannabis psychosis) have been confirmed by the marihuana use. Furthermore, the marihuana infection expands most widely compared to the other drugs and it is estimated that at least 160 million people using marihuana in the world. Currently, the marihuana use is illegal in Japan and strictly controlled under the Marihuana Control Law. However, since cannabinoids are the chemical compound attractive enough for new drug development research, it seems to be necessary to revise the Marihuana Control Law in the same category of the other abuse drugs like poppy, opium and morphine. We strongly hope that cannabinoids will be using clinically in Japan as therapeutic drugs as well as in foreign countries.

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The prevalence of allergic diseases including asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis has increased in Japan as well as other developed countries during the last two decades. Although allergic diseases have not been recognized as life-style related diseases so far, dietary changes were recently proposed to be associated with this increase. Indeed some nutrients in foods or drink possess anti-allergic or allergy-promoting activities. Flavonoids, ubiquitously present in vegetables, fruits and teas, are shown to have anti-allergic activities such as inhibition of histamine release, synthesis of IL-4 and IL-13 and CD40 ligand expression by basophils and mast cells. Among flavones, luteolin, apigenin and fisetin are the strongest inhibitors of IL-4 production with an IC₅₀ value of 2-5μM and quercetin and kaempferol showed a substantial activity with an IC₅₀ value of 15-18μM. Administration of flavonoids into atopic dermatitis-model mice prevented the onset of dermatitis and ameliorated the severity of dermatitis, depending on the administration period. In addition a preliminary trial of flavonoids for adult patients with atopic dermatitis showed a significant effect. Moreover, recent epidemiological studies reported that a low incidence of asthma was significantly observed by a population with a high intake of flavonoids. Thus, this evidence raises a possibility that an appropriate daily intake of flavonoids may be a dietary menu for a complementary and alternative medicine and a preventative strategy for allergic diseases.

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The root bark of Acanthopanax senticosus contains eleutheroside E (EE), EB and isofraxidin. A lignan component EB was reported to be a most effective agent in anti-stress, anti-fatigue, and anti-gastric ulceration. In this study, we examined the effects of EE on gene expression of inflammatory mediators and DNA binding activity of transcription factors in an IL-1β-stimulated human synovial sarcoma cell line SW982 cells. EE suppressed the gene expression of IL-6, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-1), and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 at lower concentrations than EB and isofraxidin. Similar results were obtained on the production of IL-6 and PGE2. EE also inhibited MMP-1 promoter activity, transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1 binding activities. These activities were not inhibited with EB or isofraxidin. These results suggest that EE may exert an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing the gene expression of inflammatory proteins through inhibiting NF-κB and AP-1 binding activities.

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The name Chlorella is derived from two Latin words meaning 'leaf' (green) and 'small', referring to the unusually high content of chlorophyll (the highest of any known plant), which gives Chlorella its characteristic deep emerald-green color. Chlorella, being a microalgae, has been more thoroughly researched than perhaps any other food in history. There are thousands of research papers on Chlorella from medical institutions, scientific journals and universities. In this paper, related information about one of the most fascinating aspects of Chlorella, the CGF or Chlorella Growth Factor as well as utilization of Chlorella in different application areas is included. Chlorella has a number of properties, which are helpful to organs and tissues that have been injured by a variety of causes. It has been called the "great normalizer", putting body functions that are out of balance back in harmony.

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The development of a number of new synthetic procedures with potential for use in the fragrance industry are described. These results were the fruit of a collaboration between the Chemistry Department at the University of York and Oxford Chemicals (Hartlepool).

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The plant of H. rhamnoides L. is called by different names in different countries. For example, it is known as seabuckthorn in the United Kingdom, sanddorn in Germany, and shaji in China. These plants belong to different subspecies of oblepikha. In Japan, there is no established Japanese botanical name because there is very little history of usage. However, fruit production of oblepikha has now begun worldwide and in Japan extension orchards as initial case studies have been constructed in Rikuzentakata city (Iwate prefecture) and Sendai city (Miyagi prefecture) with the help of Tohoku University. In these orchards, oblepikha plants are now growing normally, and harvest of the fruits has just begun. Currently, many nursery plants bearing new types of fruit are growing in the research fields of Tohoku University. The nutritional values of the fruits are being analyzed and processing methods for foodstuffs are under development.

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The 17th Symposium of the Japanese Society of Food Chemistry “The Latest Analysis Method for Analyzing Minute Amounts of Chemical Substances in Foods” was held on November 2, 2005 at Osaka Pharmaceutical Industry Pension Culture Service Center, with approximately 110 participants.
Thanks to the creation of synthetic chemicals, we are able to enjoy our contemporary dietary choices. These chemical substances are both extracts from natural products and synthetic organic chemicals that are then used in the production, processing and preservation of food. However, cases are frequently reported of threats to our health, including food allergies and food poisoning caused by these chemical substances that are found in these foods or generated in the production and/or cooking processes. In particular, endocrine disrupters have recently been cited as a danger, because only a minute amount may throw complicated vital functions into disorder and badly affect the human body over several generations. However, the concentration level of endocrine disrupters that affects the human body has not yet been clarified. Therefore, we currently require a micro-analytical method for food products that can be used to analyze minute amounts of these chemical substances that can affect the living body. It is felt that we will be able to assure the safety of food and offer the public reassurance once we can freely use the latest analytical equipment to acquire highly credible analytical values of minute amounts of chemical substances found in food products.
This symposium’s goal is to provide information regarding the “latest analytical method for analyzing minute amounts of chemical substances in food products” and recent developments in this area.
The first speaker was Shinjiro Hori (Kansai Medical University), who discussed, “Current Conditions of Dioxin Contamination in Food Products and the Analytical Method”. Then, Toshitsugu Tanaka (Kobe Institute of Health) gave a speech entitled “Analytical Method for Deoxynivalenol and Nivalenol Contained in Grains,” followed by “Simultaneous Analysis of Pesticide Residue in Food Products Using LC/MS” by Motoaki Sato (Saika Technological Institute Foundation), “Simultaneous Analysis of Pesticide Residue in Stored Fishery Products” by Ryo Nemoto (National Institute of Health Sciences), “Analysis of the Residue of Medicinal Drugs for Animals” by Masakazu Horie (Saitama Prefectural Institute of Public Health), “Analysis of Semicarbazide and Epoxidised Soya Bean Oil in Bottled Food” by Motoh Mutsuga (National Institute of Health Sciences), and “Determining the Quantity of Shellfish Poison with Fluorescence HPLC Method and LC-MS Method” by Toshiyuki Suzuki (Incorporated Administrative Agency Fisheries Research Agency, Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute). Additionally, Dr. Toshio Ninomiya (Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) gave a special lecture entitled, “Application of Emitted Light from SPring-8”, and Narihiko Kawamura (Assistant Director, Standards and Evaluation Division, Dept. of Food Safety, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) spoke on the “Introduction of a Positive List System Regarding Residual Agricultural Chemicals in Food Products”. A party was held after the lectures for the participants to exchange information and opinions.
The contents of these lectures were very interesting and we hope they can be used to inform many people. The editing commission of this magazine has provided us with the opportunity to publish them, so what follows is a report on the contents of these special lectures. All responsibility for this publication is borne by the secretariat. 「View PDF for the rest of the abstract」

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Acorns were an important foodstuff in the pre-cultivation period in the temperate zone of the Northern hemisphere. In particular, they constituted an important part of the staple diet as a starchy foodstuff for the people in East Asia. This is indicated by excavation of a large numbers of acorns at archaeological sites, with appearance of stone implements and earthenware for their preparation, and the existence of store-holes for storage in ancient ruins. Many foods continue to be made from acorns in East Asia, even now. For example, there are seven acorn-foods, Mesi(Pab), Moti(Ttok), Noodle(Kukusu), Kayu(Tsuk), Suiton(Sujaebi), Okonomiyaki(Pindae-Ttok) and Mook in Korea as determined by recent search, the last example being the typical acorn-dish in Korea. East Asia has a unique culture and science of acorns, with Korea as a major center.

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