To investigate the effectiveness of Maobushisaishin-to (traditional Japanese herbal medicine; Tsumura TJ-127) in treating the common cold, a clinical comparison between Maobushisaishin-to and a general common cold drug was conducted using the sealed envelope method. The study involved 83 patients in the TJ-127 group and 88 patients in the general cold drug group. No differences in age, gender or the period from the onset of the disease to the beginning of treatment were observed between the two groups.
The results indicated greater than moderate improvement in 81.9% of the TJ-127 group, compared with 60.3% of the compound cold drug group (p<0.01). Further analysis of symptom diaries kept by the patients indicated that TJ-127 provided more rapid relief for symptoms such as fever, feeling feverish, coughing and phlegm than did the general cold drug. No side effects were observed for the TJ-127. These results suggest that TJ-127 is effective in the treatment of the common cold.

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Two cases of bedridden patients effectively treated with the Kampo formula Ogikenchu-to are reported. The first case was a 76-year-old female. She had been admitted to a hospital for about five months due to subarachnoid hemorrhage and had been bedridden because of a lack of volition. She was transferred to Riverside Hospital for rehabilitation. At the time of her admittance, her legs were paralyzed with disuse atrophy and her activity of daily living was very restricted. The authors prescribed Ogikenchu-to for her. Her activity of daily living (ADL) showed improvement day by day, and she was finally able to walk with the help of a walking supporter.
The second case involved an 86-year-old female who was hospitalized in a clinic with a compression fracture of the lumbar spine. She had been bedridden for about two years. After being transferred to Riverside Hospital for rehabilitation. Ogikenchu-to was administered. Her willingness to participate in rehabilitation gradually improved. She regained the ability to sit up straight, and could walk with a cane. She now enjoys her life with her family.
These clinical case studies suggest that Ogikenchu-to may be useful in the treatment of aged bedridden patients.

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A case of subphrenic abscess after Hassab's operation successfully treated with the Kampo formula Shimbu-to is reported. A 43-year-old woman who had been suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and pancytopenia received an operation. Ten days following the operation, she developed a fever. The condition was diagnosed as postsplenectomic sepsis and steroid hormones were given. On day 35 following surgery, a subphrenic abscess was detected by CT scan and echography. The abscess was drained using echography, and several types of antibiotics given, however, these therapies were not effective. After administration of the Kampo formula Shimbu-to, the subphrenic abscess decreased.
Shimbu-to proved effective in the treatment of a subphrenic abscess that did not respond to Western medical drainage and antibiotic treatment methods.

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A 77-year-old woman who had suffered from herpes zoster five months previously in her right T5, 6 region consulted the author with complaints of insomnia and appetite loss due to postherpetic neuralgia. Administration of the Kampo extract Mao-bushi-saishin-to (NC127) brought about marked improvement in the pain, and the patient was able to sleep from that night onward. Later, Keishi-ka-jutsubu-to (TJ18) was given, reducing the pain still further. When Kakou-Bushi-Matsu (SO1) was added, the pain disappeared almost entirely.
This clinical course suggests that it was the Bushi (Aconiti Tuber), which was the only crude drug common to all three Kampo products, that was largely responsible for the analgesic effect.

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This case study involved a 30-year-old G3P2 patient. In the previous two pregnancies, she experienced toxemia of pregnancy with intrauterine growth retardation. Autoantibodies were found to be positive in these two pregnancies. In her third pregnancy, Shakuyakukanzou-tou with low doses of aspirin were administered. Her autoantibody continued to be negative. Toxemia was not noted and fetus growth was adequate for her date. This data suggests that Shakuyaku-kanzou-tou may be effective for autoimmune pregnant disorders involving intrauterine growth retardation.

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The characteristics of hospital selection and awareness concerning Japanese Oriental medicine were studied in patients receiving treatment at Japanese Oriental medicine clinics at the Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University and at the Toyama Prefecture Hospital. Selection of a hospital was found to be affected primarily by mass media, such as TV and newspapers in the case of the University Hospital and by interpersonal communications for the Prefecture Hospital. The motivations ascertained were an expectation for disease improvement using Japanese Oriental medicine and anxiety about the side effects of modern medicine. The patients showed a poor undestanding of the role of modern medicine in treatments using Japanese Oriental medicine. These data suggest that it is important to disseminate correct information about Japanese Oriental medicine to the public.

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Augmentation of skin flap survival remains one of the principle concerns in the field of reconstructive plastic surgery. Moxibustion was thought to have potential in this area because it is known to induce proliferation of the blood capillaries of the skin. The authors therefore investigated the effects of moxibustion on skin flap survival in rats.
Male Wistar rats of about 200g were divided into four groups: Group I was stimulated before the operation, II after the operation, III both before and after the operation and Group IV served as an unstimulated control. Ten spots were selected for five days of stimulation with moxibustion (Kamayamini) on the skin flap, however, no stimulation was given the day before or the day of the operation. The caudal skin flap (9cm×3cm) was made under pentobarbital anesthesia (intraperitoneal; 26ml/kg).
A significant increase in the survival area in Groups I and II when compared with Group IV. It was therefore concluded that stimulation with moxibustion may be a valuable method of improving skin flap survival. For clinical application, further improvements such as exclusion of scar formation may be necessary.

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Anchu-san is included in the ‘Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang’ (a Song dynasty pharmacopoeia), with the constituent crude drugs listed as Kanzo (Glycyrrhizae Radix), Gengosaku (Corydalis Tuber), Ryokyo (Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma), Kankyo (Zingiberis Siccatum Rhizoma), Uikyo (Foeniculi Fructus), Nikkei (Cinnamomi Cortex) and Borei (Ostreae Testa). However, in modern-day Japan, the same formula usually contains Keihi (Cinnamomi Cortex), Borei, Shukusha (Amomi Semen), Engosaku (Corydalis Tuber), Uikyo, Kanzo and Ryokyo. The ‘Futsugo-yakushitsu-hokan, ’ (late 19th century) lists the latter formula in the section on decoctions and the former formula in the section on powdered medicines. In the ‘Shochitekiyo’ of the late Edo period (1603-1867), it is said that Hara Nanyo added Shukusha to the pharmacopoeia prescription, for a total of eight ingredients, and tripled the amount of Borei as another device. In ‘Sokei-tei-iji-shogen, ’ (1820) the latter device is included with the note that it is effective for treating pyloric stenosis. The former device may well have been a secret formula of his family of physicians.
In many texts, uses of the formula, Anchu-san, were not limited to the directions given in the pharma copoeia, and decocting the formula was relatively common. For severe cases of stagnation, the addition of Bushi (Aconiti Tuber) was recommended, and Shinra (river snail) was also used inplace of the Borei.
Anchu-san appears primarily in texts from the late Edo period onwards. If copies of books with unclear dates are not considered, Anchu-san was not used significantly as a prescription until the 19th century.

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