The historical circumstances about the application of the Japanese Kampo-medicine on the point of clinical view are the following that the original directions of the Chinese medical classics have been strictly adhered in China while the directions of those have been remarkably developed in Japan after the import. Now the Japanese Kampo-medecine are based upon these recent developments as well as the current pharmacological studies. Several clinical casereports are demonstrated who are treated with Daisaiko-to, Hachimijio-gan, and Hochuekki-to.
Finally the noteworthy opinions by Sensai Nagayo who laid the foundation of the medical system in modern Japan are quoted from his autobiography. Namely the really valuable new medicine should be established with the combination of both the western medicine and the Kampo-medicine.

View full abstract

Research and development based on bio-genomic technologies have been developed recently in pharmaceutical sector. New types of product have come out, applying various state of art industrial and scientific technology in medical devices sector. International harmonisation will be more emphasised while information technology (IT) development enhances further international expansion of our daily life and industrial activities as well as governmental administration.
Thorough revision of Pharmaceutical Affairs Lan has been requested since it experienced several minor revisions throughout the time from the time of the first enforcement. The present major revision plan under preparation will provide three major items: safety measure of medical devices, comprehensive measures for biological products and revision of approval system in response to the needs of the 21st century.

View full abstract

It is undoubtedly important that herb can cure certain sickness. However, its activity to certain symptom varies between each plant species, growing place, harvesting time, and so on, because herb is the natural product. Here arises a key word-selection-, professional viewpoint of herb. Consulting with the old books about herb written by professionals at that time, we can imagine how much difficulty did they have and how did they make efforts on selection in order to use the herb with good quality.
At the beginning of Kampo Medicine in Japan, it was totally an imported medicine so that its original herb stuffs had to be brought from abroad. But gradually Kampo Medicine has been changed into Japanese style; lots of Japanese substitutes were developed for Chinese herb species, and also, cultivation or evaluation of those substitutes was studied. Such kind of study advanced much in Edo-era.
In the lecture, two popular herbs, licorice and cinnamon, were chosen to be discussed for examples of the above mentioned, and the author's special experiences were also mentioned.

View full abstract

The Shaoyang lies next to the Interior of the Taiyang and to the Exterior of the Yangming, and is located in the half exterior and half interior position, containing both the parts and its physiological function which belong to the Gallbladder Channel of Foot-Shaoyang and the Triple Warmer Channel of Hand-Shaoyang. The Gallbladder Channel of Foot-Shaoyang controls the dispersing and discharging function of the vital energy (qi), and the Triple Warmer Channel of Hand-Shaoyang controls the function which distributes and transports the vital energy (qi), the fire and the water. When the wind-cold pathogen enters Shaoyang, anti-pathogenic vital-qi and exopathogen conflict each other, the distribution and the transport of the vital energy (qi), the fire and the water in the Triple Warmer Channel is obstructed due to the impairment of the dispersing and discharging function of the Gallbladder Channel of Foot-Shaoyang, the malfunction of Shaoyang pivots is then occured and results in the Shaoyang disease which is characteristic of the symptom complex such as bitter taste in the mouth, dryness of the throat, blurring of vision, alternate fever and chills, fullness in the chest and hypochondrium, hypochondria and anorexia, restless in mind, incessant vomiting, wiry and thready pulse and so on. This syndrome is treated by using Xiao chai fu tang which can harmonize Shaoyang. If various inproper treatments are given repeatedly to the Shaoyang disease, the syndrome to which Xiao chai hu tang must be given disappears, and a delirium as a deteriorated case appears newly, it is important to make clear what kind of inproper treatments were given, and the most appropriate treatment must be done in accordance with different present syndromes.

View full abstract

We encountered a patient with chronic pain due to reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) that was relieved by Uzu-keishi-to (Wu tou gui zhi tang) therapy. A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with RSD in 1995. Intractable pain of the extremities and trunk persisted despite several therapies such as spinal cord stimulation, local anesthetic blocks, and a variety of conventional medications. The patient was admitted to our hospital in June 2000, and was diagnosed as having stage II RSD. Thermography demonstrated that the left side of the back and the hand were lower in temperature than the corresponding areas of the right side. “Perfusion” images of three-phase bone scintigraphy showed a lower flow in the lower left extremity. Uzu-keishi-to was administered in addition to the Western medicines. After administration of Uzu-keishi-to, the pain was relieved and the value of the face scale decreased from 20 to 11. Moreover, after 16 weeks of Uzu-keishi-to therapy, the decreased blood flow on the left side of the body detected by thermography and three-phase bone scintigraphy increased to a level equal to that of the right side. Uzu-keishi-to is effective not only in reducing the intractable pain of RSD but also in preventing the development of “dystrophy.” Further evaluation of Uzu-keishi-to therapy for patients with RSD is warranted.

View full abstract

A total of 20 chronic headache cases in which other Kampo medicines were ineffective or hardly effective were treated with Kumi-binro-to extract, and the effect of this medicine was investigated.
At the start of administration, we investigated the following items: any deficiency or excess, presence or absence of stagnation of vital energy (facial erythema, ophthalmologic injection, bitter taste in the mouth, etc.) and disease caused by contaminated water (tendency of edema, sound of fluctuating liquid in the region of the stomach, decreased urine volume) as well as the presence or absence of grasping pain (pressure pain) in the gastrocnemius muscle which is a characteristic symptom as a target of this drug. The efficacy of Kumi-binro-to was assessed by a pain score after weeks from the start of administration.
Kumi-binro-to was markedly effective in 5 cases, effective in 11 cases and ineffective in 4 cases, indicating that the ratio of markedly effective and effective cases accounted for 80% of the patients treated. There was no adverse reaction. When the characteristics of 16 cases assessed as markedly effective or effective were investigated, disease caused by contaminated water and stagnation of vital energy was observed in 13 and 14 of the 16 cases respectively. The grasping pain in the gastrocnemius muscle that is a characteristic target of this drug was noted in only one case.
The above result suggests that Kumi-binro-to promotes diuresis to eliminate wetness-evil and regulates vital energy, and is effective against chronic headache, especially when the disease caused by contaminated water is accompanied with stagnation of vital energy.

View full abstract

Three cases of dermatosis successfully treated with modified Mao-rensho-shakushozu-to are reported. Case 1 was a 45-year-old male who had been suffering from atopic dermatitis since childhood. He came to our clinic for treatment with Kampo formulas for unchanging symptoms. At first we prescribed Mao-rensho-shakushozu-to-go-byakko-ka-keishi-to, but this formula was not effective. After prescribing Mao-rensho-shakushozu-to-go-eppi-ka-jutsu-to, the dermatitis improved. Case 2 was a 25-year-old male student who had been suffering from atopic dermatitis since he was 19 years old. He responded to steroid ointment, but relapsed frequently after the repeated reduction of steroids. Some Kampo formulas were not effective, but the dermatitis improved after the patient used Mao-rensho-shakushozu-to-go-eppi-ka jutsu-to. Case 3 was a 65-year-old male who had been suffering from psoriasis vulgaris since he was 57. Shakushozu-to-go-byakko-ka-ninjin-to was effective for his psoriasis.
We used modified Mao-rensho-shakushozu-to in the three cases described above be cause the patients had strong itching. It is possible to apply this Kampo formula for dermatitis with strong itching.

View full abstract

In order to examine the attitudes of medical students toward oriental medicine before and after lecture course, self-administered questionnaires were given the medical students of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. Eighteen percent of the students had some experience with the prescription of Kampo medicine by doctors; 53% had used Kampo medicine purchased in pharmacies, and 13% had been treated with acupuncture and moxibustion. Eighty-four percent of the students were interested in oriental medicine; 82% thought that oriental medicine was worth learning; 76% thought that oriental medicine was essential in contemporary medicine and 54% wanted to introduce oriental medicine into their clinical practice in the future. These percentages increased after the lecture course to 92%, 85%, 87% and 62%, respectively.

View full abstract