We investigated the history and indications of Toenho, Kinseiho, and Cho-Sanshaku-Shinteiho, which are different formulae with the same name of seishoekkito. According to the description in “Futsugoyakushitsuhokankuketsu” written by Sohaku Asada, Kinseiho exhibits an immediate effect, while Toenho has preventive effects. However, according to the original text, Kinseiho was formulated such that it could be administered regularly in the summer for prophylaxis. Furthermore, Kinseiho is regarded as a simplified formula with the central structure of Toenho. This implies that Kinseiho is composed of selected crude drugs used in Toenho that are responsible for the main effects of Toenho, such as invigorating spleen energy, clearing fever and generating body fluids. Moreover, there is an instruction to arrange Kinseiho to fit each patient’s condition. In this study, it was found that Cho-Sanshaku-Shinteiho described in “Futsugoyakushitsuhokankuketsu” is a modification of Kinseiho prescribed by Katsuki Gyuzan for patients with fever, consistent with the concept of personalized medicine. The medical extract preparation seishoekkito, which is currently widely used, is Kinseiho. We may use it with heat-clearing formula, fluid-regulating formula or some modifications to make the appropriate formulation based on the patient's symptoms.

Ryokeijutsukanto is an herbal medicinal product that is often used for dizziness when standing up, that is, orthostatic dysregulation. This time, we encountered 2 patients with orthostatic dysregulation successfully treated with ryokeijutsukanto, and objectively evaluated the therapeutic effect of ryokeijutsukanto by using Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Vertigo Symptom Scale-short form (VSS-sf) Japanese version and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) Japanese version. Case 1 is a 17-year-old woman. Dizziness when standing up appeared from 2 month ago. Before treatment, VAS scored 71/100, VSS-sf scored 7 points, and DHI scored 42 points. After 4 weeks of administration of Ryokeijutsukanto, VAS improved to 22/100, VSS-sf improved to 6 points, and DHI improved to 26 points. Case 2 is a 38-year-old woman. Dizziness when standing up appeared from 3 month ago. Before treatment, VAS scored 48/100, VSS-sf scored 18 points, and DHI scored 32 points. After 4 weeks of administration of Ryokeijutsukanto, VAS improved to 9/100, VSS-sf improved to 3 points, and DHI improved to 20 points. In both cases, all the evaluation scales showed sharp improvement after 4 weeks, indicating that ryokeijutsukanto was certainly effective.

A 40-year-old woman had suffered from genital herpes twice a year since approximately age 25 years. A year and a half before her first visit to our department, the frequency of her genital herpes had increased from 2 to 5 times a month. Continuous suppressive antiviral medication had not worked, and the patient was referred to our department. We discontinued the anti-herpes medication, and started treatment with Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine. Initially, the patient’s symptoms did not improve with tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto for coldness of the hands and feet or hochuekkito for general fatigue. Then, on the basis of her symptoms of irritability, nightmares, dry skin and hair loss, we changed her prescription to juzentaihoto before meals and saikokeishikankyoto after meals. The frequency of genital herpes thereafter gradually decreased, and finally no further recurrences of herpes were observed as long as the patient was taking these two medicines. This result showed that some patients with recurrent genital herpes who fail to respond to antiviral therapy could be managed with Kampo medicine alone.

This report outlines the case of a 51-year-old female patient who had suffered from onycholysis of the thumbs for eight years. The patient complained of experiencing pain when she works in contact with water, affecting her quality of life. Before coming to our clinic, the patient was diagnosed and treated at three dermatology clinics. However, treatment proved ineffective and the cause was not elucidated. As the patient experienced symptoms of onycholysis and dry skin, we diagnosed her with ketsu deficiency and treated her with shimotsuto. The symptoms gradually improved with continuous oral administration, and were no longer present at eight months following the start of treatment. This case suggests that shimotsuto may be effective in treating instances of onycholysis where the cause is unknown.

Kampo as the main treatment method in intensive care has been rarely reported. The patient is a 25-year-old man presented with diarrhea and hypotension. Before the current admission, he developed brainstem death after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for aplastic anemia at age 13, and underwent cystostomy and received mechanical ventilation, gastrostomy nutrition, and in-home medical care. He developed cardiogenic shock with anuria and pleural effusion, due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa urosepsis and was treated with infusion/transfusion and enteral medicine with his family's consent. Tongue was pale and enlarged, with thin white fur. The radial artery was not palpable. The carotid artery pulse was relaxed, large, and faint. He had good abdominal strength, subcutaneous edema, and massive ascites. These indicated yang collapse pattern. Chest X-ray revealed a massive pleural effusion. Shimbuto and goshajinkigan Kampo extract supplemented with powdered cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum cassia Blume) was administered for the cardiogenic shock. Ogikenchuto extract combined with furosemide and goreisan extract was administered to treat the pleural effusion. Shimbuto, goshajinkigan, and powdered cinnamon bark improved the heart rate and blood pressure. The pleural effusion remained after furosemide and goreisan treatment, however, the addition of ogikenchuto induced significant diuresis, and the pleural effusion consequently decreased. This case suggests the potential of Kampo, even in critical illness where modern medicine is generally prioritized. The pleural effusion decreased after adding astragalus root-containing extract, emphasizing the role of tonifying qi for draining fluid.

We report a case of a 49-year-old woman who presented with 6-month period menopausal syndrome including excessive sweating and hot flushes in her face, chest and back. She was also frustrated with her sons, but she reflected on her own anger and wondered why she got so irritated with them. We prescribed yokukansan to her and her all symptoms improved one month later. We need to differentiate between yokukansan and kamishoyosan in the treatment of menopausal syndrome and irritation, and it may be useful to evaluate the detail of irritation in selecting formula.

After percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the patient developed symptoms of pain, sensory impairment, paralysis, pallor of the skin, and pain during passive extension, and was diagnosed with PCI-induced antebrachial compartment syndrome. Since it was considered to be blood stasis and water stasis in Oriental medicine, we administered jidabokuippo and keishibukuryogan to the patient. Then the subjective and objective symptoms improved promptly, and the symptoms disappeared by the 10th day after the operation. The patient was able to discontinue jidabokuippo 14 days after the operation. It was suggested that the symptomatic treatment with Kampo medicine is effective for compartment syndrome.

A 44-year-old woman became easily fatigued after her second childbirth. Her symptoms improved with shimbuto and ninjinto as a substitute for bukuryoshigyakuto, and the prescriptions were continued. Recently, she suffered from fever, pain around thyroid glands, palpitation, and tremor of hands. She was diagnosed with subacute thyroiditis and prescribed acetaminophen, but the symptoms did not resolve. Based on the clinical signs of inappetence and her thick yellow tongue coating, we suspect the late yang stage and administered shosaikoto. Her body temperature remained below 37 degrees Celsius thereafter, and the pain around thyroid glands disappeared. Out of all the Kampo formulae used in 310 cases of subacute thyroiditis including past reported cases and this case, we found that 53% of the effective formulae were what we call formulae of involving Bupleuri radix that contain both of Bupleuri radix and Scutellariae radix. It is considered that formulae of involving Bupleuri radix are often effective to control the inflammatory process in subacute thyroiditis.

The lifetime incidence of cancer in women is about 50%, with some gynecological cancers increasing, and the prevalence of depression in patients is assumed to be about 12-25%^1）. Depression is thought to affect not only suicide but also death from cancer^2）, and it is important to provide psychological care to patients as survivors from the time they are diagnosed with cancer. Psychotropic drugs are often chosen for treatment, but side effects such as extrapyramidal symptoms, drowsiness, and constipation are observed, and the quality of life of cancer patients can be increasingly compromised.

In this article, we report on seven cases of gynecological cancer survivors who experienced significant efficacy of kososan for the depression and anxiety resulting from stress they felt during various processes such as diagnosis, notification, treatment, recurrence, and best supportive care (BSC). Kososan is a qi-regulating formula, and its efficacy in improving depression has been described since ancient times. In particular, it can be widely used for qi problems of women with a deficiency pattern, and its application to gynecological cancer treatment is considered to be very useful.

This study is based on the investigation of Japanese ancient experienced agricultural techniques and historical and current exploration of strain and morphology of plants. We aim to dig up the tacit knowledge, which can guarantee the quality of production and profitability when they are applied for current medicinal plant cultivation. We focused on Paeonia lactiflora Pallas as the candidate of the farming products for the vitalization of mountainous area. Bon-ten (with white double-petaled flowers) is considered to produce highly qualified Paeoniae Radix in medical practice. We found several strains of the plant source different from Bon-ten as the origin of Yamato-Shakuyaku, bred after TOKUGAWA Yoshimune’s policy promoting the domestic cultivation of medicinal plants in Edo period. These strains include the cultivar with red single-petaled flower, which is drawn in ‘Matsuyama-Honzo’ by Morino Tosuke-Saikaku, who established private herb garden, ‘Morino herbal garden,’ supported by Tokugawa shogunate. Among Morino family documents, we also found the unpublished historical papers suggesting the various productions of crude drugs at Yamato region in Edo period, and considered the transition of domestic production area, cultivation strains and cultivation skills. We can find the descriptions of picking of buds and flowers among current production manuals, but it is suggested the possibility of flowers for ornamental or commercial use to improve economic efficiency by the investigation of regional cultures and interviews of experts of crude drugs.

At the 71st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine in August 2021, we conducted a special program focusing on education in Kampo medicine, “Pre-graduate and post-graduate Kampo medicine education for the next generation.” As part of this project, we directed a symposium on the model core curriculum (core curriculum) in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing. The core curriculum in these fields includes Kampo education. Each institution shall promote education in accordance with the core curriculum, considering the characteristics of the field and the circumstances of the educational institution. We introduced the core curriculum in each field, and summarized and reported the current status of Kampo education in the field, points to note and suggestions for multidisciplinary cooperation, issues related to clinical practice and lack of educators, and future prospects.

The Medical Safety Committee has conducted various activities for patient safety in Japanese traditional Kampo medicines. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey to promote the prevention of medical accidents and their recurrence. We received responses from 15 of 19 facilities specializing in Kampo medicine and collected a total of 247 incident and accident cases in the field of Kampo medicine. Cases of side effects included interstitial pneumonia caused by Kampo prescriptions containing Scutellariae Radix, aconite poisoning, and licorice-induced pseudoaldosteronism. Furthermore, we also collected decoction-specific cases, which are unique to facilities specializing in Kampo medicine, for the first time. From the results, we included the following seven points for risk management in the field of Kampo medicine : 1) insufficient recognition to the side effects of Kampo medicines, 2) misunderstanding of the dosages of Kampo products, 3) errors due to similarities in Kampo formulas and crude drug names, 4) preconception of frequently used Kampo prescriptions, 5) contamination in the decoctions, 6) errors related to crude drug items and their dosages that are frequently added or subtracted, 7) errors in hospital wards.

Ninety percent of the crude drugs consumed in Japan depend on imports. Recently, the Japanese government has been promoting the domestic production of crude drugs. We investigated the history and current situation of the cultivation of medicinal plants and the production of crude drugs in the Tohoku region, where the 71st annual meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine was held in August 2021. In the Tohoku region, the cultivation of medicinal plants expanded after the Kyoho era of the Edo period. Several medicinal plants in this region have been successfully cultivated and distributed as local specialty products and are being preserved (e.g., Panax ginseng in Aizu, Carthamus tinctorius in Dewa). In some other areas, cultivation has just begun. In each cultivation area, a contractual relationship was established in which local governments, cultivation experts, farmers, Kampo-related associations, and pharmaceutical companies collaborated to continue and expand the cultivation business. To generate revenue, they have been trying to find sales channels not only for crude drugs but also for foods, cosmetics, textiles, and processed products. Although many issues remain to be solved in the distribution of medicinal plants as the source of crude drugs, this survey clarified the ingenuity of medicinal plant cultivation in various areas of the Tohoku region. The results of the investigation are available as videos on the website for members of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine.