''Kampō'' (or ''Kanpō'', 漢方) medicine is the
Japanese study and adaptation of
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...
. In 1967, the Japanese
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
The is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as in Japan. The ministry provides services on health, labour and welfare.
It was formed with the merger of the former Ministry of Health and Welfare or and the ...
approved four ''
kampo
, often known simply as , is the study of traditional Chinese medicine in Japan following its introduction, beginning in the 7th century. It was adapted and modified to suit Japanese culture and traditions. Traditional Japanese medicine use ...
'' medicines for reimbursement under the National Health Insurance (NHI) program. In 1976, 82
kampo
, often known simply as , is the study of traditional Chinese medicine in Japan following its introduction, beginning in the 7th century. It was adapted and modified to suit Japanese culture and traditions. Traditional Japanese medicine use ...
medicines were approved by the
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
The is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as in Japan. The ministry provides services on health, labour and welfare.
It was formed with the merger of the former Ministry of Health and Welfare or and the ...
. Currently, 148
''kampo'' medicines are approved for reimbursement.
The 14th edition of the ''Japanese Pharmacopoeia'' (JP) (日本薬局方 Nihon yakkyokuhō) lists 165 herbal ingredients that are approved to be used in ''kampo'' remedies.
Tsumura (ツムラ) is the leading maker
making 128 of the 148 kampo medicines. The "count" column shows in how many of these 128 formulae the herb is found. The most common herb is
Glycyrrhizae Radix (Chinese liquorice root). It is in 94 of the 128 Tsumura formulae. Other common herbs are
Zingiberis Rhizoma (ginger) (51 of 128 formulae) and
Paeoniae Radix (Chinese peony root) (44 of 128 formulae).
*Note 1: this character cannot be displayed correctly on a computer. "庶" is usually substituted in Chinese and Japanese. The "灬" in "庶" should be replaced with "虫".
*Note 2: this character cannot be displayed correctly on a computer. "梨" is usually substituted in Chinese. "梨" or "藜" is usually substituted in Japanese. The "勿" in "藜" should be replaced with "刂".
See also
*
Kampo list
*
Chinese classic herbal formula
*
List of plants used in herbalism
*
Pharmacopoeia
A pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea (from the obsolete typography ''pharmacopœia'', meaning "drug-making"), in its modern technical sense, is a book containing directions for the identification of compound medicines, and published by ...
References
Tsumura Herb Handbook
*Bensky, Dan, Steve Clavey, Erich Stöger, and Andrew Gamble "Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica" 3rd ed. Eastland Press, 2004. (
Eastland Press Herb List Arranged by Pinyin*Wiseman, Nigel
"Learner's Disney Character Dictionary of Chinese Medicine"
External links
{{Medicinal herbs & spices
*
Kampo
, often known simply as , is the study of traditional Chinese medicine in Japan following its introduction, beginning in the 7th century. It was adapted and modified to suit Japanese culture and traditions. Traditional Japanese medicine use ...
Kampo
, often known simply as , is the study of traditional Chinese medicine in Japan following its introduction, beginning in the 7th century. It was adapted and modified to suit Japanese culture and traditions. Traditional Japanese medicine use ...
Kampo
, often known simply as , is the study of traditional Chinese medicine in Japan following its introduction, beginning in the 7th century. It was adapted and modified to suit Japanese culture and traditions. Traditional Japanese medicine use ...