The History and Current Situation of Medicinal Plants and Crude Drug Production in Tohoku Region

Ryutaro Arita; Hisakazu Jin; Genjiro Kusano; Shuichiro Akiba; Hitoshi Watanabe; Shin Takayama; Kazuo Mitani; Tadamichi Mitsuma

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The History and Current Situation of Medicinal Plants and Crude Drug Production in Tohoku Region

VernacularTitle:東北地方での薬用植物栽培と生薬生産の歴史と現況
Author: Ryutaro ARITA ¹ ; Hisakazu JIN ² ; Genjiro KUSANO ³ ; Shuichiro AKIBA ⁴ ; Hitoshi WATANABE ⁵ ; Shin TAKAYAMA ¹ ; Kazuo MITANI ⁶ ; Tadamichi MITSUMA ⁷
Author Information

1. Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Department of Kampo Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital
2. Department of Kampo Medicine, Saka General Clinic
3. Japan Association of Herbs
4. Department of Kampo Medicine, Aizu Medical Center, Fukushima Medical University
5. Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences
6. Department of Kampo and Integrative Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
7. Yamato Medical Pharmaceutical Center, Nara Medical University
Keywords: domestic production of crude drugs; medicinal plants; Tohoku region; video distribution
From:Kampo Medicine 2022;73(4):463-474
CountryJapan
Language:Japanese
Abstract: 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.