1.Differences in Water Hardness when preparing Ephedrae Herba Decoctions : Special Focus on a Comparison of Tap Water in Japan and China
Tsukasa FUEKI ; Takanori MATSUOKA ; Masashi BEPPU ; Hidetoshi YAMAGUCHI ; Hideyuki NAKATA ; Kenshu RAI ; Yumi SAKAI ; Kazuhiko NAGASAKA ; Toshiaki MAKINO ; Takao NAMIKI ; Kenkichi OKADA ; Yusen IWAI ; Kazuhiro MAKIZUMI
Kampo Medicine 2012;63(5):313-321
Decoctions of Ephedrae Herba were prepared using tap water sampled in Changping District, Beijing City(China), tap water sampled in Niigata City (Japan) and some mineral water samples sold in markets. Various dissimilarities were found between drug extracts prepared using tap water in Japan and China, and the extraction efficiency of the alkaloids with Beijing tap water was approximately 80% of that with Niigata tap water. It is suggested that these dissimilarities result from concentrations of temporally hard components, such as calcium and magnesium bicarbonate salts, in the water. In addition, when Zizyphi Fructus and Ephedrae Herba were decocted together in hard water, the state of the decoction, ephedra-alkaloid content included, was found to come close to that of single Ephedrae Herba decoctions prepared using soft water. It was suggested that Ziziphi Fructus might possibly play roles as a softening agent in decoctions prepared using hard water.
2.The Weights in Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu (Dun Huang Version) and the Volume of a Fang Cun Bi (One Cun Square Spoon) : Weights and Measures in the Period when the Shan Han Lun was Written
Tsukasa FUEKI ; Takanori MATSUOKA ; Toshiaki MAKINO ; Takao NAMIKI ; Masashi BEPPU ; Hidetoshi YAMAGUCHI ; Hideyuki NAKATA ; Kenshu RAI ; Keisuke HAGIHARA ; Koichiro TANAKA ; Kazuhiko NAGASAKA ; Takao SUNAGA ; I-JUNG LEE ; Kenkichi OKADA ; Yusen IWAI ; Kazuhiro MAKIZUMI
Kampo Medicine 2014;65(1):38-45
For the purpose of investigating weights in the era when the Shan Han Lun was set forth, the weight and measures described in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu, written in the period slightly after the Shan Han Lun, were studied. Some descriptions of the metrological standards are confusing in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu. We focused on the measuring container, whose volume is equal to that of the one cun square spoon (fang cun bi), shown in the dun huang version of the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu. The volume of this measuring container was calculated on the assumption that the measures in this text follow those of the Han Shu Li Li Shi, and a result of 5.07 cm3 was obtained. The result was confirmed by using the actual measured values of the crude drugs. The result was also considered to support measurements of the volume in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu as following the Han Shu Li Li Shi. With those results, descriptions of the density of honey and lard were examined, and the weight in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu was clarified to follow that in the Han Shu Li Li Shi.
3.The Investigation of Metrological Standard in “Songban Shanghanlun” :Focus on the Absorbed Liquid in the Decoction Residues and the Extraction Efficiency of Ephedra-alkal
Tsukasa FUEKI ; Takanori MATSUOKA ; Toshiaki MAKINO ; Takao NAMIKI ; Masashi BEPPU ; Hidetoshi YAMAGUCHI ; Hideyuki NAKATA ; Kenshu RAI ; Keisuke HAGIHARA ; Koichiro TANAKA ; Takao SUNAGA ; Kazuhiko NAGASAKA ; Kenkichi OKADA ; Yusen IWAI ; Kazuhiro MAKIZUMI
Kampo Medicine 2014;65(2):61-72
The dosage of crude drugs described in the Shanghanlun has long been discussed, and a conversion ratio for 1 liang in the Songban Shanghanlun into modern grams has not been established yet. Ekisai Kariya, a bibliologist in Edo period Japan, claimed that the formulas in the Songban Shanghanlun could not be decocted when weighed with the “Han shu (lu li zhi)” scale (1 liang = 14 g, “regular scale”), and the weight scale in the text should be “Scale of Shen nong” (1/10 scale of the regular scale). This claim leads to the standards for Kampo prescription dosages. We inspected this matter by focusing on the amount of liquid absorbed by decoction residues, and demonstrated that the formulas in Songban Shanghanlun could actually be decocted when weighed with the “regular scale”. In addition, we calculated the quantities of Ephedra-alkaloids in the one-time dose of “Ma huang tang” of the several books written in the Song period, and the Songban Shanghanlun text, with results showing that Chinese doctors in the Song period recognized 1 liang in the Songban Shanghanlun as 14 grams in modern terms, and that the “regular scale” could be applied clinically. This strongly suggests that the metrological standard in the Songban Shanghanlun should be the “regular scale”.
Result Analysis
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