1.The Problems of the Herbal Medicines
Donghyo KANG ; Toshiaki MAKINO ; Kuniko SHINOHARA
Kampo Medicine 2008;59(3):397-425
2.Development of a Quick High-Yield Method for the Preparation of Decoctions, Inspired by the “Zhu san Fa” of the Song Period (Part 2)
Tsukasa FUEKI ; Toshiaki MAKINO ; Takanori MATSUOKA ; Masashi BEPPU ; Takao SUNAGA ; Koichiro TANAKA ; Takao NAMIKI
Kampo Medicine 2016;67(2):114-122
The IPCD (Immersing Powdered Crude Drugs) method, inspired by the “zhu san fa” which was widely used in the Song period of China, has been developed to prepare Kampo decoctions quickly and easily, with highyield extract from crude drugs. One trouble with the IPCD method occurs when separating the decoction from the muddy residue of the crude drug powder. When powdered ephedra herb is packed in a nonwoven fabric bag and immersed in hot water, yield of the marker compounds is much lower than that obtained when ephedra herb powder is dispersed freely in hot water without a nonwoven fabric bag. Thus the use of a nonwoven fabric bag was shown to be unsuitable with the IPCD method. In investigating an easy and more efficient separation method, we tried decanting with a commercially available wine carafe to separate the decoction and residue. With IPCD followed by decantation using the wine carafe, yields of about 80% decoction volume were obtained as compared with those when cut crude drugs are decocted and filtered using a tea strainer, in 6 of the 7 formulas tried. We find that decantation using a wine carafe is a more practical way of separation in the IPCD method.
3.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.
4.Comparison of the Names and Origins of Crude Drugs Used in Ethical Kampo Extract Formulation and Listed in the Western Pharmacopoeias with Those in the Pharmacopoeias of East Asian Countries
Toshiaki MAKINO ; Hiromichi YASUI ; Takao NAMIKI
Kampo Medicine 2021;72(4):402-414
Following the Chinese-led global standardization of Chinese medicine, the 9 th edition of the European Pharmacopoeia, published in 2016, listed 66 kinds of crude drugs that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. By the spread of dietary supplements in the United States, the number of herbal medicines listed in United States Pharmacopoeia is tended to be increasing. In this article, we compare the names and origins of crude drugs listed in the European and American Pharmacopoeias and used in ethical Kampo extract formulation with those described in the pharmacopoeias of Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea. There were 4 crude drugs that had the same origins and names in the pharmacopoeia of these 6 countries, but only Coix Seed had the same English name. The pharmacopoeia of the 5 countries except the United States had 19 crude drugs with the same origin, but only Platycodon Root and Eucommia Bark had the same English and Latin names. For other crude drugs, the names and origins in the pharmacopoeia of each country were different. When scientists in each country disseminate the information about crude drugs used in their own countries to the world, it is necessary for them to describe the original plant scientific names and their medicinal parts that are unified by International Code of Nomenclature for plants instead of English or Latin names of crude drugs.
5.Historical Study on the Usage and the Name of Crude Drug “Valerian” in Japan
Misato OTA ; Ichiro UTAKA ; Toshiaki MAKINO
Kampo Medicine 2022;73(1):16-34
Japanese valerian root (kanokoso, the dried root of Valeriana fauriei) has been known as a substitute for European valerian root (the dried root of V. officinalis). However, the usage of Japanese valerian root and the change of its crude drug name from ancient times in Japan have not been clear. We investigated ancient literatures, and revealed that Japanese valerian root might be used as folk medicine with the name of Japanese nard (wakansho) in the mid Edo period. Similar to the usage of European valerian root, Japanese valerian root had been used in the treatment for hysteria specifically in the late Edo period. It is considered that Japanese valerian root began to be used as women’s home medicines since hysteria had come to be assorted in women’s medical disorders in the early Showa era. Japanese valerian root had been originally named as kesso. However, kesso had been recognized as European valerian root since the plant name of V. officinalis was translated into Japanese as kanokoso in the late Edo period. In the early Showa era, the name of Japanese valerian root was changed into kissokon, and the Japanese nomenclatures for both Japanese and European valerian roots became recognized separately. After World War II, the description of kanokoso changed from kanji into katakana characters in Japanese.
6.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.
7.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”.
8.Committee for Medical Safety Report : Example of Minor Incidents in the Preparation of Kampo Products in Pharmacy
Toshiaki MAKINO ; Mariko SEKINE ; Koichiro TANAKA ; Saori SHIMADA ; Atsushi CHINO ; Eiichi TAHARA
Kampo Medicine 2020;71(4):394-401
We collected and analyzed the case reports of minor incidents in the preparation of Kampo products in Japanese pharmacies in order to manage the medical safety control in Japanese traditional Kampo medicine. We extracted 2,166 reports that are related to Kampo products from the database of minor incidents in pharmacies supplied from The Japan Council for Quality Health Care from 2009 to 2019. Among the reports, we found the cases that pharmacists could find the mistakes about the name, dosage and administration of Kampo products or could prevent the appearance of adverse reaction when pharmacists check the prescription and ask prescription question for doctors. It is suggested that the system of separation of dispensing and prescribing functions would be well working in medical safety control. At the same time, we also found many cases that pharmacists have actually made mistakes by confusing the name of Kampo products and dosage. In this report, we summarized the cases of these minor incidents and frequently appearing confusions about the names of Kampo products.
9.Difference of the Definitions of “Ginger” and “Processed Ginger” Between the Edo Era and the Present in Kampo
Hiroshi KOIKE ; Takanori MATSUOKA ; Tsukasa FUEKI ; Toshiaki MAKINO
Kampo Medicine 2020;71(4):406-417
Kampo physicians in the Showa era, such as ARAKI Seiji and OTSUKA Keisetsu, had called raw ginger as the herbal medicament “ginger”, and processed or unprocessed dried ginger as the medicament “processed ginger”. However, many Kampo physicians in the present Japan call unprocessed dried ginger as the medicament “ginger”, and processed dried ginger as the medicament “processed ginger”. The aim of this study is to investigate the background of the process of this change from the Showa era to the present. We searched the definitions of the medicaments “ginger” and “processed ginger” in successive Japanese Pharmacopoeia editions and other related books describing these definitions. In Japanese Kampo medicine before the Showa era, the herbal medicament “ginger” had referred to raw ginger, and the medicament “processed ginger” had referred to processed or unprocessed dried ginger. However, after the Heisei era, the medicaments “ginger” and “processed ginger” have referred to unprocessed dried ginger and processed dried ginger, respectively. And the raw ginger has been called as “preserved ginger”.
10.Draft Standardization for Crude Drug Efficacies Prescribed in Ethical Kampo Formulation
Toshiaki MAKINO ; Tomoko ISHII ; Yoshiharu TOBINA ; Tatsuhiko SUZUKI ; Takao NAMIKI
Kampo Medicine 2022;73(2):146-175
The usage of Kampo medicine has been expanding in hospitals and pharmacies, and the systematic education on Kampo medicines and their components is urgently needed. Although the efficacies of Kampo formulations are approved at the national level, those of the composing crude drugs are not approved individually except for some cases. Consequently, the efficacy description of individual crude drug in textbooks differs much depending on the authors. To clarify this situation, we suggested the standardized description of the efficacy of crude drugs used in ethical Kampo formulation using terms of modern Western medicine in the previous study. In this study, we reviewed the descriptions of efficacies using the terms of Kampo medicine in the books published in Japan from the 17 century to the present to explore the possibility of standardizing the crude drug efficacies using the terms of Kampo medicine. The proposal for standardized description of the efficacy of crude drugs was based on the high frequency of appearance of the terms in successive books.