The term “half exterior half interior” is not found in the Oriental Medical Classic, the ‘Shang Han Lun’. Rather, the phrase “half outside and half inside” appears. It was Cheng Wu Ji that first used the term “half exterior half interior” in the phrase “Those in whom the disease-causing agent is half in the exterior and half in the interior are considered to be of the fever manifestation-type” appearing in his ‘Shang Han Ming Li Lun’. In the ‘Zhu Jie Shang Han Lun’ which Cheng Wu Ji wrote shortly afterwards, he explains that the phrase “half outside and half inside” found in the ‘Shang Han Lun’ means half exterior and half interior. Since this commentary on the ‘Shang Han Lun’ was more frequently published and more widely circulated than the original text, it is thought to be this explanation that accounts for the popularization of the term “half exterior half interior”.

We sent out questionnaires to out-patients that were receiving treatment at our Kampo clinic to determine their level of awareness concerning Kampo medicine.
The patients were particularly concerned about side effects, and the most frequent reason given for choosing Kampo was that it had few side effects. Although most felt that there were almost no side effects associated with Kampo, there were some that thought Kampo had absolutely no side effects, or that it could cause serious side effects. These responses indicate the need to explain any potential side effects fully to patients. Also among the responses were criticisms of Western medicine, people who reported that Western medicine had not helped them and those that felt they could not rely on Western medicine.
The expectations in Kampo for disease treatment were high, and the effectivectiveness of treatment was also highly rated. Moreover, there were expectations in other aspects of Kampo medicine that cannot be found in Western medicine, such as improvement of the constitution, health maintenance, disease prevention and increased stamina. The responses indicated that patients seeking treatment by Kampo were not satisfied with Western medicine, and were looking for a treatment method they could rely on in Kampo medicine.