Category Archives: Kampo

Herbal alternative to control intestinal spasm

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is used to diagnose and treat conditions of the bile ducts, including gallstones, inflammatory strictures (scars), leaks (from trauma and surgery), and cancer.

Researchers from Chiba University in Japan used shakuyaku-kanzo-to (TJ-68) to suppress spasms of the small intestine during ERCP procedures. Continue reading Herbal alternative to control intestinal spasm

Kampo medicine to treat atopic dermatitis

Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41) is an herbal medicine that contains a mixture of 10 medicinal plants (listed below). It’s produced by Tsumura Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, which specializes in selling Kampo medicine — the adaptation of traditional Chinese medicine to Japanese culture.

In this study, the use of topical medicines (steroids and/or tacrolimus [Protopic]) decreased when patients with atopic dermatitis took Hochu-ekki-to. Continue reading Kampo medicine to treat atopic dermatitis

The effect of kihito extract granules in people with Alzheimer’s disease

The most prominent neurochemical change in patients with Alzheimer’s disease is a deficiency of choline acetyltransferase, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of acetylcholine.

Polygalae radix is thought to be a useful component of kami-untan-to because it increases the activity of choline acetyltransferase. This study evaluated this Japanese herbal (kampo) medicine in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading The effect of kihito extract granules in people with Alzheimer’s disease