Japanese Kampo Medicines for the Treatment of Common Diseases - Focus on Inflammation provides researchers and clinicians with a current look at how Kampo medicines can be used to effectively treat inflammatory disorders. Japanese Kampo medicines are a mixture of natural and herbal medicines that are available in Japan for the treatment of various diseases. Given their therapeutic potential, they are often prescribed instead of, or alongside, allopathic medicines. Kampo medicines are becoming more widespread and have proven effective for the treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases, such as colitis, dermatitis, myocarditis, hepatitis, cardiomyopathy, and nephritis. This book offers background on Japanese Kampo medicines, along with a compilation of the published scientific data for several different types of Kampo medicines. It is an evidence-based guide for all those involved in, or interested in, the research and practice of Kampo medicine. - Includes both preclinical and clinical data published from a variety of sources and compiled into one book - Provides insight for researchers and clinicians on which Kampo medicines will provide the least side effects and offer the most effective therapy for a particular illness - Offers important data that will help to inform future research and widen practice in this area

For over one thousand years, Japan has developed and refined an effective herbal system of healing based upon the observation of symptoms. This system is known as Kampo. While the roots of Kampo were originally grounded in the ancient Chinese theories of medicine, the Japanese incorporated their own unique perspective, simplifying complex procedures into an elegant healing art. Now, for the first time ever in Japanese Herbal Medicine: The Healing Art of Kampo, herbal expert Robert Rister has created a comprehensive and understandable Kampo resource, allowing us all access to this important information. The ancient art of Kampo can truly help you live a healthier life today. Japanese Herbal Medicine will provide you and your family with the practical knowledge needed to enjoy better health through this well-researched system of herbal healing.

The First International Symposium on "Pain and Kampo (Japanese Herbal Medicine)" took place in Tokyo in October, 1992. More than 700 registrants participated, with 12 registrants from seven overseas countries. This book contains summaries of the presentations at this meeting and is published in order to provide up-to-date information to a much wider audience. In China, traditional herbal medicine has been used for more than 3000 years while in Japan, its use has been documented for more than 1000 years, albeit with some changes to the original Chinese formulations. Recently there has been a revival of interest in herbal medicines for several reasons. There is a rapid growth in the number of senior citizens who frequently require the attention of modern medicine. In particular, there has been an increase in the number of patients who suffer from chronic diseases which are difficult to treat, e.g., arteriosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain syndromes, etc. It has become evident that traditional Oriental herbal medicines could playa role in the management of these and other conditions.

Kampo is a traditional Japanese herbal medicine that takes a holistic approach to healing. Since Kampo is currently being used for the treatment of a wide range of diseases with many reports of clinical effectiveness, it is playing an increasingly important role in Japan's modern-day health care. Juzen-taiho-to (Shi-Quan-Da-Bu-Tang): Scientific Evaluation and Clinical Applications presents a concise overview of the important Kampo formula of Juzen-taiho-to. The book describes the therapeutic indications and traditional uses of Juzen-taiho-to, followed by its taxonomy, cultivation, quality assurance, and chemical constituents and pharmacological actions of raw plant material as the component herbs. Experts in the field discuss up-to-date findings and topics associated with the pharmacology and clinical application of Juzen-taiho-to, including its important immunomodulating, anti-tumor, and anti-metastatic properties, toxicology and side effects, and other related formulations. Today, Kampo medicine is steadily gaining acceptance by Japan's national health insurance system, the medical community, and contemporary society. This book provides a comprehensive review of Juzen-taiho-to and demonstrates how Kampo and other herbal medicines are becoming the popular, practical, and preferred treatments of tomorrow.

Asian medicinal plants show great promise in pharmaceutical and cosmetological development. Researchers engaged in the discovery of new leads in these areas need robust conceptual tools and understanding of interrelated basics of botany, ethnobotany, biomolecular pharmacology, phytochemistry, and medicinal chemistry to guide their investigations. Medicinal Plants of China, Korea, and Japan: Bioresources for Tomorrow’s Drugs and Cosmetics explores the fundamental science and demonstrates the compelling potential of these versatile plants, providing an essential resource to stimulate and guide focused inquiry. It is essential that researchers appreciate the chemotaxonomical statuses of these plants, so chapters are arranged according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system of plant taxonomy. The book discusses the history, synonymy, habitat, description, traditional uses, and pharmacochemistry of each plant. Detailed photographs and hand-made botanical plates enable quick and reliable identification of each plant species. Critical analyses of peer-reviewed articles provide the basis for Bioresource sections in each chapter wherein readers are advised, engaged, and guided towards exciting pharmaceutical and cosmetological research proposals. Also included are indexes of botanical terms, pharmacological terms, natural products, and local names. Detailing 200 medicinal plant species carefully selected for their novelty and pharmacological and cosmetological importance, this volume provides a firm starting point for anyone looking forward to unlocking the potential of Asian medicinal plants. In addition, this invaluable book identifies numerous patentable leads.

"An excellent description and analysis of East Asian medicine ... Based on fieldwork conducted in Japan during 1973 and 1974, which involved the use of a variecy of participant-observer techniques, as well as extensive reading in primary and secondary sources in Japanese and English, Lock's study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of an important dimension of life in Japan. . . In well-written chapters dealing with the philosophical foundations and historical development of East Asian medicine, Japanese attitudes regarding health, illness, and the human body, detailed description of kanpo clinics, herbal pharmacies, acupuncture and moxibustion clinics, shiatsu and anma clinics, East Asian medical schools as well as the interactions between various providers and patients (customers), Lock develops the cultural thesis ... In the process, she provides information on things most visitors to Japan have seen, heard, felt, and smelled but rarely understood."-Journal of Asian Studies "Breaks important new ground . . Lock discusses concrete medical practice and its cultural significance in general. ... rich in comparisons, engrossing to read, and analytically penetrating .... an important and absorbing book. It is an engaging account of how at least some Japanese people respond to universal problems. Most readers will obtain from it their first clear impression of what East Asian medicine actually is and does."-Journal of Japanese Studies "Of considerable significance for comparative cross-cultural studies of medicine, of which this is the best account for a Japanese setting that we now possess." --Monumenta Nipponica "Both Japan specialists and medical anthropologists will be stimulated, challenged, and engaged by this book.' --Medical Anthropology Newsletter