The History and Current Situation of Medicinal Plants and Crude Drug Production in Tohoku Region / 日本東洋医学雑誌

Ninety percent of the crude drugs consumed in Japan depend on imports. Recently, the Japanese government has been promoting the domestic production of crude drugs. We investigated the history and current situation of the cultivation of medicinal plants and the production of crude drugs in the Tohoku region, where the 71st annual meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine was held in August 2021. In the Tohoku region, the cultivation of medicinal plants expanded after the Kyoho era of the Edo period. Several medicinal plants in this region have been successfully cultivated and distributed as local specialty products and are being preserved (e.g., Panax ginseng in Aizu, Carthamus tinctorius in Dewa). In some other areas, cultivation has just begun. In each cultivation area, a contractual relationship was established in which local governments, cultivation experts, farmers, Kampo-related associations, and pharmaceutical companies collaborated to continue and expand the cultivation business. To generate revenue, they have been trying to find sales channels not only for crude drugs but also for foods, cosmetics, textiles, and processed products. Although many issues remain to be solved in the distribution of medicinal plants as the source of crude drugs, this survey clarified the ingenuity of medicinal plant cultivation in various areas of the Tohoku region. The results of the investigation are available as videos on the website for members of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine.

Report of the 71st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine Special Program1 — “Pre-and Post-Graduation Education of Kampo Medicine for the Next Generation”: Clinical Practice on Kampo Medicine / 日本東洋医学雑誌

At the 71st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine held in August 2021, we conducted a special program focusing on Kampo medicine education, “Pre-graduation post-graduation Kampo medicine education for the next generation.” The following is a summary report on the practical training in Kampo medicine at each educational facility where the project was conducted. We recorded videos with explanations of topics in advance : “Four examinations,” “Decoction and crude drugs,” and “Acupuncture and moxibustion.” The report on the hands-on training in Kampo medicine was viewed 501 times by medical students, educators, and the society members across the country. This initiative was the first nationwide educational activity of the society.