ABSTRACT
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.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to clarify the effects of carbohydrate mouth rinse on exercise performance. We examined the effect of mouth rinse on fatigability. Thirty healthy male college students completed three trials with non mouth rinse (CON), mouth rinse intervention of 6% glucose (GMR), and artificial sweetener (PLA). Handgrip exercise was performed as a fatigue task. The subjects performed a 10-seconds maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) followed by a 40% MVC rhythmic grasping movement for 14 per minutes, followed by a 4-seconds rest. This set of exercises was performed for a total of ten sets. Mouth rinse was performed from the 5th set to the 10th set. The subjects were divided into three groups: L, M, and S, according to the degree of decrease in MVC due to fatigue in CON. The effect was evaluated using the rate of change in MVC after the mouth rinse. The evaluation was performed for each trail and group. In the L group, mouth rinse significantly improved the rate of change of MVC compared with the other trials (GMR vs. CON: P = 0.002; PLA vs. CON: P = 0.042). A significant trend was observed in the M (GMR vs. CON: P = 0.062), but not in the S. In conclusion, the effects of mouth rinse differed depending on fatigability in isometric hand grip performance, with mouth rinse inhibiting the decrease of motor fatigue. In addition, it was suggested that the sweetness of carbohydrates may have an effect on mouth rinse.
ABSTRACT
The domestic production of moxa used in Japanese moxibustion therapy has decreased. Therefore, it is assumed that improved productivity of moxa and cultivation of Artemisa princeps Pamp. (Yomogi) is necessary for stable production of moxa. In this study, the production rate of moxa processed from green leaves, its chlorophyll content, maximum temperature of combustion, morphology, and yield of families collected from 127 domestic spots were investigated. They were evaluated to determine which family was suitable for use in moxibustion. As a result of principal component analysis on the morphological evaluation, 22 families were extracted as they were easily harvestable and were produced over a large area. They had a high productivity rate for moxa, and contained more than the standard weight in dry leaves among all the families. It was confirmed that these extracted families included families that have not been used so far in addition to families collected in conventional areas. These results suggest that production using extracted families can improve the domestic production of Artemisa princeps of moxa.
ABSTRACT
The consumption and sales of Kampo products, as well as the crude drugs that make up the products, have been increasing recently. However, the Kampo industry has been exhibiting a long-term decline due to the rise in price of imported crude drugs and reduction in standard prices of crude drugs by the Japanese National Health Insurance scheme. As the production of crude drug in Japan has been decreasing for the past thirty years, efforts have been made to improve the situation. Although the production of Aizu Ginseng decreased from 153 metric tons to 8 metric tons in Fukushima, university research institutes have initiated research on expansion of the farm field for Ginseng and reduction in a cultivation term. In Nara, farmers, pharmaceutical and food manufacturers, and university research institutes, aiming to develop new products using Yamato Angelica root, organized a joint council and have been working together to establish integrated systems from cultivation to sales. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Japan Kampo Medicines Manufacturers Association have held local meetings with farmers and pharmaceutical companies in different areas throughout Japan over the past three years from fiscal year 2013. In order to reduce national healthcare costs by Kampo medicine, it is necessary to upgrade the health care system where not only Kampo extract products but also medicinal plants as raw materials including decoctions can be used. Discussions on measures to cover the costs of domestic production of crude drugs should be required.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of buoyancy on physiological responses during treadmill walking. Six subjects participated in this experiment. The water level was adjusted to the greater trochanter. Normal water (NW) and 1.135 kg/<i>l</i> of specific gravity (high buoyancy ; HB) were set. Oxygen uptake (VO<sub>2</sub>), heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion were measured during exercise. VO<sub>2</sub> in HB at all walking speeds were higher than those in NW significantly. HR enhanced in HB over the walking speed of 70 m/min significantly. It was clear that the workload of walking in HB increased remarkably over the walking speed of 70 m/min. This suggested that the water resistance acted on the phenomenon of increase of the workload in HB. Furthermore, it was suggested that walking in HB was useful for rehabilitation and therapeutic exercise in the low-speed and for physical training in the high-speed.
ABSTRACT
In previous assessments of body composition by whole body bioelectrical impedance (BI) analysis, electrodes have almost always been placed on the right side of the body. In fact, the most commonly used equations of Lukaski et al, were developed using BI measurements obtained on the right side of the body. However, in some individuals with traumatic injury or orthopedic problems, it would sometimes be necessary to measure BI on the right left side of the body. In the present study, we investigated the effects of electrode placement on BI and the derived percentage body fat. Subjects were 72 nontrained, healthy adult women : age ; 28.1±12.6 yr (1866), height ; 156.3±6.0cm, weight ; 50.5±7.7 kg, percentage body fat ; 24.4±5.2%. BI was measured for each subject in a supine position by use of a Selco SIF-881 plethysmograph (800 μA, 50 kHz) and ECG electrodes (Nikon Kohden) . The tetrapolar configuration was adopted in order to minimize contact impedance or skin-electrode interation. Eating and exercise were prohibited for at least 3 h prior to assessment. The effects of electrode placement were determined under four conditions: 1) the right arm and right leg (R side), 2) the right arm and left leg (R side-L side), 3) the left arm and right leg (L side-R side), 4) the left arm and left leg (L side) . Body density was predicted from the equation developed by Nagamine et al., and percentage body fat was derived from the body density according to Brozek et al. There were significant differences in BI values among the four conditions. Dominant side BI values were significantly lower than those on the non-dominant side. Percentage body fat values estimated under four different BI test conditions (i, e., R, R-L, L-R, and L) in terms of electrode placement were found to be highly correlated (r= 0.9420-0.956) with hydrodensitometrically determined percentage body fat. However, the mean percentage body fat on the dominant side of the body were significantly lower than that on the non-dominant side. We suggest that electrodes can be placed either on the dominant side or on the non-dominant side of the body for normal individuals, assuming that the lowest value from the four combinations of measurements can be used as the criterion value of BI. When the subjects are athletes, BI values obtained on the dominant side or a mean of the values measured on both sides should be adopted.
ABSTRACT
This study examined if modified Wingate Anaerobic Test (Wingate method) and Evans-Quinney Anaerobic Test (Evan-Quinney method) procedures could be applied to the meas-urement of maximal anaerobic power output (POmax) which is usually determined during 8-s maximal cycling depending predominantly on alactacid energy sources. The criterion measure of POmax was either the highest power output among 5 to 7 power outputs meas-ured at different workloads (Selection method) or the peak power output estimated from quadratic regression (Peak method) . POmax and anaerobic power outputs with these four methods were measured during 8-s maximal cycling on Monark bicycle ergometer with toe-stirrups. Forty-four young athletes (25 males and 19 females) served as subjects. Analysis of the data indicated that: 1) There was a very high correlation (r=0.995, P<0.001) between POmax determined by Selection and Peak methods, with no statistical difference in their absolute means. 2) POmax determined by Wingate method correlated (r=0.937, P<0.001) significantly with POmax determined by Peak method, while mean values differed signif-icantly. 3) POmax determined by Evans-Quinney method also correlated (r=0.890, P<0001) significantly with that determined by Peak method; however, mean values differed significantly and degree of the difference in POmax was particularly greater in females. It is concluded that both Wingate and Evans-Quinney methods with a cycling duration of 8 s might be applicable for the assessment of POmax by utilizing linear regression equations developed in this study. Further studies are needed as to the feasibility of using these methods, particularly on females.