Inclusion of Ginseng in Kanzoshashinto / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

Kanzoshashinto consists of seven medicinal herbs including ginseng. The formula for kanzoshashinto in the Chinese medical text “Jinguiyaolue” consists of the seven herbs, but its formula in “Shanghanglun,” a second medical reference, lists only six herbs and does not include ginseng. We investigated if formulas for kanzoshashinto in traditional Chinese and Japanese medical books included ginseng. We searched modern Japanese databases using the terms kanzoshashinto and ginseng. We also searched medical books written during the Song Dynasty in China and the Edo period in Japan. We found one article in a modern Japanese database that discusses kanzoshashinto and ginseng. The article stated that kanzoshashinto formula included ginseng only described in the Song medical text Jinguiyaolue. Kanzoshashinto formula in other ancient Chinese medical references did not list ginseng as one of the components of the medicine. This research confirmed the statements written in ancient Chinese medical references doctors could add ginseng to kanzoshashinto. During the Edo period in Japan, most doctors prescribed a kanzoshashinto formulation that included ginseng. In the medical reference “Jinguiyaolue,” kanzoshashinto with ginseng is described as a treatment for kowaku, an unstable psychological state. In the medical reference “Shanghanglun,” kanzoshashinto without ginseng was used to treat severe diarrhea. Therefore, it is possible that kanzoshashinto without ginseng might be a more effective treatment for diarrhea. Further studies are required to examine the efficacy of kanzoshashinto without ginseng in treating severe diarrhea.