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What is Kampo?
Kampo is a unique, ancient system of
herbal medicine that has been reborn in modern Japan. Kampo is the
synthesis of Eastern and Western
healing traditions, equally understandable in terms of anatomy, chemistry,
and physiology Every Kampo formula is also validated in terms of scientific medicine. The pioneering work done by a Japanese physician Keisetsu Otsuka in 1950s linked the traditional usage of Kampo herbs to hundreds of diseases recognized in scientifically defined medicine. This work means that Kampo herbal formulas can be applied to the West conceives diseases. Modern Kampo Kampo's revival has resulted in its widespread acceptance and use in Japan. The Japanese Society for Oriental Medicine, founded in 1950, sponsored scientific testing of Kampo formulas for medical use. By 1967, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare had been convinced that four Kampo
formulas were worthy of modern use, and included them on a reimbursement
list under the national health insurance plan. By 1976, forty-two formulas
had been approved by the Japanese equivalent of the FDA, and by
1996, 148 formulas were approved. Today 77% of Japanese physicians use
Kampo.
Unlike Chinese herbal formulas, which tend to be quite complex, Japanese formulas use fixed combinations of herbs in standard amounts. This makes Kampo somewhat less person-centered and easy to be studied by scientific means. Hundreds of studies have confirmed Kampo scientific validity. As an example, Liver KampoTM, which has been studied under the Japanese name Sho Sai Ko-toh, has been demonstrated by over a hundred of research papers over the past ten years that it is effective on hepatitis virus and liver fibrosis when safely used for a period of time.What is Kampo good for? How often are people in Japan treated with Kampo? Almost 90% of patients with hepatitis, chronic liver diseases, or liver cancer are treated with Kampo. Nearly half of all people with colds and respiratory tract infections are treated with Kampo. More than one-third of all cases of allergy, asthma, and bowel irregularity are treated with Kampo herbal formulas. |
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as it is in terms of vital energy, energy channels, and
symbolic organ system. Kampo formulas are treatments proven over thousands
of years.