Kanpo info


	General Info on Kampo, clips of text cut-and-pasted from a webpage; the link is at the end of the text. Today the large majority of physicians [in Japan] use at least some of the traditional formulas, which are available in almost all pharmacies by prescription, or under the advice of specially trained pharmacists. The Japanese national health insurance plan covers the use of many of the traditional formulas. …in recent decades clinical and animal research has been undertaken on a large scale by university hospitals and private clinics throughout Japan as well as hospitals and research institutes in China. Research in Japan has been more rigorous by western standards…. Japanese research, on the other hand, is more academic [than Chinese] in the mold of conventional western pharmaceutical research. Japanese research on botanical medicine also uses substances that are pharmaceutical grade according to western standards. Since 1994, Japanese manufacturers of traditional herbal medicines have been required to conform to the same standards of quality as other pharmaceutical companies. This requires that all formulas are tested for any contaminants and are "standardized" for specific levels of key chemical constituents that are used as "markers" of plant quality. This means that the herbs used in the formulas must have the required levels of at least two marker components in order for the formula to be approved as a medicament.

		1^st formula Takashi would likely recommend, Juzen-taiho-to. (Also cut-‘n-pasted from same site.) Another traditional formula considered to hold great promise in cancer treatment is called Ginseng and Tang-kuei Ten Combination, also called Ten Ingredient Great Supplementing Combination and Juzen-taiho-to in Japanese. Juzen-taiho-to contains the ten herbs ginseng (Panax ginseng), white peony (Paeonia lactiflora), tangkuei (An gelica sinensis), lico rice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), astragalus (Astragalus membranaceous), poria (Poria cocos), onidium (Ligusticum wallichii), atractylodes (Atractylodes alba), rehmannia (Rehmannia glutinosa) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum, zeylanicum). It is used to treat fatigue, anemia, loss of appetite, poor digestion, cachexia and general lack of vitality in chronic disease. It has traditionally been used for patients recovering from severe illness, injury, surgery or other debilitation. Because of its beneficial effects on asthenic patients, Juzen-taiho-to was researched as an immunoprotective agent for cancer patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy, even drugs as strong as cis-platinum. It has been used successfully to prevent or mitigate the damaging effects of other toxic anticancer drugs. Other research has shown, however, that Ginseng and TK 10 is a powerful immunomodulator and itself has significant anti-tumor properties. It has been shown to activate NK cells, to increase macrophage activity accelerating phagocytosis and to modulate cytokine secretion. It has also been shown to inhibit liver metastasis of colon cancer cells. The formula also protects the bone marrow function, often preventing a precipitous drop in red cells, white cells and platelets. Far from being rare or exotic, the herbs that comprise this formula are some of the most ubiquitous. Most of the classical formulas contain one or more of these herbs as ingredients. The antimetastatic properties of Juzen-taiho-to have been attributed to the presence of the four herbs tang-kuei, cnidium, rehmannia and white peony. These four herbs are commonly found in many traditional formulas, even as a group. These four herbs, known as the "four substances" are most frequently used in formulas for female complaints although they are also recommended for men. They are also found in formulas used for anemia, arthritic conditions and autoimmune disorders. They are considered to reinforce blood production and tissue repair. There is evidence that ginseng increases liver activity and by itself can prevent metastasis and relieve side effects of chemotherapy. The herb astragalus has also been used in China in concentrated extracts to prevent the collapse of the immune system in patients treated with chemotherapy for cancer. The herbs atractylodes and poria improve digestion and immunity. Atractylodes stimulates immunity and has tumor reduction properties, especially for tumors of the stomach, breast, cervix and uterus. Poria is an immune regulator that also has tumor reduction properties. This formula is one of the most versatile for cancer because its clinical range of efficacy is for anemia, improving liver function, "Spleen" function (an important factor in immunity), improving digestive transport and absorption and strengthens adrenal cortex function building energy that gives stamina, not stimulation.

			Webpage’s summary (again, cut-and-pasted from site) It may be that the herb components in these formulas don't have a direct action on the actual tumors, and don't directly inhibit metastasis. One speculation on the mechanism of these formulas for tumor reduction, from the standpoint of immunology, appears to be that they operate by means of activation of natural killer cells which can destroy tumor material, along with increased levels of tumor necrosis factor and various cytokines. Activating white blood cells appears to result in enhanced cytokine production. Cytokines that stimulate cellular immunity like gammainterferon and interleukin-12 are particularly powerful in tumor reduction. There are other cytokines that stimulate tumor growth. There may be a suppression of these cytokines by the formulas. The use of these formulas can be of immeasurable value as an adjunct to chemotherapy as well as possibly useful on their own as a treatment. After surgery there is often immune suppression from the anesthesia. Surgically damaged organs secrete growth factors that can stimulate tumor growth and accelerate metastasis. Radiation can damage immune cells in the peripheral circulation, suppress immunity and bone marrow function. The immune system stays suppressed for a relatively long time. To have a nontoxic compound that can be used safely for a long period of time and protect the immune functions, prevent metastasis and perhaps reduce incipient tumor growth, would be of the utmost value. The classical herbal formulas from the Chinese medicine tradition are increasingly used in the medical mainstream in Japan. These traditional formulas were developed for individualized treatment based on a patient's symptoms and signs. The decision to focus cancer research on Sho-saiko-to and Juzen-taiho-to was not arbitrary, but because there are dozens of other traditional formulas using many of the same herbs, there is ample opportunity to refine cancer treatment using many of the other formulas from the traditional pharmacopoeia. The research that has taken place thus far on the treatment of cancer using traditional formulas is certainly only the tip of the iceberg. For more information about Kampo formulas, contact Honso USA of Tempe, Arizona (www.honso.com), or Tsumura Company of Tokyo, Japan (www.tsumura.co.jp).

				All the above info from the following link:: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_2001_August/ai_78177216

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