| [ Summary ] |
Kampo medicine may be useful therapy for general malaise including abdominal symptoms in the field of gastroenterology. Functional dyspepsia, a symptom-based disease, is characterized by abdominal discomfort, fullness, and epigastric pain, and thus, could be a candidate for treatment with Kampo medicine. Among over 100 kinds of Kampo medicine, rikkunshito has been analyzed for its pharmacological mechanism (s) in detail and revealed good clinical efficacies for functional gastrointestinal diseases. Besides rikkunshito, other Kampo medicines including ninjinto, hangeshashinto, hangekoubokuto, and ourengedokuto show potential clinical efficacy for the above diseases; however, the evidence level for therapeutic efficacy with these Kampo medicines remains low. With regard to wide-spread treatment with Kampo medicines, general practitioners have increasingly experienced the use of Kampo medicines, and evidence has accumulated globally, especially in Japan. |