*TL;DR what the hell is this stuff and should I really take it?*
Basically I’ve been having a sore throat for over a month and having done a COVID-19 test and STI checks, and it being none of those, I went to my local ENT specialist (first time).
Anyway he does a few tests (including putting a scope up/down my nose) and says come back in a week for the results, but *とりあえず* here’s a prescription for some **kanpo**…
So the medicine I’ve received is 半夏厚朴湯 (han ge kou boku tou).
[https://www.kracie.co.jp/ph/k-therapy/prescription/hangekobokuto.html](https://www.kracie.co.jp/ph/k-therapy/prescription/hangekobokuto.html)
Reading the description reminds me of when you read all the horoscopes and they all conveniently sound vague or more or less the same as each other.
The prescription itself was only 900 yen for about 2 weeks’ worth so I thought I’ll just get it and then google it later and decide whether to actually take it.
My question to all the fabulous japanlifers is……….. what’s the deal with the kanpo/herbal medicine?
My existing understanding/impression of herbal medicine is that it’s a load of unproven rubbish but I admittedly haven’t done much research on it.
Plus, I was a little surprised to be *prescribed* it by a licensed doctor (literally the first time I’ve ever received a kanpo prescription). I’d already taken antibiotics (which didn’t work, which I told him) so **part of me felt like he just wanted to prescribe** ***something*** (I know how the medical reimbursement system works, it’s 100% in their interests to want to prescribe *something*)**.**
I’m 70% thinking I should just put this herbal medicine to one side and wait for the test results so that I know what it actually is (or at least what it isn’t (?)) but wondering if anyone else has experience with kanpo (even better if it’s with this specific one).
Also am I right in thinking I should probably avoid doctors/clinics that prescribe kanpo?
**EDIT: From what I’ve googled and based on the replies so far, it does definitely sound like a load of bollocks (ranging from “probably doesn’t work”, “might work”, “it’s just a placebo” – not exactly instilling me with confidence to say the least). To everyone who thinks it’s fine – go for it free country. I’m not going to take it, though.**
I’ll just wait for the results and reject further prescriptions until the doctor can tell me what the problem is (which is what I should’ve done).
50% my fault for not refusing the とりあえず prescription in the first place.
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“Hello Mr. Doctor Sensei, I do not like kanpo, can I have a different medicine?”
Has worked for me for the entire 15+ years I’ve been here.
Congrats your doctor thinks whatever you have in not serious enough to justify medicine.
kanpo is basically traditional Chinese/Japanese medicine. I wouldn’t say it’s unproven hocus pocus, but it’s just… old skool medicine if you will.
It works to a certain extent, but the active ingredient just hasn’t been isolated down to a chemical compound in the same way that western pharmaceuticals has been.
Doctors perscribing kampo when a patient just wants “something” is really common here. I’ve never tried it. My wife likes it.
As for efficacy, it honestly depends. If you have time to go down the rabbit hole, there are a bunch of studies on Google Scholar. Generally, the kampo system in most Japanese clinics and hospitals uses the Western medical approach as the base and supplements it with kampo treatments to make some kinda chimera that at least tries to be evidence-based. [Here’s a paper on that medicine you mentioned.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722198/)
Avoiding doctors/clinics that perscribe kampo… I mean, go ahead, though I think a huge number of reputable ones do still perscribe it, and it’s not necessarily a sign of a bad doc. Really well-regarded hospitals like TMU and Keio have kampo departments. On the other hand, hospitals like the one attached to U-Tokyo have closed them off. Anyway, you can always just refuse or ask for something else.
If it were me in your shoes, I dunno. I’d probably try a bunch of other stuff first but might give it a go on the off chance it works / has the placebo effect.
I had a very wealthy Chinese friend who brought tins of kanpo back from China. He said basically there’s no way to know what you’re getting and some kanpo will poison you and others will be a life tonic. He apparently was able to source really good stuff and he gave some to my Turkish friend who had back problems and allegedly it cured it.
I think Japanese kanpo is much more generic than the Chinese stuff (where it originally hails from) and is some mix of herbs and other, unspecified ingredients. My Chinese friend said the Japanese stuff didn’t really work. Probably harmless to consume in the prescribed amount. You never hear anyone dying from it here.
Clinical use of placebos is common the world over (and effective), though not at all ethical if it’s not explained clearly to the patient that it is a placebo.
Although, that’s a grey area in Japan, as it’s a traditional medicine and generally understood by the population to be a traditional medicine, then the doctor doesn’t need to treat it as a placebo.
Basically, he’s trying to placate you and make his life easier because the only other alternative he has is to reassure you with his “bedside manner.” Bedside manner, meaning reassurance and encouragement, is the suggested medical alternative to a placebo.
In summary: he doesn’t believe you need medicine.
I think, it’s individual. I have been prescribed kanpo now and then. Some has worked well, some hasn’t worked at all.
But as it’s all herbal and natural, you can definitely try it. It’s not going to kill you, not even bad for you and if it works, then all the better.
Get well soon!
Kanpo is what my doctor gives me when I fake being sick so I don’t have to go to work.
Some say kanpo works. Others say praying works. Neither of them have been scientifically proven. I reject them both.
It isn’t all bullshit (I also used to think it was). It can be hit and miss but some kampo medicines really do work in my experience!
Some powdered rhino horn will clear that up in no time 🦏
It won’t hurt you, just try it