Kampo - Differences With TCM and Western Medicine

Differences With TCM and Western Medicine

Herbal medicines in Japan are regulated as pharmaceutical preparations; their ingredients are exactly measured and standardized, unlike the United States where most herbal preparations are regulated as dietary supplements (technically foods, not medicines). Furthermore, Kampo does not incorporate any human body parts nor animal parts, thus avoiding issues with animal cruelty prevalent in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both the industry and the government conduct extensive monitoring of agricultural and manufacturing processes as well as post-marketing surveillance to guarantee the safety of these preparations. Furthermore, access to Kampo herbal medicines is guaranteed as part of Japan’s national health plan for each of its citizens. In the West, however, Kampo still remains a secret to all but a few. Kampo, like the traditional medicines of modern China, Vietnam, and Korea, has roots that extend back to ancient China’s Han Dynasty (200 BC to 220 AD). The term Kampo itself incorporates 2 characters: 漢 (kan) an adjectival modifier for things Chinese and 方 (hō/-pō) denoting “method” or “prescription“. Thus, Kampo means “the way of the Chinese.” The term came up during the late Edo period to draw a line against the growing influence of Western medicine, which was called Ranpō (Dutch style medicine) by its adherents. Although Kampo has developed within Japan’s borders and within Japan’s culture over the past 1400 years, only recently have Kampo practitioners expressed interest in sharing Kampo’s unique insights with the world.