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Daikenchuto and GI Disorders

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Herbal Medicines

Part of the book series: Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology ((MIPT))

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Abstract

This overview of herbal medicine use in Japan was designed to provide a review of the accumulating scientific evidence of the mechanism and clinical action of daikenchuto (DKT). Use of traditional Japanese medicines, including DKT, has a relatively “short” history of 500 years of clinical use. Only in the last 30 years has the Japanese government officially recognized herbal medicine as a valid form of treatment alongside the typical Western medicines.

There has been a recent surge in scientifically robust data from basic and clinical studies for DKT, including placebo-controlled double-blind studies for various gastrointestinal disorders, and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion studies have been conducted or are in the process of being conducted in both Japan and the USA. Clinical studies suggest that DKT is beneficial for postoperative ileus. Basic studies indicate that the effect of DKT is a composite of numerous actions mediated by multiple compounds supplied via multiple routes. In addition to known mechanisms of action via enteric/sensory nerve stimulation, novel mechanisms via the TRPA1 channel and two pore domain potassium channels have recently been elucidated. DKT compounds target these channels with and without absorption, both before and after metabolic activation by enteric flora, with different timings and possibly with synergism.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Clinical and Biomedical Research, Sapporo Higashi Tokushukai Hospital, 3-1, N 33, E 14, Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 065-0033, Japan

    Toru Kono M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.

  2. Department of Pathophysiology and Therapeutics, Faculty of PharmaceuticalSciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0812, Japan

    Toru Kono M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.

  3. Department of Surgery, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan

    Toru Kono M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. & Mitsuo Shimada

  4. Tsumura Research Laboratories, Kampo Scientific Strategies Division, Tsumura & CO., Ami-machi, Ibaraki, Japan

    Masahiro Yamamoto & Yoshio Kase

Authors
  1. Toru Kono M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.
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  2. Mitsuo Shimada
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  3. Masahiro Yamamoto
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  4. Yoshio Kase
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Toru Kono M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine, Kagoshima University Grad School of Medical & Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan

    Aiko Inui

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Kono, T., Shimada, M., Yamamoto, M., Kase, Y. (2016). Daikenchuto and GI Disorders. In: Inui, A. (eds) Herbal Medicines. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-4002-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-4002-8_11

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-4000-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-4002-8

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