The Current Situation and Problems of Domestic Crude Drug Production

• Published in: Kampo Medicine Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 270 - 280
• Main Authors: YAMAOKA, Denichiro, ITO, Takashi, ASAMA, Hiroshi, SAHASHI, Yoshiro, MITANI, Kazuo, KANG, Donghyo, YASUI, Hiromichi, WATANABE, Hitoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: The Japan Society for Oriental Medicine 2017
• Subjects: Aizu Ginseng; Domestic production of crude drugs; Standard price of crude drugs in National Health Insurance scheme; Yamato Angelica root
• ISSN: 0287-4857; 1882-756X
• DOI: 10.3937/kampomed.68.270

The consumption and sales of Kampo products, as well as the crude drugs that make up the products, have been increasing recently. However, the Kampo industry has been exhibiting a long-term decline due to the rise in price of imported crude drugs and reduction in standard prices of crude drugs by the Japanese National Health Insurance scheme. As the production of crude drug in Japan has been decreasing for the past thirty years, efforts have been made to improve the situation. Although the production of Aizu Ginseng decreased from 153 metric tons to 8 metric tons in Fukushima, university research institutes have initiated research on expansion of the farm field for Ginseng and reduction in a cultivation term. In Nara, farmers, pharmaceutical and food manufacturers, and university research institutes, aiming to develop new products using Yamato Angelica root, organized a joint council and have been working together to establish integrated systems from cultivation to sales. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Japan Kampo Medicines Manufacturers Association have held local meetings with farmers and pharmaceutical companies in different areas throughout Japan over the past three years from fiscal year 2013. In order to reduce national healthcare costs by Kampo medicine, it is necessary to upgrade the health care system where not only Kampo extract products but also medicinal plants as raw materials including decoctions can be used. Discussions on measures to cover the costs of domestic production of crude drugs should be required.