Kampo medicines are sometimes described as “natural and safe.”
Plant-based.
Gentle on the body.
Slowly effective.
Many people carry that image.
In Japan,
Kampo medicines are commonly prescribed in hospitals,
and covered by health insurance.
Kakkonto for the early signs of a cold.
Goreisan for swelling.
Hochuekkito for fatigue or loss of appetite.
Kampo exists quite naturally within Japanese medicine.
But overseas,
its position is somewhat different.
In countries like the United States and France,
Kampo is often viewed closer to:
“traditional medicine,”
“natural remedies,”
or “herbal treatments.”
Rather than hospital medicine,
it may be seen as something “closer to nature.”
Because of that,
people may also assume:
“natural means fewer side effects.”
But Kampo medicines can also have side effects.
Of course,
they do not happen to everyone.
Still,
anything that affects the body
cannot completely separate effectiveness from burden.
I once heard someone say:
“If a Kampo medicine suits your body,
it does not taste very bitter.”
Apparently,
the body naturally accepts what it needs.
But every Kampo medicine I tried
was honestly bitter.
Very bitter.
Did I not need them?
Did they not suit me?
Or are Kampo medicines
simply bitter?
To be honest,
I suspect the last one.
Kampo is often associated with
slowly improving one’s constitution.
And certainly,
many are used that way.
But some are also used almost like “as-needed” medicine.
Someone once told me:
“When I feel a leg cramp coming,
I take it.”
And the symptoms calm down.
Kampo medicines are not simply mysterious old remedies.
In Japan,
they are treated as ordinary medicine
within insured medical care.
Perhaps Kampo cannot be explained only by saying:
“Because it is natural, it is safe.”
A medicine that is:
safe,
non-addictive,
and works gently for everyone—
may actually be very difficult to find.
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