A quick way to grasp the ABC's of Kampo --- easy-to-understand answers to the most common questions and more. What is Kampo? Kampo is the unique system of herbal medicine developed in Japan from Chinese origins. Based on the extensive experience with herbal combinations accumulated in East Asia since ancient times, today's Kampo medicines are backed up by scientific research and pharmaceutical-standard production and quality control.   What role does Kampo play in Japanese healthcare? Kampo plays an important role today's healthcare in Japan, side by side with Western-style medicine. Taking advantage of the respective strengths of both Kampo and western medicine, about 72% of Japanese physicians prescribe some Kampo formulations to their patients. Menopause-related complaints, diseases of the elderly and chronic conditions such as allergies are some of the conditions for which Kampo medicines are frequently prescribed. At present, 148 Kampo formulations are recognized for reimbursement by Japan's national health insurance.   What is the size of the Kampo market in Japan? Thanks to the development of high quality, standardized Kampo extracts and the acceptance of extract-based Kampo formulations for reimbursement by Japan's national health insurance in the late 1970's, the Kampo market experienced dynamic growth during the 1980's. Today, annual production of Kampo is worth about 120 billion JPY, of which prescription sales account for 76% and OTC sales 24%.