few years ago,
Japan's Imperial Household Agency commissioned a team of seven experts,
led by Dr. Shouji Shibata, honorary professor of pharmacology at the University
of Tokyo, to conduct a scientific study of some herbal drug samples. What
is unusual about this story? The samples in question had been kept for 1,200
years at Shoso-in, part of one of Japan's most famous historical monuments,
near the city of Nara in western Japan. For centuries, the wooden building had served as the official storehouse for the ancient Buddhist temple of Todaiji, famous for its giant statue of the Buddha. Built in the 8th century by the Emperor Shomu, the storehouse is as renowned for its distinctive architectural style, known as azekura (log house), as for its treasure trove of ancient calligraphy, official documents, stationery, furniture and utensils, Buddhist altar fittings, musical instruments and, of course, ancient medicinal substances.
According to scholars, the cache of approximately 60 kinds of drug raw materials found at Shoso-in was probably part of a ceremonial offering
made to the great image of the Buddha in the year 752, when the Todaiji temple was formally opened for worship. After the dedication ceremony, the herbs were packed in cloth bags and stored in airtight wooden boxes called "Karahitsu," where they remained for the next 1,200 years. Although the medicinal substances at Shoso-in were the subject of an academic study immediately after the end of the World War II, at that time the substances were merely identified, classified and tallied against the temple records. This time, however, the ingredients were examined more thoroughly with the help of modern analytical equipment and technology.
The seven-member group of scientists studied the materials over a two-year period, from 1994 through 1995. Medicinal properties were detected in about 10 of the 20 or so items of plant origin. The scientists were surprised to discover that not only had the substances survived for 1,200 years, many of them had retained their full medicinal characteristics for over a millennium. Said Professor Oneda of the Department of Pharmacology at Osaka University, a member of the research team: "I have previously studied drugs dating back to about 100 or 150 years ago but have scarcely encountered a case where the elements were as well preserved as they were in this case." Another participant, Professor Okuyama of the Meiji College of Pharmacy, remarked, "I thought it would be very difficult to detect the [medicinal] elements because of the age of the samples. However, I was amazed to find them." He credits the azekura architectural style and the airtight nature of the wooden boxes in which the drugs were kept for their long life.
No less remarkable was the fact that the substances examined by the research team included basic herbs, such as rhubarb, glycyrrhiza (licorice) and ginseng, which are still commonly used in the preparation of Kampo medications today. Rhubarb, which is derived from the rhizome of a perennial rhubarb found in the mountains of western China, has been used through the ages as a laxative.
Glycyrrhiza, the root of a leguminous plant found in northern China, is recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties. And ginseng, the well-known herbal tonic, hardly needs an introduction.
For the many physicians who prescribe Kampo drugs today and their patients, and for the scientists working to unlock Kampo's secrets, the herbal treasures of Shoso-in provide a vivid glimpse into the ancient traditions and the practical wisdom embodied in Kampo.