Kampo Herbal Medicine for Liver Disease, Depression, and Cancer

What is this TJ-108 I have been hearing about?  It is an herbal formula under the classification of Kampo Medicine (sometimes spelled Kanpo) –  a Japanese variant of Chinese traditional  medicine that involves the extensive use of herbs. The name is derived from the Japanese symbols kan, which means China and po, which means medicine. Kampo treatment has become very much integrated in the Japanese health care system. It is widely available from hospitals and physicians in Japan and it is  the most popular form of complementary health care in contemporary Japan. Kampo herbal preparations are sold by many Japanese pharmacies and, as I have found, all over the internet. The World Health Organization reports that Japan has the highest per capita consumption of herbal medicine in the world. In addition to herbal treatments, Kampo practitioners may also administer acupuncture, moxibustion, and manipulative therapy.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently causes chronic hepatitis, which is linked to the development of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. IV drug users are at risk of getting Hep C.  Most physicians who practice Kampo medicine in Japan have observed that it can be as effective as interferon therapy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C as assessed in short-term and long-term study, showing that Ninjin-yoei-to (Formula ginseng compositae: TJ-108) was very effective. More than 170 million people are infected by HCV world wide, and interferon is currently the most used single agent therapy, but reported successful in only up to 15% of patients in getting rid of the virus. Patients with chronic hepatitis C usually complain of systemic weakness, fatigue and loss of appetite, and most physicians who practice Kampo medicine have observed that Kampo herbal formulas can easily improve these symptoms.

There are 10 different Kampo herbal formulas alone for depression and I have read many stories of successful cancer treatment using Kampo medicine. My thanks to the reader whose search of my site led me to discover TJ-108 for Hep C, as I am always looking for viable natural treatments for Hep C, or anything to ease the sufferings of drug addicts who have contracted secondary infections.