Chikujountanto
Quick Facts
- What it is: A Japanese Kampo herb formula, counted as a single drug, used for a cough, mild fever and poor sleep that drag on after flu.
- Main uses: Lingering cough after flu or a cold, Thick phlegm, Low fever during recovery, Poor sleep while ill
- Best for: A cough that outlasts the fever that started it, Recovery from bronchitis (swelling of the airways) with restless nights
- Active ingredients: Bamboo shavings (chikujo), Pinellia tuber (hange), Poria (bukuryo), Bupleurum root (saiko), Scutellaria root (ogon), Coptis rhizome (oren), Ophiopogon tuber (bakumondo), Citrus peel (chinpi), Platycodon root (kikyo), Immature bitter orange (kijitsu), Cyperus rhizome (kobushi), Ginseng, Licorice root (kanzo), Fresh ginger (shokyo)
- Forms: Granule sachets, Tablets, Capsules, Boiled herb tea (decoction)
- Time to effect: A few days if it suits you; review after one to two weeks.
- Side effects: Usually mild stomach upset; rarely low potassium, high blood pressure, liver injury or lung scarring from the licorice and Scutellaria.
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What is Chikujountanto?
Chikujountanto is a Kampo herb formula from Japan. Its name means Bamboo Shavings and Gallbladder-Warming Decoction. In Kampo it counts as a single drug, even though it holds about 14 herbs.
Doctors in Japan give it for a cough that drags on after flu or a cold. It suits people whose cough comes with a mild fever, thick phlegm, poor sleep and a worn-out feeling.
Here is the short verdict on proof. The formula has long, steady use in Japan, but good human trials are thin. Long use is not the same as proof that it works, and this document says so once here rather than in every section.
How does Chikujountanto work?
No one has proven how it works in people. What follows is how Kampo doctors explain it, plus early lab work.
In Kampo terms, the formula is said to clear "heat" and "phlegm" that linger after a fever, and to settle a restless mind so sleep returns. That is a traditional model, not a tested mechanism.
Lab work on single herbs in the mix hints at anti-swelling and cough-easing actions. Licorice and Scutellaria (ogon) calm inflamed tissue in test tubes. Whether any of that happens at the dose a person swallows is not known.
What forms does Chikujountanto come in?
Most people take it as a dried granule powder in a sachet. Japanese makers such as Tsumura and Kracie sell it this way, and it dissolves in hot water.
It also comes as tablets or capsules for people who dislike the taste. A few practitioners still boil the raw herbs into a tea (decoction).
In Japan it is a prescription medicine covered by national insurance. Outside Japan it is usually sold as a supplement, and quality is less closely checked.
Where it comes from:
The formula comes from the Chinese text Wanbing Huichun (1587), then became a staple of Japanese Kampo. It is a reworking of an older "warm the gallbladder" recipe.
Japanese doctors have used it for centuries for coughs that outlast the fever that started them. It remains a common hospital prescription in Japan today.
Who should avoid Chikujountanto?
- Do not use if you have low potassium in your blood (hypokalaemia), unless your doctor has corrected it and agrees you may take it
- Do not use if you have aldosteronism (a hormone problem that raises blood pressure and lowers potassium)
- Do not use if you have myopathy (muscle damage causing weakness and pain), or you have had it from licorice or steroids before
- Do not use if you already take any other product containing licorice or glycyrrhizin (the active part of licorice), including other Kampo formulas and glycyrrhizin drips
- Do not use if you have interstitial pneumonia (scarring and swelling deep in the lungs), or you have had it in the past
- Do not use if you are having interferon injections for hepatitis
- Do not use if you have liver disease, unless your doctor checks your liver blood tests first and keeps checking them
- Do not use if you have had an allergic reaction to any herb in it, such as Pinellia, ginseng or licorice
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, unless a doctor who knows Kampo has told you to
- Do not give it to a child without a doctor setting the dose
- Do not use it in place of the treatment your doctor has prescribed for a chest infection
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor the same day if you cough up blood, your breathing gets harder, or your fever goes above 38.5C or lasts more than three days.
Stop the formula and get medical help if your ankles or face swell, your blood pressure climbs, or your muscles feel weak, sore or crampy. These can be signs that licorice has dropped your potassium too low.
Get urgent help if your skin or eyes turn yellow, your urine goes dark, your heart races or skips, or you get a new dry cough with breathlessness. Also see a doctor if your cough has not improved after two weeks.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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