Choijokito
Quick Facts
- What it is: A three-herb Kampo formula used as a mild, short-term laxative for constipation with a bloated belly.
- Main uses: Short-term constipation, Constipation with belly fullness, Hard, dry stools
- Best for: A few days of stubborn constipation with a tight, full belly
- Active ingredients: Sennosides and rhein from rhubarb root, Sodium sulfate from mirabilite, Glycyrrhizin from licorice root
- Forms: Granules, Powder, Boiled decoction (tea from raw herbs), Tablets and capsules
- Time to effect: Usually a bowel movement within 6 to 12 hours.
- Side effects: Cramps and loose stools are common; licorice can lower potassium and raise blood pressure with longer use.
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What is Choijokito?
Choijokito is a herbal mix from Kampo, the herb tradition of Japan. Its name means "Stomach-Regulating Purgative Decoction." A purgative is a strong laxative, and a decoction is a tea boiled from herbs.
It is used for short-term constipation when your belly feels full and tight. In Kampo it counts as a single drug. That means the whole mix is one product, not something you blend yourself.
The formula has been in use for about 1,800 years. But we could not find human trials of this mix, so its effect in people is not proven. Long use is not proof that a remedy works.
It is the mildest of the three classic "purgative" formulas in this family. Even so, it holds a stimulant laxative herb and licorice. That pairing makes it a short-term aid, not a daily habit.
How does Choijokito work?
Choijokito is thought to work as a laxative. Rhubarb root holds compounds that make the gut wall push stool along. Mirabilite is a salt that pulls water into the bowel, so stool turns soft.
Licorice is added to soften the action and ease cramps. That is the traditional view of the mix.
This fits what lab work shows about these plants. It has not been checked in trials of the whole formula, so treat it as a theory, not a proven path.
What forms does Choijokito come in?
Most people take it as granules or a powder that you stir into hot water. Japanese makers sell set doses in sachets.
You can also boil the raw herbs into a tea, which is the classic way. Tablets and capsules are sold too.
Strength differs a lot by maker. Read each label and stick to one product at a time.
Where it comes from:
Choijokito comes from the Shang Han Lun, a Chinese text from about 200 CE. Chinese herbalists call it Tiao Wei Cheng Qi Tang.
It reached Japan with other Chinese texts and became part of Kampo. Kampo doctors kept it as the mildest of the three "Cheng Qi" purgative formulas.
Japan lists it today as an approved herbal product with a set recipe.
Who should avoid Choijokito?
- Do not use if you are pregnant: this ban is absolute, at any stage of pregnancy, because the rhubarb can stir up the womb and the gut
- Do not use if you are breastfeeding, as the laxative compounds pass into breast milk and can loosen your baby's stools
- Do not use if you have or might have a bowel blockage (something stopping stool from getting through), or sudden severe belly pain
- Do not use if you have inflammatory bowel disease (long-term gut inflammation, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
- Do not use if you have hypokalaemia (low potassium, a mineral your heart and muscles need)
- Do not use if you take digoxin (a heart drug) or a diuretic (water pill)
- Do not use if you have heart failure, kidney disease, or high blood pressure that is not under control
- Do not use if you have primary aldosteronism (a hormone problem that raises blood pressure and lowers potassium)
- Do not use if you are dehydrated, vomiting, or already having diarrhoea
- Do not use if you take any other product containing licorice, senna or rhubarb
- Do not use if you are treating a child, unless a doctor tells you to
- Do not use if you are older and frail, or on several medicines, without asking a doctor first
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor soon if you have no bowel movement after three days on it, or if constipation has lasted more than two weeks.
Get help the same day for severe belly pain, vomiting, a hard swollen belly, or blood in your stool.
Also get checked if you feel unusually weak or tired, your legs or face puff up, or your heartbeat feels fast or uneven. These can be signs your potassium has dropped too low.
And see a doctor before using it at all if you have lost weight without trying, or your bowel habits changed suddenly.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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