Jinsoin
Quick Facts
- What it is: A twelve-herb Japanese Kampo formula, taken as a single drug (Kampo), for a lingering cold with cough and phlegm (mucus) in weak or elderly people.
- Main uses: Lingering cold with a wet cough, Cough and phlegm in frail or elderly people, Poor appetite and queasiness during a cold
- Best for: Short courses at the tail end of a cold, People who tire easily and cannot tolerate stronger cold formulas
- Active ingredients: Ginseng (ginsenosides), Licorice root (glycyrrhizin), Perilla leaf, Kudzu root, Pinellia tuber (processed), Platycodon root, Citrus peel, Ginger rhizome
- Forms: Standardised granules (TJ-66), Traditional water decoction, Tablets or capsules of dried extract
- Time to effect: Traditionally a few days; no trial data confirms any timeline.
- Side effects: Usually mild stomach upset; the licorice can raise blood pressure, cause swelling and lower blood potassium.
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What is Jinsoin?
Jinsoin (also called Ginseng and Perilla Drink) is a Japanese Kampo herbal formula. It is given for a cold or flu that drags on, with a wet cough and phlegm (mucus), especially in people who are frail, tired or elderly.
It is used as a single drug (Kampo). That means one complete prescribed formula taken on its own, not blended with other Kampo formulas. In Japan it is sold as a standardised granule and is often prescribed by a doctor.
The evidence line is short and honest: Jinsoin has a long classical record, but good human trial evidence for it is essentially absent. Traditional standing is not the same as proof that something works, and that distinction applies to everything on this page.
How does Jinsoin work?
Nobody has shown clearly how Jinsoin works in the body. The traditional idea is that it warms and settles a weak person while helping them clear a cold that has not finished.
In Kampo terms, the formula is said to support qi (the body's working energy) with ginseng and jujube, move stuck phlegm with pinellia, citrus peel and platycodon, and push out lingering surface cold with perilla leaf, kudzu root and ginger.
In plain modern terms, some of the herbs have mild effects seen in the laboratory: ginger and perilla on nausea and inflammation, platycodon on mucus, licorice on cough. These are test-tube and animal findings. They do not prove that the finished formula changes the course of a cold in people.
What forms does Jinsoin come in?
Standardised granules are the common form. In Japan this is the prescription extract known as TJ-66, usually 7.5 g per day of granule powder.
Other forms you may meet:
A traditional water decoction, where the raw herbs are simmered and the liquid drunk.
Tablets or capsules of the dried extract, sold in some markets as a non-prescription product.
Quality varies a lot between suppliers. A standardised extract from a known manufacturer is easier to dose than loose herbs of unknown strength.
Where it comes from:
Jinsoin comes from the Song-dynasty Chinese formulary Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang (about the 12th century), where it is called Shen Su Yin. It is still used in Chinese herbal medicine under that name.
Japanese practitioners adopted it centuries ago, and it became a regular Kampo prescription for the stubborn tail end of a cold in older or run-down patients. Today it holds a formal place in the Japanese prescription Kampo list.
Who should avoid Jinsoin?
- Do not use if you have been told you have aldosteronism (a hormone problem that raises blood pressure and lowers blood potassium).
- Do not use if you have hypokalaemia (low potassium in the blood).
- Do not use if you have myopathy (a muscle disease causing weakness or muscle pain).
- Do not use if you are already taking another licorice-containing product, Kampo formula or glycyrrhizin medicine.
- Do not use if you take water tablets (diuretics) or digoxin, unless your doctor has checked your potassium and agreed.
- Do not use if you have heart failure, uncontrolled high blood pressure or kidney disease, unless a doctor supervises you.
- Do not use if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, unless your doctor is monitoring your clotting test.
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because safety has not been established.
- Do not give it to a child without advice from a doctor or a qualified Kampo prescriber.
- Do not use if you have had an allergic reaction to ginseng, licorice or any other herb in the formula.
- Never keep taking it for months on end as a daily tonic; it is made for short courses.
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor if your cough lasts more than three weeks, comes back after clearing, or brings up blood or thick green or brown phlegm (mucus).
Get medical advice the same day if you develop new swelling in your ankles, hands or face, unusual muscle weakness or cramps, a fast or irregular heartbeat, or a big jump in your blood pressure.
Go to an emergency department if you have chest pain, real trouble breathing, confusion, or yellow skin or eyes with dark urine.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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