What is Senshibyakujutsusan?
Senshibyakujutsusan is a Kampo herbal formula made from seven dried plant materials. Its older name is Qian's Atractylodes Powder. In Japan it is a Ministry-approved Kampo formula, sold as extract granules by makers such as Tsumura.
It is traditionally aimed at children with weak digestion. Practitioners have used it for loose stools, poor appetite, thirst and tiredness after an illness.
Here is the verdict on evidence. The traditional record is long and well documented. We found no published human trials of this formula, so its effects in people are unproven.
Traditional use is not proof that a remedy works. That point applies to every section below and is not repeated.
One safety fact shapes the whole page. The formula contains licorice (kanzo), and licorice can raise blood pressure and lower potassium.
How does Senshibyakujutsusan work?
No one has shown how this formula works in the human body. The account below is traditional, not tested.
In Kampo thinking, the blend is said to warm and support the spleen and stomach. That is a traditional model of digestion, not a laboratory finding.
Some single herbs in it have been studied in cells and animals. In that work, ginseng compounds appear to affect gut movement and immune signals. Whether this happens in a child taking granules is not known.
Licorice does have a clear, proven effect in people. Its main compound, glycyrrhizin, makes the body hold sodium and lose potassium.
That effect is real and unwanted. It drives the main safety concern with this formula.
What forms does Senshibyakujutsusan come in?
The usual form is a dried water extract turned into granules or fine powder. You mix the dose in warm water and drink it.
Some makers supply tablets or capsules of the same extract. A few practitioners still boil the raw herbs into a tea.
Granules are the form used in Japanese clinics. They carry a set amount of extract per sachet, which makes dosing easier to check.
Where it comes from:
The recipe comes from Chinese paediatric medicine. It is credited to Qian Yi, a Song dynasty children's doctor, in a text from around the 12th century.
Japanese Kampo doctors adopted it and kept the name Senshibyakujutsusan. It sits in the Japanese list of approved Kampo formulas today.
So it has standing in two written traditions. That is a record of use, not a record of trial results.
If this is an emergency
Some reactions to Senshibyakujutsusan need urgent care. Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department straight away — do not wait to see whether it passes.
Who should avoid Senshibyakujutsusan?
- Never give this to a child without a doctor setting the dose for the child's age and weight.
- Do not use if you have low potassium in the blood (hypokalaemia).
- Do not use if you have aldosteronism, a hormone problem that holds salt and raises blood pressure.
- Do not use if you have muscle weakness or muscle disease caused by low potassium.
- Do not use if you have high blood pressure that is not under control.
- Do not use if you have heart failure or kidney disease, unless your doctor agrees and monitors you.
- Avoid taking it alongside any other licorice product, including licorice sweets, licorice tea and other Kampo formulas with kanzo.
- Do not use if you take a water tablet (diuretic), digoxin or a steroid, unless your doctor is watching your potassium.
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, unless a doctor has advised it.
- Do not use if you take warfarin (a blood thinner) without telling the doctor who manages your blood tests.
- Do not keep taking it for more than a few weeks without blood pressure and potassium checks.
When should you see a doctor?
Stop the formula and call your doctor if your ankles, hands or face puff up. Do the same for fast weight gain over a few days, or a new headache.
Get urgent medical help for bad muscle weakness, heavy cramps, or a fast or uneven heartbeat. These can be signs that potassium has fallen too low.
For a child, call a doctor about diarrhoea that lasts more than a day or two. Signs of dehydration need same-day care: dry mouth, few wet nappies, sunken eyes or unusual sleepiness.
Also see a doctor about lasting poor appetite, weight loss, blood in the stool or repeated vomiting. These need a diagnosis before any herbal formula.
4.8
