Shohangekabukuryoto
Quick Facts
- What it is: A three-herb Japanese Kampo formula of pinellia, poria and fresh ginger, used for nausea and vomiting.
- Main uses: Nausea, Vomiting, Morning sickness in early pregnancy
- Best for: Short bouts of nausea and vomiting, Nausea with a full, watery feeling in the stomach
- Active ingredients: Pinellia tuber (hange), Poria (bukuryo), Fresh ginger (shokyo), with gingerols and shogaols
- Forms: Granule extract packets, Capsules, Loose powder, Brewed tea
- Time to effect: Often a few hours to a couple of days, if it helps at all.
- Side effects: Usually mild stomach upset or loose stools; rash and liver problems are rare.
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What is Shohangekabukuryoto?
Shohangekabukuryoto is a Japanese Kampo herb mix. It has just three parts: pinellia tuber, poria (a fungus), and fresh ginger. People take it for nausea and vomiting.
It is one of the 148 Kampo formulas on Japan's MHLW NHI-approved list. Doctors in Japan can prescribe it, and health insurance pays for it. In Japan it is best known for morning sickness, the nausea of early pregnancy.
The honest verdict: the traditional record is long, but good human trials are thin. Long use tells you a remedy is trusted. It does not prove that it works.
How does Shohangekabukuryoto work?
No one has shown how this mix works in the body.
Kampo theory blames nausea on fluid that pools in the stomach and pushes up. Pinellia and poria are said to move that fluid out. Ginger is said to warm the stomach and settle it.
Lab and animal work gives a few hints. Parts of ginger may calm the gut and quiet the nerves that set off vomiting. Pinellia has cut vomiting in animal tests.
Those are clues, not proof in people. Treat any talk of a mechanism as a theory.
What forms does Shohangekabukuryoto come in?
In Japan it comes as a dry granule powder in single-dose packets. This is the form a doctor prescribes. It is often stirred into warm water and sipped.
Outside Japan you may find capsules, loose powder or a tea you brew. Strength varies a lot between brands. Check the label for the amount of each herb.
Where it comes from:
The recipe comes from the Jin Gui Yao Lue, a Chinese medical text from about 200 CE. Japanese doctors took it up, and it became a fixture of Kampo practice. It has been used for well over a thousand years for vomiting, and in Japan for morning sickness.
Who should avoid Shohangekabukuryoto?
- Never take raw, unprocessed pinellia tuber. It burns the mouth and throat and can make breathing hard.
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, unless a doctor who knows Kampo has told you to and is checking on you.
- Do not use if you have ever reacted badly to pinellia (hange), poria (bukuryo) or ginger.
- Do not use if you are already taking another Kampo formula that holds pinellia or ginger, unless your prescriber has added up the total dose.
- Do not use if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, unless your doctor agrees first.
- Do not use if you have liver disease, unless your doctor is watching your blood tests.
- Do not give it to a baby or a young child who is vomiting. See a doctor instead.
- Avoid using it to cover up vomiting that comes with bad belly pain, blood in the vomit, a stiff neck, or a knock to the head. Get medical help.
- Do not use it in place of the anti-sickness medicine your cancer team has prescribed.
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor if vomiting lasts more than two days, if you cannot keep fluids down, or if you are peeing much less than usual. Get help the same day for a rash, yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, or deep tiredness while taking it. Go to emergency if your vomit has blood in it or looks like coffee grounds, if you have severe belly pain, or if a child is limp, floppy or very drowsy.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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