What is Shokenchuto?

Shokenchuto is a herb mix used in Kampo, the herbal medicine of Japan. It is sweet, because malt sugar is its biggest part. It is given most often to people with a weak, achy belly and low energy.

Kampo doctors pick it for people who tire fast, feel cold, and get belly cramps. It is a common choice for thin, pale children who eat poorly, cry at night, or wet the bed.

Long use is not the same as proof. Good human trials of Shokenchuto are few, so no one can say how well it works. This page treats its long history and its thin trial record as two separate things.

How does Shokenchuto work?

No one knows how Shokenchuto works. Kampo teaches that it warms the belly and eases a tight, cramping gut.

Lab work gives a few clues. Peony root and licorice root both relax smooth muscle (the muscle in the wall of the gut) in animal tests. Ginger and cinnamon bark are warming herbs used for upset stomachs.

Malt sugar adds calories and a sweet taste, which may help a child who eats little. None of these ideas has been proven in people in a strong trial.

What forms does Shokenchuto come in?

Most people take dried granules made by Japanese firms. Each sachet holds one dose, and you stir it into hot water.

A tea boiled from raw herbs is the older form. Tablets and capsules exist but are less common.

Products vary in strength. Check the label for how much kanzo (licorice root) each daily dose gives you.

Where it comes from:

The recipe comes from old Chinese medical books written around 200 CE. Its Chinese name is Xiao Jian Zhong Tang. Japanese doctors took it up and call it Shokenchuto, the romanised Japanese name.

It is one of the 148 Kampo formulas approved by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the national health insurance (NHI) list. That means doctors in Japan can prescribe it. It has been used in both Chinese and Japanese practice for many centuries.

What does Shokenchuto help with?

• Cramping belly pain in children: This is the classic use, and the one Japanese doctors reach for most. The idea is that the mix eases a tight, cramping gut in a child who is thin and tires easily. Published evidence is limited to small reports and doctor experience, not controlled trials.
• Belly pain with no clear cause in adults: Kampo doctors use it for a soft belly with tight muscles along the sides, plus cramping pain that eases with warmth. Any belly pain that is new, severe or lasting needs a medical check first. Trial evidence for this use is very thin.
• Weak appetite and low body weight: In Kampo, Shokenchuto is a build-you-up formula for people who eat little and stay thin. The malt sugar adds calories and makes it easy to swallow. No good human trial shows that it raises weight or appetite.
• Tiredness and feeling cold: Traditional use targets people who feel cold, tire fast and look pale. This is a pattern in Kampo, not a modern diagnosis. There is no trial evidence that it lifts energy, and lasting tiredness needs a doctor's check for causes such as low iron or thyroid problems.
• Bedwetting in children: Shokenchuto is a long-standing Kampo choice for bedwetting in a child who is thin and easily tired. The evidence is traditional use and small Japanese case reports. Bedwetting has many causes, so see a doctor before treating it at home.
• Night crying in babies and small children: Old Kampo texts list it for babies who cry hard at night and seem to have belly pain. This use rests on tradition alone. Never give it to a baby without a doctor's guidance, and get a baby who cries in pain checked first.

Which foods are rich in Shokenchuto?

1. Licorice sweets and licorice tea: the same glycyrrhizin as the kanzo in the formula, so they add to your daily licorice load
2. Malt syrup and barley malt extract: the same kind of sugar as koi, the main ingredient
3. Ground cinnamon: shares the warming compounds of keihi (cinnamon bark)
4. Fresh and dried ginger: the kitchen form of shokyo
5. Dried jujube dates: the food form of taiso

Practical Tips:

Food amounts of ginger, cinnamon and jujube are harmless, but keep an eye on licorice sweets and tea while you take this formula.

What are the side effects of Shokenchuto?

• Nausea or a full, heavy feeling in the stomach
• Loose stools or belly discomfort
• Skin rash, redness or itching
• Swelling in the face, hands or ankles
• Sudden weight gain from holding water
• Raised blood pressure
• Low potassium (a blood mineral your heart and muscles need)
• Muscle weakness, cramps or heavy legs
• Pseudoaldosteronism (a licorice reaction that raises blood pressure and lowers potassium) — rare but serious
• Liver problems, reported rarely with Kampo formulas; signs include yellow skin or eyes, dark urine and deep tiredness

Good to know:

Most people who take it for a short time have no trouble. Mild stomach upset and rash are the usual complaints.

The serious risks come from kanzo (licorice root). Licorice can make your body hold salt and water, push blood pressure up and drain potassium (a blood mineral). Low potassium can cause muscle weakness and, in bad cases, an uneven heartbeat.

Risk rises with a higher dose, longer use, older age, and when you take more than one licorice-containing product at once. Because of this, Shokenchuto is not a take-it-and-forget-it remedy.

How much Shokenchuto should you take?

• Recommended daily: In Japan, adults usually take about 15 g of the granule extract a day. It is split into two or three doses. Children take less. The right amount depends on age and weight, so a doctor or pharmacist must set it. That adult daily amount gives roughly 2 g of kanzo (licorice root). Add up any other licorice you take, from other Kampo formulas, sweets or tea.
• Best time of day: Two or three times a day, spread across the day. Many people take it before breakfast and before the evening meal.
• With or without food: Kampo practice is to take it warm on an empty stomach, about 30 minutes before food. If it upsets your stomach, take it with a meal instead.
• Time to effect: Cramping pain may ease within a few days to two weeks. Changes in appetite, weight or energy, if they come at all, take four to eight weeks.
• How long to take it: For belly cramps, review after two to four weeks. If nothing has changed by then, stop and talk to a doctor. Some people take it for months to build strength. If you do, ask your doctor to check your blood pressure and your potassium (a blood mineral) now and then.