A Study on Manufactured Kampo Extracted Herbal Drugs

Kampo-extracted herbal drugs are available today in pharmacies or drug stores. Among them are several commercial drugs containning the same composition of ingredients. It is reported that they might be even diversified in quality by the difference in the origin of herbal crude materials, the preservation techniques, the manufacturing process or other cases. And there may be a possible existence of microbes in crude herbs used for them. We made therefore fact-finding tests with 4 drugs of Shoseiryu-toh granule or aqueous extracts, which are available commercially. First, from Syakuyaku (Paeony root), Kanzo (Glycyrrhiza) and Mao (Ephedra herb), the analyses of major ingredients such as Paeoniflorin, Glycyrrhizin and Ephedrine were made to determine the quantity of each ingredient by a high-speed liquid chromatography. Secondly the observation and count of bacteria was examined by cultivating them with these drugs in agar medium. The comparison of products by the analysis showed that the quantity of each ingredient differed by products; furthermore, the count test of bacteria number proved that some products held a possibility of microbial contamination.