ABSTRACT
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32.1 INTRODUCTION
Many Western medicines contain natural products or their extracts, and a resurgence of interest in these products has recently occurred, particularly with regard to Oriental medicines. Herbal products, including traditional Chinese medicines and Kampo drugs, have been used for centuries in Asian countries to prevent a variety of ailments, thus indirectly reducing treatment costs through disease prevention. The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged member countries to develop new medicines that combine the ancient arts of herbs with modern pharmaceutical sciences. Oriental medicines are a widely accepted means of healing even in high-technology societies in Asia. In Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea, and other Asian nations, the old and new medicines have been practiced in parallel since the 1970s. In many scientific laboratories, researchers use advanced technology to analyze the properties of herbs to search for active ingredients. Intensive research programs on plant medicines have been conducted in Japan, China, Germany, and other areas; however, to most Westerners, herbal products are mysterious medicines because the active components are often poorly characterized and the mechanisms of action frequently misunderstood.
