11 of the Best-Selling Japanese Medicine Cabinet Staples - Medicine, First-Aid, and Skin Care

In Japan, Kyushin has been a popular over-the-counter medicine for generations, and the retro look of its unchanging, old-fashioned packaging is still eyecatching. The medicine's long history means that it has been a part of people's health care routines for almost a hundred years. Kyushin is made with nine different natural remedies that directly affect the muscle tissue of the heart, which they say strengthens the organ's ability to pump and circulate blood, and consequently reduces palpitations and shortness of breath. The medicine may also calm the sympathetic nervous system, helping to regulate and balance autonomic nerves, and even boost the circulation of more oxygen-filled blood throughout the body―stimulating the brain's ability to think clearly.

The small, easy-to-swallow pills are formulated to break down easily, and quickly absorb into the body. Kyushin is a medicine recommended for all kinds of situations: when climbing a long flight of stairs causes palpitations and shortness of breath; when you just can't seem to shake a bout of exhaustion from too much overtime at work; when a strenuous day of hiking or golfing in the hot sun has you zoning out and unable to concentrate; when the weather shifts and hot days or cold nights cause palpitations; when a long drive or plane flight leaves you feeling groggy; or even when menopause or a nervous system inbalance causes dizziness or palpitations.

Medical Classification: Schedule 2 (over the counter)
Pricing: 30 pills/2,200 yen | 60 pills/4,100 yen | 120 pills/7,600 yen | 310 pills/17,000 yen | 630 pills/31,000 yen
Effects/Benefits: Restorative properties, good for palpitations and shortness of breath.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

Introducing Kyushin Tablet, which has all the same effects and benefits of classic Kyushin, but in convenient tablet form. Thanks to its reported ability to help with the palpatations and shortness of breath that can come from the stress of the business world, Kyushin Tablet is especially popular among business professionals on the grind with lots of responsibilities. The tablets can come in handy for long flights or nerve-wracking presentations, but Kyushin Tablet is also popular for outings like hiking or golf.

Thanks to a film coating, the tablets don't have any of the strong odor or flavor often associated with Japan's natural remedies, and the lightweight plastic bottle is easy to keep on hand, so the medicine can be taken on the go. Stress, nervous system troubles, bad circulation, insufficient oxygen, a racing heart, shortness of breathーdoes one of the recommended uses for Kyushin Tablet seems right for you? For everyone just trying to tough it out, perhaps this is your opportunity to give Kyushin a try instead. The medicine's effects look like they could definitely come in handy when it comes to the discomfort that many travelers encounter, so if you're interested, why not pick up a bottle to try for yourself when you get to Japan? They even recently released an extra-large bottle of 60 tablets!

Medical Classification: Schedule 2 (over the counter)
Pricing: 9 tablets/1,400 yen | 30 tablets/4,100 yen | 60 tablets/7,600 yen
Effects/Benefits: Restorative properties, good for palpitations and shortness of breath.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

In this dizzying day and age, stress is inevitable. But this particular medicine has been around since a time over 60 years ago, when the Japanese borrowed word "stress" (ストレス) hadn't even become commonplace in the common vocabulary of Japan yet. Produced by Okuda Seiyaku, a pharmaceutical company with over 120 years of history, this product has now been a popular choice for decades. Okuda Cranial Nerve Medicine combines seven different Japanese natural remedies with three ingredients used in Western medicine, for a formula that they say works to fight the symptoms of stress and exhaustion, like dizziness, ringing in the ears, stiff neck and shoulders, headache, heavy-headedness, irritation, and anxiety.

Stress is lurking behind every corner these days, whether it comes from looking for a job, searching for (or losing) love, or even from tragedy: an accident, injury, or natural disaster. For plenty of people, this unavoidable stress takes a toll on the nervous system, throwing the body out of balance and causing symptoms like chronic headaches or ringing in the ears, casting a shadow over ever day. How are you feeling these days? How about your friends and family? Okuda Cranial Nerve Medicine is an easy to swallow sedative tablet, that can help relieve symptoms of stress and exhaustion. They say it's even good for your everyday stiff neck, so why not give it a try and see how it works for you?

 

Medical Classification: Schedule 2 (over the counter)
Pricing: 70 tablets/2,458 yen | 150 tablets/4,743 yen | 340 tablets/9,000 yen
Effects/Benefits: Good for ringing ears, dizziness, stiff neck and shoulders, irritation, headaches, heavy-headedness, hot flashes, and anxiety.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

Tsumura: over 120 years of history! The company is one of Japan's top manufacturers of "kampo," traditional Chinese medicine, and they've been at the forefront of the Japanese kampo industry, pushing forward and producing multiple popular products like Chujoto, and Bathclin. When it comes to kampo that supplements your energy and general well-being, though, Tsumura-Kamp Hochuekkito Extract Granules is their top candidate. This kampo is made for anyone dealing with a lack of appetite or energy, and those who feel sluggish, weak, or easily-exhausted. They also recommend it for when a cold is dragging on for far too long, when you can't quite seem to shake an illness, or when post-surgery recovery is just sapping you of all your strength.

With its roots in Chinese medical tradition, this kampo is made to tackle "qi xu" (気虚), quite literally the lack of "qi" or chi (気) that is the energy at the root of life in traditional Chinese medicine. By helping the stomach and intestinal tract with the process of digestion and nutrient absorption, they say this medicine helps your body produce the chi that builds a strong body. On top of that, it has been seen to help with the loss of appetite that can come from intense summer heat―especially relevant during this season. There are plenty of people who suffer from both that loss of appetite and the fatigue that comes from the extremes of air conditioning, so if that sounds familiar to you, this might just be a good option to try out! This kampo medicine contains ten different natural remedies, including ginseng, Mongolian milkvetch, and Atractylodes lancea (a source of "cāng zhú" in Chinese herbal medicine), so give it a try if it's piqued your interest!
 
Medical Classification: Schedule 2 (over the counter)
Pricing: 10 packets (5 days)/1,800 yen | 48 packets (24 days)/4,300 yen
Effects/Benefits: Good for a weak constitution, fatigue/malaise, post-illness weakness, loss of appetite, night sweats, and the common cold.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

The Ohta Isan company has been around for over 140 years, mainly developing and producing antacids and stomach medicines. Their product Ohta Isan (sometimes called Ohta's Isan) is a composite of seven different natural remedies, all known to relieve stomach discomfort, and it's been a favorite in Japan for many years. When you've had a little too much to eat or drink, or when food is sitting a little too heavily in your stomach, frequent users say the medicine kicks regular digestion back into motion. The original Ohta Isan comes in powder form, and the aroma of the natural remedies and cooling menthol makes it easy to get down. Ohta Isan powder is packaged in two different ways: in a can with a small spoon, which is convenient for keeping in the house or on a desk, and also in individual packets. The individual portions are especially good keep with you when you're on the go―traveling, or even in a meeting.

Aside from the standard Ohta Isan antacid, they make a few other products for more specific stomach troubles. Ohta Isan A is recommended for discomfort after a particularly greasy meal. Ohta Isan Seichoyaku (AKA "Ohta Isan Drug for Controlling Intestinal Function") helps when your stomach and intestines just feel out of order, and can improve digestional problems like constipation or diarrhea. Ohta Kampo Ichoyaku Ⅱ(AKA "Ohta Chinese Herbal Gastrointestinal Medicine Ⅱ") is specially made for those who suffer from stress-related stomach problems, or anyone whose stomach troubles just never seem to disappear. All of their products can be found in just about any drug store, so keep an eye out!

(Read more about all of Ohta Isan's products here.)

Medical Classification: Schedule 2 (over the counter)
Pricing: 
Cans - 75g/680 yen | 140g/1,200 yen | 210g/1,680 yen
Individual Packets - 16 count/590 yen | 32 count/1,120 yen | 48 count/1,580 yen
Effects/Benefits: Good for heartburn, stomach discomfort and pain, indigestion, overeating, loss of appetite, bloating, nausea, and the discomfort that comes from heavy drinking
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

Strong Wakamoto is a gastrointestinal remedy that helps as an aid for three functions: digestion, intestinal regulation, and nutritional supplementation. While the Japanese diet once revolved around lots of plant-based dishes, the increasing abundance of a variety of foods in Japan has changed culinary culture. These days Western food has made its mark, and the average diet contains more high-fat, high-protein, low-fiber meals. Needless to say, this places extra burden on the gastrointestinal system. Strong Wakamoto is formulated to relieve some of that extra stress on the stomach, and return the digestive system to good health.

Using a formula made with an exclusive strain of aspergillus oryzae NK yeast to produce digestive enzymes, powdered lactobacillus culture to regulate the intestines, and brewers yeast packed full of the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids necessary for life, Strong Wakamoto takes the power of three naturally-sourced components and uses them to bring the digestive system back to normalcy and give the body energy. They say that on top of helping with stomach discomfort, indigestion, loss of appetite, and other common problems, it can also help with constipation and nutritional support by improving the stomach's general condition. Strong Wakamoto is sold in pill form and powder form, and the easy-to-take powder is only available in Japan! Do you know someone who might like this exclusive product as a souvenir?

Medical Classification: Designated Quasi-Drug
Pricing: 1,000 pills/2,500 yen | 300 pills/1,000 yen | 108 pills/500 yen | 24 packets/950 yen
Effects/Benefits: Good for stomach or abdominal discomfort, discomfort due to overeating, constipation or loose stool, heartburn, bloating, a weak constitution and those who are easily tired. Also for those considering nutritional supplementation during or after illness, pregnancy, or childbirth.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

Seirogan, with its easily-recognizable trumpet logo, has been popular in Japan for over 100 years. It's such a common name in the world of everyday remedies for diarrhea and food poisoning, we'd be surprised to find a Japanese person who's never even heard of it. The name Seirogan generally brings to mind a familiarly strong-smelling medicine. But Seirogan Toi-A, from the same brand, takes this plant-based remedy formulated around wood creosote, and uses a white sugar coating on each pill. That means that Seirogan Toi-A is just about odorless, which makes it an especially popular product. It's recommended for children five years and older, too.

On top of treating diarrhea that comes from eating or drinking too much, or even stress or cold weather, it can actually be quite helpful for issues that stem from a virus- or bacteria-based stomach bug! Most so-called "antidiarrheals" just about bring the intestinal system to a halt, so they're not recommended for issues caused by viruses or bacteria. But many say that Seirogan Toi-A gives them peace of mind, because it takes on your overactive intestines and returns them to their normal state. Anyone suffering from diarrhea is going to want to get over it as quickly as possible, so if you're reading this and thinking Seirogan might just come in handy, perhaps you'll want to pick up a bottle to have around the house. Seirogan Toi-A is easy to take and doesn't have any unpleasant odors, so it's handy to have with you in class or at the office, as well.

Medical Classification: Schedule 2 (over the counter)
Pricing: 36 pills | 84 pills (open pricing)
Effects/Benefits: Good for diarrhea or loose stool, vomiting, and food poisoning.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

Palmore is a nonsteroidal ointment that has gained quite a few loyal customers over the past 50 years, especially among Japanese women. The ointment works to promote the growth of new skin with a mix of pyridoxine dipalmitate (fat-soluble vitamin B6) and extract of fresh animal placenta, and it's been shown to be effective against all kinds of conditions that cause dry and irritated skin, helping to fix hands that are rough and cracked from housework, and moisturizing dry elbows, knees, and heels.

The ointment has a broad range of uses, including just about any time the skin needs a little extra care, and even dry or cracked lips. Palmore especially popular thanks to its year-round convenience. It's easy for skincare to slip your mind in the hot summer months, but you can keep a tube of Palmore on hand for skin dried by air conditioning and burned by the sun. When the cold weather rolls around, Palmore is of course useful for keeping skin moisturized and rejuvinated through Japan's dry winters. There are more than a few women in Japan who keep a little tube of Palmore tucked away in their purse throughout the year, as a convenient answer to all sorts of skin-related worries. You'll find the cute pink packaging on the web and in drugstores around Japan!

Medical Classification: Schedule 2 (over the counter)
Pricing: 7g/1,100 yen | 14g/1,900 yen
Effects/Benefits: Good for rough, dry hands, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, pityriasis rosea, sunburn, chapped lips, acne, rosacea, dry cracked skin, and general skin care.
Official Website (jp)

(New packaging due for release Sep. 1, 2020, shown on the right.) 

 

A Japanese standby, "Yuskin A" is changing its name and packaging. But even once it becomes the new "Yuskin", this yellow cream will keep the same popular formula, featuring vitamin B2 (riboflavin). Yuskin actually works to treat dry, cracked skin using a combination of four active ingredients, and the real benefit to using Yuskin is that it doesn't just moisturize skin―they say "the cream really heals rough, chapped skin." To make sure your skin stays nice and soft, moisturizing ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C are also added to the mix. From the moment it hits the skin, Yuskin promotes moisture and protects. If you like the way it feels, you can use it from head to toe! Yuskin recommends thoroughly massaging the cream into the skin before bed every night, to wake up each morning with velvety smooth skin.

Yuskin was created in response to the unanswered pleas of the many housewives whose housework was giving them dry, iritated skin, and the cream has proudly remained a popular choice ever since. It's not uncommon to see a bottle of Yuskin kept around the house, ready for use on the whole family's dry skin. It's easy to find in drugstores and online, so it's worth a try (and it's not a bad souvenir, either)!

Medical Classification: Designated Quasi-Drug
Pricing: 40g tube/530 yen | 80g tube/890 yen | 120g tub/1,240 yen | 180g pump bottle/open pricing | 180g refill pouch/open pricing
Effects/Benefits: Good for rough, dry skin, and chilblains.
Official Website (jp)

When it comes to a sore throat, Ryukakusan is an old favorite in Japan. For many, when something starts to feel off and there's a tickle at the back of the throat, Ryukakusan comes to mind. But that's no surprise―Ryukakusan has been a popular pharmaceutical manufacturer for over 200 years! While they have a few different products that have stuck around into this century, today we're looking at Ryukakusan Direct. Ryukakusan Direct contains six different natural remedies like platycodon (Chinese bellflower) and senega (in the milkweed family), which have expectorant properties, along with glycyrrhiza (licorice), which has anti-inflammatory properties. The medicine is taken without water, so the natural remedies absorb directly into the throat's mucus membrane and surrounding cilia. It's also effective at both suppressing a cough, and encouraging the expectoration of excess phlegm.

The "Stick" variety of Ryukakusan Direct comes in packets of fine powder, taken without water, which quickly melt right onto the throat "just like soft snow flakes," as they put it. It's helpful for when your throat starts to bother you, when you start to develop a cough, or even when you've just overused your voice, so of course they recommend you always carry a packet with you. The little packets are in convenient one-dose portions, making them easy to take with you when you leave the house (or when you travel). Taking care of your throat health is an important step towards preventing viruses! Ryukakusan Direct Stick comes in two flavors, mint and peach, and they each have the same medicinal effects, so you can always try whichever flavor sounds good to you at the moment.

Medical Classification: Schedule 3 (over the counter)
Pricing: 16 packets/700 yen
Effects/Benefits: Good for cough, excess phlegm, a sore throat, hoarse voice, and problems that come with throat irritation.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

Coloskin forms a strong barrier against water, the clear look passes unnoticed on the skin, and you definitely don't need a gauze bandage to use it! The liquid formula with added pyroxylin and camphor dries quickly after being applied to the skin, quickly turning into a clear film. This thin, clear film stops the germs from getting it, and it's been show to effectively protect injuries like small cuts, abrasions, hangnails, and cracked skin. The subtle look of a clear bandage is a popular point, too! They particularly recommend coloskin to anyone who works in an industry where appearance is important.

Coloskin has quite a few uses. For outdoorsy types out there, it's handy for little cuts and scrapes on a hike, or even when your shoes rub a little too much. For anyone who likes to go fishing, or even clamming, Coloskin can protect little wounds from the painful sting of saltwater. Coloskin is a constant companion for households that love sports or travel, or anyone that might find themselves hurt while doing farmwork and other outside labor, especially since the formula is strong against water. The flexible formula makes this liquid bandage work great on joints big and small, and once dried, the bandage stays strong against water and detergents, keeping wounds clean and hygeinic. Since it has so many uses, you can imagine having one for home, one for work, tubes to keep in your bag and tubes just for the kids. If you think you might need a handful, they do sell 2-packs of mini tubes as well!

Medical Classification: Schedule 3 (over the counter)
Pricing: 11ml/880 yen | Mini Tubes (5ml x 2)/1,200 yen
Effects/Benefits: Minor cuts, scratches, and scrapes, hangnails, chapped skin.
Official Website (jp)
English Product Listing

Onsen hot springs: the pride of Japan. Out of the many hot springs nationwide, these medicinal plasters were born from one of the top three onsen in Japan, Gero Onsen of Gifu Prefecture. The story of the Okuda Mataemon-ko specialty shop stretches back into history, having opened its doors at the end of Japan's Edo period. The shop and their medicinal formulas have been handed down through the generations over the past 150 years, finally taking the shape you see today. Look at Okuda's continued success through the years, we certainly get the impression that they've maintained a sterling reputation. Their Okudake Geroko medicinal plasters draw from the many years of history, utilizing natural remedies and kampo ingredients like Amur cork and the Chinese bayberry skin, and painting the medicine onto plasters made of local Mino washi paper. When placed onto body parts that suffer from chronic pain, like the lower back, joints, and sensitive nerves, the plasters are said to gradually, gently ease the pain. There are three varieties, so you can choose which best fits your needs: Black Geroko which works on chronic pain, White Geroko which has added camphor for anti-inflammatory effects, and Green Geroko which works on everything from acute pains to chronic aches.

If you're planning on picking up some Okudake Geroko, they recommend not only buying it at the local drugstore, but also making your way over to Gero Onsen itself! The company's original specialty store still maintains its 150-year-old facade and a collection of old historical documents. Making your way to Gero Onsen, enjoying the hot springs, and stopping by to pick up some medicinal plasters at the original Okuda Mataemon-ko specialty shop―the whole experience makes for a story to bring home with you, too!

Medical Classification: Schedule 3 (over the counter)
Pricing: 
Green ("Ace Plaster") - 10 sheets/1,600 yen
Black & White ("Geroko" & "Byakko") - 10 sheets/1,300 yen | 20 sheets/2,500 yen
Effects/Benefits: Good for bruises, sprains, stiff muscles and joints, sore muscles and nerve pain, and rheumatism.
Official Website (jp)