(抑肝散)

Summary: Calms the nervous system. Used for irritability, insomnia, anxiety, and increasingly for dementia-related behavioral symptoms.

Yokukansan (YKS) is a traditional Japanese Kampo herbal medicine extract approved by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, to treat emotional irritability, neurosis, insomnia, as well as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. It contains a blend of seven medicinal herbs: Atractylodes lancea, Poria, Cnidium, Uncaria hook, Japanese Angelica, Bupleurum, and Glycyrrhiza. YKS is used to treat neurosis, insomnia, as well as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.

A trial was conducted on 21 healthy Japanese volunteers at the Kochi Medical University. Three active compounds of Yokukansan, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), geissoschizine methyl ether (GM), and hirsuteine (HTE), were administered.

In this and other studies YKS shows signs to improve symptoms that are similar to BPSDs, including aggressiveness, hallucinations, anxiety, and sleep disturbance, as well as negative symptoms. YKS can interact with various brain regions, including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and spinal cord, dysfunctions of which are related to psychiatric symptoms, cognitive deficits, abnormal behaviors, and dysesthesia (1).

Other studies confirm that YKS interacts with the brain such as the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and spinal cord. YKS has neuroprotective effects and promoting effects on neuroplasticity, including neurogenesis (2).

YKS tested to reduce aggressiveness, anxiety, sleep deprivation, allergy/ dermatitis, and cognitive dysfunction (mostly in mice studies) (2).

1) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4495062/

2) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5359390/

3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/yokukansan