Title of the centre:
WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine
Director / Head:
Professor Toshihiko Hanawa
Institution:
Oriental Medicine Research Centre (OMRC)
Kitasato University
Address:
5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku - 108-8642
108-8642
Town:
Tokyo
Country:
JAPAN
Region:
WPRO
Phone:
(81-3) 3444 6161 (Ext. 2500)
Fax:
(81-3) 3448 1438
Date of Designation:
11/Feb/1986
Last Redesignation:
11/Apr/2008
Expiry:
11/Apr/2012
Date of Discontinuation:
01/Jan/1900
Terms of Reference:
- To provide training opportunities for both foreign and national research scientists and promote information exchange.
The OMRC will provide training opportunities to both new and experienced researchers; to foreign research fellows as well as Japanese medical practitioners/researchers and students in the form of short- and long-term training courses. These activities will contribute to training programs conducted in the field of traditional medicine by the Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) (harmonization of traditional and modern medicine) of WHO.
- To carry out research on herbal medicine and acupuncture.
The OMRC will conduct research on the clinical use of traditional Japanese herbal medicine (Kampo medicine) and acupuncture/moxibustion, including scientific validation of traditional methods and criteria for diagnosis by using modern scientific methods, to develop integrated forms of medicine. These activities will contribute to the uniformity in the terminology used and to the establishment of clinical guidelines in the field of traditional medicine in collaboration with the WPRO of WHO.
- To develop research methodologies for the evaluation and quality standardization of herbal medicines.
Traditional herbal medicines are expected to exert holistic preventive effects as well as therapeutic effects, while modern drugs do not provide such holistic benefits. The OMRC will conduct basic scientific research on Kampo medicines, in order to understand the mechanism of action of these medicines. Research requires various viewpoints, and the development of a methodology for the scientific evaluation of these medicines. Further, it is important that herbal medicines in good quality should be produced and used in order to have expected pharmacological effects and clinical efficacy. Scientific understanding of mechanisms of action and their active ingredients will contribute to the methodological development in evaluating and ensuring their quality, efficacy and safety of herbal medicines. It will also support WHO's activities to promote research in herbal medicines regarding its efficacy, quality and safety.
- To make available a reference library providing literature on traditional medicine.
Traditional herbal medicine and physical treatment systems have evolved distinctively in China and Japan over many years under the influence of factors such as the climate and people’s constitution. Thus, among these two countries, there are currently many differences in the systems adopted by each country, although their remedies share the same origin. The accumulation of knowledge from old textbooks will not only provide an understanding of the history of the traditional medicine forms in each country but also clarify the origins of these forms, the changes they underwent in the course of history, and the differences in the herbs used between ancient times and the present. The OMRC will conduct studies on the contents of these ancient textbooks and literatures, which can still be found in Japan and China, and make these textbooks available so as to foster an accurate understanding of traditional technical terms and technical knowledge in this field. The OMRC can serve as a reference library in the field of traditional medicine and provide WHO and its Member States required data.
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Subjects:
- Traditional medicine
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Types of activity:
- Training and education
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WHO organization wide expected result:
Responsible Officer:
SAMDAN Narantuya
Phone:
Technical Counterpart:
Xiaorui ZHANG
Phone:
Registry file Ref:
Xiaorui ZHANG
Access to annual progress reports and the current workplan (this is accessible to WHO Staff Members only):
Link to eWork
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