Can Yokukansan Make Tinnitus Better?

[OppsallT]

Effects of Yoku-kan-san on undifferentiated somatoform disorder with tinnitus

Up to the present, there have been few strategies that are completely effective in treating undifferentiated somatoform disorder with tinnitus. We herein report that Yoku-kan-san (TJ-54), one of Japan's traditional herbal medicines, is an effective treatment for tinnitus in undifferentiated somatoform disorder complicated with headache and insomnia. TJ-54 has been also used as an effective treatment for insomnia and irritability in recent centuries and is considered to have some effects on the excitability of nerves. Further studies are needed to confirm the efficacies of Japanese herbal medicines.

Yokukansan is a Japanese Kampo traditional medicine, comparable to Traditional Chinese Medicine, but... is readily available packaged over the counter in drugstores in Japan! It seems moreso marketed towards people with teeth grinding issues. I have purchased this myself and am potentially seeing some benefits. It comes in either as pills or water-soluble packets - I bought the pill kind.

I've been taking it about a week and a half, but unfortunately misjudged the dosage/package size, so I will need to purchase more to continue to see if it helps. So far I've had overall less volume and some days with no (!!!) noticeable tinnitus at all. But it hasn't been constant, and to be fair I am taking it alongside other supplements.

With the research, there was an story that taking Yokukansan (YKS) cured a woman, who'd been suffering from tinnitus for 3 years, after taking YKS for only two weeks. Sounds too good to be true but hey, why not try. I personally do not know a ton about traditional medicine, but Japan has very strict drug safety standards, many things regularly prescribed in the US are banned or controlled substances there. All that is to say that if it's deemed safe enough to sell at corner stores I personally feel comfortable trying it.

If anyone's interested, I will try to post some images from the box I'm taking. If you order, the packaging comes with health warnings/dosage information/ingredients etc. I'd recommend using the Google translate app on your phone, it has a camera mode that will translate the text on the box. YKS contains liquorice plant so use caution if you have high blood pressure.

 

[Jennifer A]

Can you please give information on the medicine and picture of the box. Where can we order it from?

 

[AverageJoe12]

Is there any way of ordering Yokukansan to the US?

 

[OppsallT]

Yes, I'm in the US and I ordered it here.

I was in Japan a few months ago and wish I'd heard of it then, I'd have brought a ton back lol because this price online is very marked up plus the shipping fee is high but still if it helps, it helps! The powder might be more affordable but I haven't tried it. It's also available online if you Google it.

Keep in mind I've found out that the full adult dose of these pills is 4 x 3 times a day, therefore a a 48 pill box won't last long.

 

[OppsallT]

An update:

I FINALLY got my next shipment of this. Unfortunately due to the delay I was not expecting such a gap in treatment and it's basically starting over, and I'm for whatever reason not getting the same level of relief I got when I was taking this before - but I don't know if there's other factors at play right now. (I'm in that big SoCal winter storm right now and my tinnitus has been the worst it's been in a month - wondering if it's just the weather/atmospheric pressure making it flare up.)

I started my first round of YKS a month ago, and I had near-instant relief within 3-4 days. Now I'm 4 days in again and not getting that. I will continue... I really hope it turns around this time.

I'm incredibly disheartened and the depression is back now. This was the only thing giving me hope.

I still think it's worth a try for folks as my first round overall made my "baseline" lower but I'm not seeing any gains on round 2 so far.

 

[vedacia]

It is possible that the treatment effectiveness is being impacted by external factors.

I've tried herb-based medicine similar to this one, and it has unfortunately not yielded much good results; this is intriguing enough to put a pin in, though. Maybe taking YKS in tandem with something else (tea, vitamins, whatever that feels like it would help) could have some interesting results.

Don't lose hope. If it helps, even just a little, that's a good sign.

 

[OppsallT]

I've been meaning to update here, thanks for the reminder.

I am still taking this and I do genuinely believe that it helped me lower my volume overall - but not a total "cure" yet unfortunately, and I think I've plateaued in terms of reduction with YKS. It lowered my volume quite a bit but not to a level I'm happy with (granted the only level I'm happy with is GONE! haha.)

I'd still recommend a try if people are interested. I'd imagine this is more helpful to those with somatic tinnitus, only because this product is marketed towards those with teeth grinding issues. (Hence why there's cartoony teeth on the box, haha.)

 

[Tweaker]

Who else has tried this?

 

[Tweaker]

→ Reviewing Kampo medicine (Traditional Japanese Herbal Medicine) for otology/neurotology diseases

Interesting article.

 

[OppsallT]

Very interesting! I'd be interested to try another formulation as well. I'm planning a trip there (unrelated to the tinnitus), possibly later this year... I wonder if I should try seeing a doctor while I'm there.

 

[Tweaker]

Very interesting! I'd be interested to try another formulation as well. I'm planning a trip there (unrelated to the tinnitus), possibly later this year... I wonder if I should try seeing a doctor while I'm there.

If you are unable to see a doctor, a pharmacist may be the next best thing.

 

[OppsallT]

I stopped taking the YKS for a day or two after some wonderfully quiet days and had a huge spike today. I'm not sure if it's related or just noise exposure at work, but either way, I'm taking it again!

 

[Dizzyhead888]

I stopped taking the YKS for a day or two after some wonderfully quiet days and had a huge spike today. I'm not sure if it's related or just noise exposure at work, but either way, I'm taking it again!

Are you still on Yokukansan?

 

[Pimpernel]

The latest review is from last year. How is it now? Is it good, and what about the side effects?

 

[HighleyTall]

Interesting because it seems to be used for the treatment of epilepsy as well. Maybe this is a natural Clonazepam.

I ordered it from hommi.jp.

 

[momus]

I FINALLY got my next shipment of this. Unfortunately due to the delay I was not expecting such a gap in treatment and it's basically starting over, and I'm for whatever reason not getting the same level of relief I got when I was taking this before - but I don't know if there's other factors at play right now. (I'm in that big SoCal winter storm right now and my tinnitus has been the worst it's been in a month - wondering if it's just the weather/atmospheric pressure making it flare up.)

That gap may have had something to do with it, or it might not—there's no way to know.

Labs rigorously test carefully selected patients to determine whether their product is safe and effective. But if you're like me, our version of rigorous control might be just making sure we get the date right!

Most of us tend to immediately jot down a tinnitus spike, but when things are going smoothly, the entries become less frequent.

 

[HighleyTall]

The package arrived today, straight from Japan. Mine (Tsumura No. 54) consists of small bags of powder. I'm supposed to take it twice a day before a meal with some lukewarm water. I must be desperate.

 

[Arnaudswiss]

The package arrived today, straight from Japan. Mine (Tsumura No. 54) consists of small bags of powder. I'm supposed to take it twice a day before a meal with some lukewarm water. I must be desperate.

I just ordered mine. Will you report back here on how it's going for you and share any instructions on how to use it? Thanks!

 

[vilebubbles]

The package arrived today, straight from Japan. Mine (Tsumura No. 54) consists of small bags of powder. I'm supposed to take it twice a day before a meal with some lukewarm water. I must be desperate.

Please update. I also have ear, head, and face pain, along with awful tinnitus. I'm desperate.

 

[HighleyTall]

I just ordered mine. Will you report back here on how it's going for you and share any instructions on how to use it? Thanks!

I will update you. I took the first dose today. Starting tomorrow, I will take one at breakfast and one at dinner.

It looks like magnesium is also included as a supplement, so I will stop taking my other Magnesium tablets. The contents appear to be small granules. I'm not sure if they need to be crushed or dissolved in water.

 

[HighleyTall]

The licorice component in YKS (Glycyrrhiza) can cause pseudoaldosteronism, leading to low potassium and high blood pressure. Since I take medication for blood pressure, I'll need to monitor it closely.

 

[ErikaS]

@HighleyTall, I'm not sure how much licorice is in this Chinese medicine, but I'm currently experiencing a significant spike after taking a GI supplement that contains 350 mg of licorice root per serving.

I took the supplement for three to four days before my spike led me to research its ingredients and read up on licorice root. Once I made the connection, I stopped taking it completely. My ears haven't spiked like this in a long time, so just be mindful that larger amounts of licorice root extract may have this side effect.

 

[tobyharrixon]

Hi guys. This is my first time posting here, but I was inspired by this thread and got some YKS myself — this one. I haven't noticed any improvements yet. I noticed nobody else mentioned this brand of YKS, but they should all do a similar thing, right?

 

[silvia]

I got some from "Goods of Japan." They are small tablets, but they make me very sleepy, so I'm going to try taking them at night.

 

[Arnaudswiss]

I will update you. I took the first dose today. Starting tomorrow, I will take one at breakfast and one at dinner.

It looks like magnesium is also included as a supplement, so I will stop taking my other Magnesium tablets. The contents appear to be small granules. I'm not sure if they need to be crushed or dissolved in water.

Hello,

I hope you are doing well.

How is it going with the supplement on your side?

Thanks!

 

[Arnaudswiss]

Hi guys. This is my first time posting here, but I was inspired by this thread and got some YKS myself — this one. I haven't noticed any improvements yet. I noticed nobody else mentioned this brand of YKS, but they should all do a similar thing, right?

Are you still taking YKS? Have you noticed any effects? Thanks!

 

[Arnaudswiss]

I got some from "Goods of Japan." They are small tablets, but they make me very sleepy, so I'm going to try taking them at night.

Hello @silvia,

May I ask if you are still taking Yokukansan, and if you have noticed any progress?

Thanks

 

[kingsfan]

Yokukansan (YKS) contains several active ingredients that contribute to its pharmacological effects. These include geissoschizine methyl ether (GM) and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), which are found in Uncaria hook and Glycyrrhiza respectively. GM and GA have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain, with GM predominantly distributed in the frontal cortex and GA in the hippocampus These ingredients are responsible for several pharmacological actions of YKS, including effects on neurotransmissions and neuroprotection.

18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid (GA)

18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid (GA) has shown promising effects on brain health and function. It has been found to ameliorate depressive-like behavior induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in rats, reducing neuroinflammation and improving brain neurotransmitter concentrations via activation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) signaling pathway in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus Additionally, GA has been demonstrated to protect against oxidative and histological damage in brain tissue caused by global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, indicating its potential neuroprotective effects

GA also shows potential in treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Researchers have formulated GA in lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) for enhanced nose-to-brain delivery, aiming to elucidate its neuroprotective effects in Alzheimer's disease

Furthermore, GA has been studied for its ability to inhibit apoptosis and enhance BMP-7 epigenetically through targeting HDAC2 in renal tubular epithelial cells, suggesting its potential therapeutic value in various neurological conditions

Geissoschizine Methyl Ether (GM)

Geissoschizine methyl ether (GM) is an alkaloid found in Uncaria hook, a component of the traditional Japanese medicine Yokukansan. It has been shown to improve behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in patients with various types of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

GM can cross the blood-brain barrier and distribute throughout the brain parenchyma, including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, thalamus, amygdala, cerebellum, and cerebral ventricle It has been found to bind to multiple serotonin (5-HT) receptor subtypes, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, 5-HT2C, 5-HT4, 5-HT5A, 5-HT6, and 5-HT7 receptors GM acts as a partial agonist at the 5-HT1A receptor and an antagonist at the 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT7 receptors

In addition to its effects on serotonin receptors, GM also exhibits partial agonist activity at the dopamine D2L receptor and antagonistic activity at the serotonin 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT7 receptors, similar to the third-generation antipsychotic drug aripiprazole

GM has been shown to protect neurons from glutamate-induced oxidative cytotoxicity by regulating mitochondrial function and suppressing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation This effect is linked to the 'neuronal Warburg effect', where GM reduces mitochondrial respiration in favor of less efficient ATP production via glycolysis, thereby preventing oxidative stress

These properties of GM make it a potential candidate for treating neurodegenerative conditions and BPSD

Serotonin agonist and antagonist. I'd be careful with anything that acts on Serotonin as it's a known catalyst for tinnitus.

 

[silvia]

Hello @silvia,

May I ask if you are still taking Yokukansan, and if you have noticed any progress?

Thanks

I have not started taking it again. I am uncertain because fatigue is an issue for me. However, I am considering trying it again since my tinnitus has been spiking for several weeks. Good luck.