Case studies · Traditional medicine · Japan, 1893
Tsumura and Kampo medicine
A Japanese company that turned traditional Kampo herbal formulas into standardized prescription medicines doctors use.
How big it got
Traditional formulas inside modern medicine.
approved Kampo prescriptions in Japan are made by Tsumura.
Source: Tsumura Integrated Report 2021What they did differently (our reading)
Standardize the formula, then teach doctors to use it.
Tsumura makes nearly every approved formula to a consistent standard and invests in teaching physicians to prescribe Kampo, so traditional medicine sits inside everyday clinical practice.
Your turn
What would it take for Thai traditional medicine formulas to be prescribed by everyday doctors?
- Standardized, tested versions of key Thai formulas
- Training for doctors on when Thai formulas help
- Clinical data that hospitals and insurers accept
These ideas are ours, to get you started.
Keep reading
More inspiration
HYROX
A standardized fitness race: eight 1 km runs, each followed by a workout station, run the same way in every city.
What would a Thai fitness format look like, one that anyone could race?Oatly
An oat drink brand built on an enzyme process for oats, sold as an everyday alternative to dairy.
Which Thai ingredient could become the world's next everyday drink or food?Mānuka honey and UMF
New Zealand honey sold by a numeric grade, UMF, that measures what is inside each jar.
Which Thai ingredient deserves its own grade, and who would run the test?Sources (2)
TLV is not affiliated with Tsumura and Kampo medicine. Figures marked company figure are the company's own.
Next step