Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
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Choijokito is a herbal mix from Kampo, the herb tradition of Japan. Its name means "Stomach-Regulating Purgative Decoction." A purgative is a strong laxative, and a decoction is a tea boiled from herbs.
It is used for short-term constipation when your belly feels full and tight. In Kampo it counts as a single drug. That means the whole mix is one product, not something you blend yourself.
The formula has been in use for about 1,800 years. But we could not find human trials of this mix, so its effect in people is not proven. Long use is not proof that a remedy works.
It is the mildest of the three classic "purgative" formulas in this family. Even so, it holds a stimulant laxative herb and licorice. That pairing makes it a short-term aid, not a daily habit.
Choijokito is thought to work as a laxative. Rhubarb root holds compounds that make the gut wall push stool along. Mirabilite is a salt that pulls water into the bowel, so stool turns soft.
Licorice is added to soften the action and ease cramps. That is the traditional view of the mix.
This fits what lab work shows about these plants. It has not been checked in trials of the whole formula, so treat it as a theory, not a proven path.
Most people take it as granules or a powder that you stir into hot water. Japanese makers sell set doses in sachets.
You can also boil the raw herbs into a tea, which is the classic way. Tablets and capsules are sold too.
Strength differs a lot by maker. Read each label and stick to one product at a time.
Choijokito comes from the Shang Han Lun, a Chinese text from about 200 CE. Chinese herbalists call it Tiao Wei Cheng Qi Tang.
It reached Japan with other Chinese texts and became part of Kampo. Kampo doctors kept it as the mildest of the three "Cheng Qi" purgative formulas.
Japan lists it today as an approved herbal product with a set recipe.
See a doctor soon if you have no bowel movement after three days on it, or if constipation has lasted more than two weeks.
Get help the same day for severe belly pain, vomiting, a hard swollen belly, or blood in your stool.
Also get checked if you feel unusually weak or tired, your legs or face puff up, or your heartbeat feels fast or uneven. These can be signs your potassium has dropped too low.
And see a doctor before using it at all if you have lost weight without trying, or your bowel habits changed suddenly.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
Reviewed by the HealisticMD editorial team How we grade evidence →
The published evidence for Choijokito is weak or absent. That usually means no controlled trial has tested it, not that a trial found it ineffective — the two are different, and we grade only what has been published.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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