Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Jidabokuippo is a Japanese Kampo herb blend. People take it for bruises, swelling and pain after a knock, a fall or a sprain. It is also used after some bone breaks and after surgery.
The name means, more or less, "the one formula for bruises". The Latin label used in some lists is Trauma formula. It is a mix of seven plant parts, not one herb, no matter what a product label says.
Long use in Japan is not the same as proof that it works. Human trials are small and few, so we grade the proof as low. Two parts of the mix, licorice root and rhubarb root, carry real risks, so read the safety part below.
No one has shown how it works in the body. Kampo teaching says it moves "stuck blood" and clears swelling after a blow. In plain words, it is meant to help the body clear a bruise faster.
Lab and animal work hints that some parts calm swelling. That work is not proof in people.
Two effects are not in doubt. Rhubarb root loosens the bowels. Licorice root can make the body hold salt and water, which raises blood pressure and drops potassium (a salt your heart and muscles need).
Most often you get a dry granule powder. You stir it into warm water and drink it. Some brands sell tablets or capsules instead.
In Japan it is a licensed drug, and a doctor can write a script for it. Outside Japan it is sold as a supplement. Quality varies, so check the label for how much licorice and rhubarb each dose holds.
The blend comes from Japan. A doctor named Kagawa Shuan wrote it down in the 1700s. It was built for falls, blows and sprains.
It has been a staple of Kampo care for more than 200 years. It is still widely used in Japan today, often in clinics that treat bones and joints.
Get urgent medical help if you feel muscle weakness, bad cramps, a fluttering or racing heartbeat, or if your face and ankles swell up. These can be signs that your potassium has dropped too low.
See a doctor soon if your skin or eyes turn yellow, your urine goes dark, or you feel deeply tired. Stop the herbs first.
Also see a doctor if a bruise keeps spreading, the pain gets worse, the limb goes numb or cold, or you cannot use it. Bruising that appears for no reason at all needs checking too.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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