Tsujimoto Market: Our Guarantees
Description
Seirogan — Taiko Pharmaceutical, 100 Pills
Overview
Seirogan (正露丸) is a Japanese household anti-diarrhoeal that has been on sale since 1902. It is not a food and not a supplement: it is a 第2類医薬品, a Class-2 Japanese over-the-counter medicine, registered with the Japanese authorities, and its active ingredient — wood creosote — is listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. We say this first because our own catalogue previously filed it under food products, and because the rules for carrying a medicine across a border are not the rules for carrying a snack.
Wood creosote acts on the large intestine by restoring water balance rather than by paralysing the gut, which is what separates it from loperamide-type products. The pills are soft, dark and strongly aromatic; the smell is the creosote and is normal. See also our Japanese digestive health and Japanese health products ranges.
Key Benefits
- ✓ Declared amounts, printed in full — wood creosote 400 mg, gambir 200 mg, phellodendron bark 300 mg, licorice 150 mg and dried tangerine peel 300 mg per nine pills, the maximum adult daily dose
- ✓ Works without stopping the gut — wood creosote regulates water balance in the large intestine rather than suppressing peristalsis, so normal bowel movement is not halted
- ✓ Covers the ordinary causes — the maker's indications include loose stools and diarrhoea from food, water, indigestion and chills
- ✓ Dosed down to age five — a published paediatric schedule from age 5, with a clear instruction not to give it below that age
- ✓ Toothache use is the maker's own — placing a pill in a decayed tooth is a listed indication, not a folk remedy, and it is a stop-gap until a dentist is seen
- ✓ Travel-sized glass bottle — 100 pills, shelf-stable, a standard item in Japanese home and travel first-aid kits for over a century
- ✓ Dispatched from our base in Kobe, Japan, with tracking
Product Details
| Brand | Seirogan (正露丸) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Taiko Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (大幸薬品) |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Product type | Anti-diarrhoeal, oral |
| Regulatory status in Japan | 第2類医薬品 — Class-2 over-the-counter medicine |
| Format | Soft pills (丸剤) — not tablets and not capsules |
| Pack size | 100 pills |
| Principal active | Wood creosote, Japanese Pharmacopoeia grade |
| JAN | 4987110001737 |
| Vendor | Tsujimoto Market, Kobe, Japan |
Who Is This For?
- Adults and children from age 5 who want a Japanese household remedy for ordinary diarrhoea from food, water, indigestion or chills
- Travellers assembling a first-aid kit — the pills are shelf-stable and the bottle is small
- Anyone who prefers a remedy that regulates intestinal water balance rather than one that suppresses gut movement
- People who already know the product from Japan and want the classic pill form rather than the sugar-coated or capsule versions
- Not for: children under 5, anyone with fever or blood or mucus in the stool, and anyone whose destination country restricts the import of over-the-counter medicines by post
How to Use
- Take after a meal, ideally within 30 minutes, with water or warm water.
- Adults aged 15 and over: 3 pills per dose.
- Ages 11–14: 2 pills. Ages 8–10: 1.5 pills. Ages 5–7: 1 pill. Under 5: do not give.
- For toothache, the maker's instruction is to place 1 to 1.5 pills temporarily into the cavity of the decayed tooth — and to see a dentist as soon as possible.
- Stop taking it and seek medical advice if symptoms do not settle, or if fever, blood or mucus appears.
Frequency: Three times daily after meals; do not exceed nine pills in 24 hours for an adult.
Full Ingredients
Active ingredients, per 9 pills (the maximum adult daily dose):
- Wood creosote (Japanese Pharmacopoeia) — 400 mg
- Gambir powder (Uncaria gambir) — 200 mg
- Phellodendron bark powder (Phellodendron amurense) — 300 mg
- Licorice powder — 150 mg
- Dried tangerine peel powder — 300 mg
Other ingredients: cinnamon bark powder, carmellose calcium (CMC-Ca), glycerin.
A note on creosote. Wood creosote is a beechwood distillate listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. It is not coal-tar creosote, the timber preservative, which is a different substance entirely and is not used in medicines. If you have read alarming material about "creosote", it almost certainly concerned the coal-tar product.
Cautions
- This is a Japanese over-the-counter medicine. Read the package insert before use and keep to the stated dose.
- Do not give to children under 5 years of age.
- Do not use if you have a fever, or if there is blood or mucus in the stool — see a doctor instead.
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.
- If using it for toothache, see a dentist as soon as possible; the pill relieves pain, it does not treat the tooth.
- If diarrhoea persists, worsens, or is accompanied by severe abdominal pain, stop and seek medical advice.
- Keep out of reach of children. Store dry and cool, away from sunlight and heat.
- The strong smell and dark colour come from the wood creosote and the crude drugs and are normal for this product.
Package Contents
1 × Seirogan, 100 pills, in the maker's sealed bottle, with the Japanese package insert.
Shipping & Store Notes
- Ships directly from Japan
- Processing time: 2–6 business days
- Tracking number provided after dispatch
- Import duties and taxes may apply depending on destination country
- This is a registered Japanese over-the-counter medicine. Several countries restrict or prohibit the import of medicines by post, including for personal use. Please check your own country's rules before ordering — we cannot refund a parcel seized by your customs authority
- Medicines cannot be returned once the seal is broken, for safety reasons
Authenticity Guarantee
Every product at Tsujimoto Market is sourced directly from Japan and verified for authenticity. We never sell fakes or grey-market goods. Each order is carefully packed in Kobe, Japan and dispatched with full tracking.
FAQ
Is Seirogan a medicine or a supplement?
It is a medicine — 第2類医薬品, a Class-2 Japanese over-the-counter medicine registered with the Japanese authorities. It is not a food and not a dietary supplement, and the import rules that apply to it are the ones for medicines.
Does it contain myrrh?
No. The 200 mg botanical in the formula is gambir (Uncaria gambir), a catechu extract used to settle intestinal movement. Myrrh is a resin from Commiphora and is not in Seirogan. A similar confusion attaches to "philodendron": the declared ingredient is phellodendron bark, from the Amur cork tree, while philodendron is an unrelated tropical houseplant.
What is wood creosote, and is it safe?
Wood creosote is a distillate of beechwood tar listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia and used as a medicine in Japan since the beginning of the twentieth century. It is not the same substance as coal-tar creosote, which is a wood preservative and is not used medicinally. As with any medicine, safety depends on taking the stated dose and observing the cautions.
Why does it smell so strong?
The smell and the dark colour are the wood creosote and the crude drug powders. They are characteristic of the product, not a sign that anything is wrong with the bottle you received.
How many pills are in the bottle, and how long does it last?
100 pills. An adult taking the full dose — 3 pills three times a day — uses 9 pills a day, so a bottle covers roughly eleven days of continuous use. Seirogan is intended for short episodes, not continuous use; if diarrhoea has not settled, see a doctor rather than continuing.
