page_title: Hanaoka Seishū
section_title: Formulation of tsūsensan
hierarchical_section_title: Hanaoka Seishū / Formulation of tsūsensan
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Stechapfel. A blühender und fruchtender Stengel in natürl. Grösse; 1 Blüthe von einem Theil der Krone befreit, desgl.; 2 Staubgefäss, vergrössert; 3 unterer Theil des Fruchtknotens im Querschnitt, desgl.; 4 derselbe im Längsschnitt, desgl.; 5 von der Kapsel befreite Frucht, natürl. Grösse; 6 Samen, natürl. Grösse und vergrössert; 7 derselbe in der Richtung der Breitseite, durchschnitten, desgl.; 8 derselbe in der Richtung der schmalen Seite, durchschnitten desgl.; 9 reife geöffnete Frucht, natürl. Grösse. Latina: Datura stramonium. Русский: Дурман обыкновенный. A — побег с плодом и цветком; 1 — цветок без части венчика; 2 — тычинка; 3 — нижняя часть завязи в поперечном разрезе; 4 — то же в продольном разрезе; 5 — плод (коробочка) без створок; 6 — семя, в нат. величину и увелич.; 7 — то же в разрезе по широкой стороне; 8 — то же в разрезе по узкой стороне; 9 — спелая раскрывшаяся коробочка.
context_page_description: Hanaoka Seishū was a Japanese surgeon of the Edo period with a knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine, as well as Western surgical techniques he had learned through Rangaku. Hanaoka is said to have been the first to perform surgery using general anesthesia.
context_section_description: Hanaoka was intrigued when he learned about Hua Tuo's mafeisan potion. Beginning in about 1785, Hanaoka embarked on a quest to re-create a compound that would have pharmacologic properties similar to Hua Tuo's mafeisan. His wife, who participated in his experiments as a volunteer, lost her sight due to adverse side effects. After years of research and experimentation, he finally developed a formula which he named tsūsensan (also known as mafutsu-san). Like that of Hua Tuo, this compound was composed of extracts of several different plants, including:
  8 parts yang jin hua (Datura stramonium, Korean morning glory, thorn apple, jimson weed, devil's trumpet, stinkweed, or locoweed);
  2 parts bai zhi (Angelica dahurica);
  2 parts cao wu (Aconitum sp., monkshood or wolfsbane);
  2 parts chuān ban xia (Pinellia ternata);
  2 parts chuān xiōng (Ligusticum wallichii, Cnidium rhizome, Cnidium officinale or Szechuan lovage);
  2 parts dong quai (Angelica sinensis or female ginseng);
  1 part tian nan xing (Arisaema rhizomatum or cobra lily).
  Some sources claim that Angelica archangelica (often referred to as garden angelica, holy ghost, or wild celery) was also an ingredient.
  Reportedly the mixture was ground to a paste, boiled in water, and administered as a drink. After 2 to 4 hours the patient would become insensitive to pain and then lapse into unconsciousness. Depending on the dosage, they might remain unconscious for 6–24 hours. The active ingredients in tsūsensan were scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine, aconitine and angelicotoxin. When consumed in sufficient quantity, tsūsensan produced a state of general anesthesia and skeletal muscle paralysis.
  Shutei Nakagawa (1773–1850), a close friend of Hanaoka, wrote a small pamphlet entitled "Mayaku-ko" ("narcotic powder") in 1796. Although the original manuscript was lost in a fire in 1867, this brochure described the current state of Hanaoka's research on general anesthesia.
caption: Datura stramonium, also known as Korean morning glory, thorn apple or jimson weed)
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