The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has a medical herb garden on Sugitani Campus. Together with the Faculty and the school that preceded it, the garden was moved to Sugitani from Sogawa, Okuda, and Teramachi. Approximately 2,000 kinds of medical herbs are grown here, forming one of the largest herb gardens owned by a school of pharmacy in Japan. When we talk about medicinal herbs, many people think of Chinese herbal medicine. But botanical cells produce drugs to treat ailments ranging from colds to cancers. Each plant can almost be thought of as a small chemical factory. Having 2,000 different medical herbs thus brings the possibility of synthesizing 2,000 different drugs.
So much for the serious talk. The Medical Herb Garden also works as a natural green zone on campus. It is popular with teaching staff and students, who can often be seen walking through it on sunny days. Unlike a typical botanical garden, this garden doesn't grow plants simply for decoration. Even so, the changing seasonal colors are pleasing to the eye, and a stroll through the garden at least once is recommended. If you're lucky, you may encounter other visitors to the garden, such as rabbits and raccoons.

(Fumiya Kurosaki)