Looking at Pansiron’s blue, green and pink packs in a Japanese drugstore? Start with what is bothering you: heaviness after a large meal, or heartburn with acid coming back up. Then check age, medical conditions and other medicines before choosing a formula.
I’m Irene, a Taiwan-born, Japan-licensed pharmacist working in a Japanese drugstore. Let’s match the full product name to the form and directions, so a familiar-looking box does not lead to the wrong dose.
Product information checked: 12 October 2026. This guide covers products sold in Japan; directions may differ in other markets.
A quick starting point, with the important limits first
Seek emergency care for sudden or severe abdominal pain, vomiting blood, black tar-like stools, or chest pain with sweating, breathlessness or dizziness. Do not first try a stomach medicine and wait. Frequent heartburn, difficulty swallowing, repeated vomiting or unexplained weight loss also need medical assessment.
If you are pregnant or could be pregnant, breastfeeding, receiving medical treatment, have kidney disease or receive dialysis, or already take medicines, speak to a pharmacist before choosing. Both Cure SP forms must not be used during pregnancy or possible pregnancy, and you must not drive or operate machinery after taking them.
Once those checks are clear:
- Heaviness after overeating or a fatty meal: compare 01 Plus, a combination that includes digestive enzymes. Age-based doses start at 5 years.
- Mainly acid-related heartburn, stomach pain or nausea: compare Cure SP, after checking its pregnancy, driving and medicine-combination restrictions. Both forms are for ages 15 and over.
- Heaviness even after a small meal: compare Active55 granules, another enzyme-containing formula. Age-based doses start at 3; “55” is not the minimum age.
- Need a water-free option: Cool NOW can be chewed or dissolved in the mouth. It is for ages 15 and over, taken on an empty stomach before or between meals.
The labelled uses overlap. These starting points do not diagnose the cause of your symptoms. Package pictures below are for identification and are not to scale.
Match the full name on the pack
01 Plus: an enzyme-containing option for post-meal heaviness
01 Plus combines digestive enzymes, antacids, stomach-lining ingredients and herbal ingredients. Its enzymes are Biodiastase 2000, Prozyme 6 and Lipase AP6. Other ingredients include L-glutamine, aldioxa, liquorice, ginseng, cinnamon and Scopolia extract, labelled ロートエキス in Japanese.
Digestive enzymes are a useful distinction when comparing products for uncomfortable fullness after food. More ingredients do not establish greater effectiveness. The Scopolia-containing formula also has breastfeeding and medical-condition restrictions, covered below.
Look for 01プラス or 01+. The separate product called 01錠 is not covered by these granule directions.
Cure SP: choose granules or tablets only after checking the restrictions
Cure SP combines pirenzepine, which suppresses acid secretion, with antacids, aldioxa and citrus peel. It does not contain the digestive-enzyme combination found in 01 Plus or Active55.
The two forms have the same seven active ingredients in the same amounts per adult daily dose: three sachets versus six tablets. That means one sachet or two tablets per dose. Their inactive ingredients differ; both contain aspartame and require consultation for phenylketonuria.
Granules avoid swallowing tablets; tablets may suit someone who dislikes loose granules. Both require water or lukewarm water. Cure SP tablets are not the water-free chewable option. Do not assume that granules will relieve everyone’s symptoms faster.
Active55 granules: the number is not an age restriction
This formula also contains three digestive enzymes, with Lipase AP12 as its lipase, alongside citrus peel, magnolia bark, cinnamon, liquorice and antacids. Unlike 01 Plus, it has no added Scopolia extract. Rohto says sodium and aluminium are not added as medicinal raw ingredients, but may be present from herbal ingredients. That does not justify an absolute “sodium-free” or “aluminium-free” claim, or self-selection by someone with kidney disease.
This article covers the sachets. Active55 ST is a separate small-particle presentation; do not apply sachet amounts to it.
Cool NOW: water-free, with different timing
Cool NOW is a cool-mint chewable tablet: chew it or let it dissolve in your mouth. Its formula contains antacids, aldioxa, a water-soluble azulene ingredient and Scopolia extract. The cooling sensation describes how it feels, not comparative medicine strength.
Remember its timing: before meals or between meals on an empty stomach. “Take all stomach medicines after food” would give you the wrong directions here.
How to take them
For adults aged 15 and over, each product is taken three times daily. Amounts below are per dose. Do not take a whole day’s amount at once or combine these products yourself.
| Product | Adult amount per dose | How and when |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Plus granules | 1 sachet | With water or lukewarm water; after meals, between meals or at bedtime |
| Cure SP granules | 1 sachet | With water or lukewarm water; before or after meals |
| Cure SP tablets | 2 tablets | With water or lukewarm water; before or after meals |
| Active55 granules | 1 sachet | With water or lukewarm water; after meals, between meals or at bedtime |
| Cool NOW | 1 tablet | Chew or dissolve in the mouth; before or between meals on an empty stomach |
“Between meals” means about two to three hours after eating, not during a meal. The alternative timing options are not permission to add extra doses.
Children need the correct age row
Both Cure SP forms and Cool NOW must not be given to anyone under 15. The table below covers only 01 Plus and Active55 granules. Both are taken three times daily under a parent’s or guardian’s supervision.
| Age | 01 Plus per dose | Active55 granules per dose |
|---|---|---|
| 11–14 years | 2/3 sachet | 2/3 sachet |
| 8–10 years | 1/2 sachet | 1/2 sachet |
| 5–7 years | 1/3 sachet | 1/3 sachet |
| 3–4 years | Do not use | 1/4 sachet |
| Under 3 | Do not use | Do not use |
An age-listed dose does not mean every childhood stomach ache is suitable for self-treatment. Ask about the cause first. If you divide a sachet of 01 Plus or Active55, fold the opening closed and use the remainder within two days. Do not take extra simply to finish it.
Check these restrictions before buying
01 Plus and Cool NOW
- Do not use during dialysis or combine with gastrointestinal pain-relief/antispasmodic medicines.
- Do not take while breastfeeding, or avoid breastfeeding if taking the medicine. Discuss a suitable alternative with a healthcare professional rather than planning a feeding interruption yourself.
- Consult first if pregnant or possibly pregnant, older, receiving medical treatment, or with a history of medicine-related allergies, difficulty urinating, kidney or heart disease, glaucoma or thyroid dysfunction.
Both Cure SP forms
- Do not use if previously allergic to the product or its ingredients, pregnant or possibly pregnant, or receiving dialysis.
- Do not combine with gastrointestinal pain-relief/antispasmodic medicines or motion-sickness medicines.
- Do not drive or operate machinery after a dose; blurred vision or unusual sensitivity to light may occur.
- Consult first if breastfeeding, older, receiving medical treatment, or with previous medicine-related allergies, difficulty urinating, glaucoma, kidney disease, thyroid dysfunction or phenylketonuria.
Active55 granules
Consult first if receiving medical treatment, with previous medicine-related allergies, kidney disease or thyroid dysfunction. Its warnings differ from the other formulas. Its Class 3 OTC status does not make it a routine supplement suitable for everyone. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, or before giving it to a child, ask a pharmacist to check the individual situation.
Show the pharmacist all other stomach medicines, painkillers, prescriptions and supplements you take. Spacing doses by a few hours does not automatically resolve a combination problem.
When to stop
All five labels say to stop and consult if symptoms have not improved after about two weeks. 01 Plus, both Cure SP forms and Cool NOW also explicitly prohibit prolonged continuous use. This is not a two-week course you must finish: worsening or recurrent symptoms need assessment sooner.
Stop and seek advice for rash, redness or itching with any of these products. Stop 01 Plus or Cool NOW if dry mouth persists or worsens.
With Cure SP, stop and seek advice for nausea, bloating, palpitations, difficulty urinating or blurred vision. Persistent or worsening constipation, diarrhoea or dry mouth also require stopping. Breathing difficulty, hives or hoarseness soon after a dose, or sudden high fever, chills or a sore throat, require immediate medical care because the leaflet lists potentially serious reactions.
Common shopping questions
Is Cure SP a treatment for diagnosed reflux disease?
Its labelled uses include stomach pain and heartburn, but a box cannot establish a diagnosis or replace a treatment plan for reflux disease. Frequent symptoms or trouble swallowing need medical assessment.
Can I take it every day before a big meal, or to protect my stomach from painkillers?
Do not use these as routine prevention or assume they make a painkiller safe. Check the actual symptoms and medicine combination first. Repeated discomfort needs a cause identified.
Which pack should I bring home?
Write down the intended user’s age, symptoms, conditions and current medicines, then choose the full product name and form. Pack size, ingredient count and cooling sensation cannot replace that check. If Cabagin is also on your list, see the Cabagin Alpha Plus tablets and granules guide; do not stack different stomach medicines yourself.
Official sources and health information
Checked on 12 October 2026.
- Rohto’s Japanese Pansiron range
- 01 Plus product information and leaflet
- Cure SP granules product information and leaflet
- Cure SP tablets product information and leaflet
- Active55 granules product information and leaflet
- Cool NOW product information and leaflet
- Rohto’s product-selection FAQ
- NHS: stomach pain, chest pain, heartburn and acid reflux
Product and granule photographs: Rohto Pharmaceutical’s official website. This shopping and medicine-information guide cannot replace individual diagnosis. Check the Japanese package and leaflet supplied with the product before taking it.
