Hard capsule

[0046] An aqueous sodium chloride solution containing a ginseng extract was prepared so that the water content was 74% or 78% and the water activity was 0.80 or 0.83. The solution was placed in #0 capsules made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and the joining portion of the capsule body and its corresponding cap was sealed with an aqueous ethanol solution of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, followed by drying in air. The resultant capsule samples were put in glass bottles, and stored at 40° C. for one month. Whether there had been any leakage of the internal solution from the hard capsules was visually checked. The results are shown in Table 1. Neither leakage of internal solution from the hard capsules nor change of the capsule shape was observed.

TABLE 1Water content (%)7478Water activity0.800.83Sodium chloride0.300.26concentration (g / mL)40° C., one monthNo liquidNo liquidleakageleakage

[0047] An aqueous calcium chloride solution containing a ginseng extract was prepared so that the water content was 67% or 70% and the water activity was 0.75 or 0.78. The solution was placed in #0 capsules made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. Subsequently, the capsule was sealed in a manner similar to that employed in Example 1, followed by drying in air. The resultant capsule samples were put in glass bottles, and stored at 40° C. for one month. Whether there had been any leakage of the internal solution from the hard capsules was visually checked. The results are shown in Table 2. Neither leakage of internal solution from the hard capsules nor change of the capsule shape was observed.

TABLE 2Water content (%)6770Water activity0.750.78Calcium chloride0.410.37concentration (g / mL)40° C., one monthNo liquidNo liquidleakageleakage

[0048] An aqueous magnesium chloride solution containing a ginseng extract was prepared so that the water content was 66% or 70% and the water activity was 0.53 or 0.60. The solution was placed in #0 capsules made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. Subsequently, the capsule was sealed in a manner similar to that employed in Example 1, followed by drying in air. The resultant capsule samples were put in glass bottles, and stored at 40° C. for one month. Whether there had been any leakage of the internal solution from the hard capsules was visually checked. The results are shown in Table 3. Neither leakage of internal solution from the hard capsules nor change of the capsule shape was observed.

TABLE 3Water content (%)6670Water activity0.530.60Magnesium chloride0.450.40concentration (g / mL)40° C., one monthNo liquidNo liquidleakageleakage