In the Japanese pharmacopoeia, the ripened pericarp of the elementary and congenic species, from which the seeds are removed as much as possible, is regarded as an herbal medicine called sansho.
日本薬局方では本種および同属植物の成熟した果皮で種子をできるだけ除いたものを生薬・山椒（サンショウ）としている。