Seirogan ingredient. That ingredient in the West may otherwise go by such names as "wood creosote", "beechwood creosote", or "liquid pitch oil", and should be distinguished from industrial "coal-tar creosote". To emphasize the distinction, wood creosote in Japan is sometimes called by such names as and minor variants thereof. The wood creosote is blended with two or more recognized in for their antiseptic and other effects, but the additional ingredients used are different among manufacturers (See under #Chemical composition for a sampling of formulas). Some quarters (perhaps kanpō medicine practitioners and others) insist however that "Seirogan is not strictly speaking kanpō
Tar saturate and tone wood and protect it from weather. Tar paint can also be toned with various pigments, producing translucent colors and preserving the wood texture. In English, German, and French, "tar" is a substance primarily derived from coal. It was formerly one of the products of gasworks. Tar made from coal or petroleum is considered toxic and carcinogenic because of its high benzene content, though coal tar in low concentrations is used as a topical medicine. Coal and petroleum tar has a pungent odour. Coal tar is listed at number 1999 in the United Nations list of dangerous goods.