WSJ: Chinese Medicine cancer studies by Nat Cancer Inst
Huang qin tang, was discovered 1,800 years ago. Taiwanese Dr. Cheng, a Yale oncology research scientists has begun clinical trials to test it on people with colon cancer. It appears to enhance the body’s ability to restore cells damaged by chemo.
- WSJ: IN THE LAB April 2, 2012, 6:56 p.m. ET
Chinese Medicine Goes Under the Microscope
There’s growing acceptance that herbal medicines could be effective for medical conditions, but the scientific evidence to vault such a treatment into an approved drug is often lacking. As Shirley Wang explains on Lunch Break, researchers are making progress on a cancer treatment based on a common herbal combination in Chinese medicine. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304177104577313821796467932.html
Scientists studying a four-herb combination discovered some 1,800 years ago by Chinese herbalists have found that the substance enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy in patients with colon cancer.
The mixture, known in China as huang qin tang, has been shown in early trials to be effective at reducing some side effects of chemotherapy, including diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The herbs also seem to bolster colon-cancer treatment.
Nature’s Drugs
Some herbs and plants with possible cancer-treatment benefits.
Boswellia serrata (frankincense) Reduces inflammation
What it is being studied for: To reduce tumor growth and brain swelling in patients with gliomas
Nerium oleander (rose laurel)
Reduces inflammation and modulates the immune system
What it is being studied for: To use with chemotherapy drugs to treat advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
Valeriana officinalis (garden heliotrope)
Has sedating effects
What it is being studied for: To improve sleep in cancer patients undergoing treatment
Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort)
Has analgesic, sedative and anti-depressant effects
What it is being studied for: To reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women with breast cancer:
Chez Froggie 