Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine

🌿 Introduction to Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM)

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine has a history of over 2,000 years and is a core component of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It emphasizes a holistic perspective and pattern differentiation, focusing on restoring the body's balance and self-healing abilities by harmonizing yin and yang and supporting the body's vital energy while expelling pathogenic factors. Herbal formulas are typically composed of multiple herbs, blended according to their properties and the traditional "emperor-minister-assistant-courier" principle to achieve synergistic effects.

🌱 Major Benefits of Chinese Herbal Medicine

✅ Immune Modulation

Herbs such as astragalus, ginseng, and reishi mushroom can help strengthen the immune system and prevent infections or disease recurrence.

✅ Anti-inflammatory and Pain Relief

Herbs like angelica (Dang Gui) and ligusticum (Chuan Xiong) may help reduce chronic inflammation and relieve pain.

✅ Strengthening Organ Function

Chinese herbs are often used to regulate the spleen and stomach, strengthen heart and lung function, and nourish the liver and kidneys, promoting balanced qi and blood circulation.

✅ Improving Sleep and Mood

Herbs such as ziziphus seed (Suan Zao Ren) and lily bulb (Bai He) are traditionally used to calm the mind, support sleep, and relieve anxiety or palpitations.

✅ Hormonal Regulation

Herbs like bupleurum, white peony, and angelica are commonly applied to help manage menstrual irregularities and menopausal symptoms.

✅ Antioxidant and Anti-Tumor Support

Certain Chinese herbs are rich in polyphenols and saponins with antioxidant and supportive anti-cancer properties.

🩺 Applications of Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chronic condition management (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease)
Supportive care during cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy (to improve stamina and reduce side effects)
Gynecological issues (e.g., dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, infertility)
Digestive disorders (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome, gastric ulcers, chronic gastritis)
Respiratory conditions (e.g., chronic cough, asthma, allergic rhinitis)
Mood and sleep disorders (e.g., anxiety, insomnia, depression support)

⚠️ Important Considerations

Chinese herbal medicine should be used under the supervision of a qualified TCM practitioner to avoid misuse or questionable herb sources.
Some Chinese herbs may interact with Western medications; always inform your healthcare team before use.
While effective, Chinese herbal medicine should not replace necessary modern emergency or critical care treatment.

Supportive Application of CHM in Cancer

🌿 The Role of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Cancer Treatment

👉 Adjunctive / Supportive Therapy

In clinical practice, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is mainly used as a supportive option for cancer patients. It can help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy (such as nausea, fatigue, and immunosuppression), improve appetite, boost physical strength, and enhance quality of life.

Some Chinese herbs contain antioxidant or immunomodulatory compounds that may support the body's resistance to tumor growth. However, most of this evidence is adjunctive in nature, and CHM cannot fully replace standard cancer therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.

👉 Improving Constitution / Enhancing Immunity

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the principle of "strengthening the body's vital energy and eliminating pathogenic factors" refers to helping patients maintain their physical strength and immune function. This makes it easier for them to complete standard treatments with fewer interruptions.

🌿 Research on Chinese Herbal Medicine as a Cancer Adjunct

🧪 Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) + Chemotherapy
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in PLOS One in 2013 showed that for advanced NSCLC patients, combining CHM with chemotherapy significantly improved immediate tumor response (RR = 1.36), doubled functional performance scores (KPS, RR = 2.90), and reduced grade III–IV nausea and vomiting (RR = 0.24) as well as hemoglobin and platelet decreases (RR = 0.64).

🎀 Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Side Effects
A 2020 review in Frontiers in Oncology found that CHM combined with breast cancer chemotherapy could reduce side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, bone marrow suppression, and immune dysfunction. However, because many studies were of low quality, larger and better-designed RCTs are still needed.

🧬 Colorectal Cancer Adjunctive Chemotherapy
Reviews indicate that CHM is widely used alongside chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, mainly to ease side effects and improve adherence to treatment. However, evidence remains incomplete and more rigorous clinical trials are needed.

👩‍⚕️ Ovarian Cancer After Chemotherapy
A systematic review that included 18 RCTs (975 patients) showed that the CHM + chemotherapy group had better symptom improvement (based on TCM criteria), higher quality-of-life scores (KPS), improved CD4 ratios, lower CA125 levels, and higher three-year survival rates compared to chemotherapy alone, with significantly reduced gastrointestinal side effects and bone marrow suppression (Frontiers in Oncology).

📉 Overall Chemotherapy Side Effect Relief
Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown that TCM (including herbal medicine and acupuncture) can significantly reduce adverse effects caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy — such as nausea, fatigue, and leukopenia — with highly significant overall statistical results (p < 10⁻⁵).

🌿 Common Chinese Herbal Ingredients and Research Highlights

Astragalus: Multiple meta-analyses have shown that combining astragalus with platinum-based chemotherapy can improve objective response rates, survival, and quality of life for patients with gastric or lung cancer, while reducing toxic side effects.
Huaier Mushroom (Trametes robiniophila): Clinical studies suggest it can improve survival, reduce recurrence, enhance T and NK cell function, regulate macrophages and cytokine secretion, and generally has low toxicity.

⚠️ Professional Reminder

If you rely on Chinese herbal medicine alone to treat cancer, there is not enough clinical evidence to support its effectiveness, and it could delay your treatment.

Standard therapies (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy) remain the most clinically proven and effective cancer treatments.

If you want to combine CHM with cancer therapy, you must consult a qualified TCM practitioner and coordinate with your oncology team to avoid potential drug interactions or conflicts in treatment.

Do not believe unverified claims that "Chinese herbal medicine alone can cure cancer," as this could cause you to miss the best treatment window.

✅ Patient Summary Advice

Chinese herbal medicine can be used as a supportive option in cancer treatment to help reduce side effects, maintain physical strength, and modulate immunity.
Standard Western cancer treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy) remain the main proven treatment options.
If you would like to use Chinese herbal medicine at the same time, be sure to discuss it with both your oncologist and a qualified TCM doctor to ensure safety and avoid possible interactions.