🌿 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.

🌿 傳統中藥醫學（Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, TCHM）簡介

傳統中藥醫學源遠流長，歷史超過兩千年以上，是中醫理論的重要組成。它以整體觀與辨證論治為核心，強調調和陰陽、扶正祛邪，以恢復身體自我平衡及自癒力。中藥方劑通常由多種藥材依據藥性與君臣佐使原則配伍而成，具有「君主藥、輔助藥」等層次，發揮協同作用。

🌱 中藥的主要功效

✅ 調節免疫功能

• 某些中藥如黃耆、人參、靈芝等可增強免疫力，幫助預防感染或疾病復發。

✅ 抗發炎及鎮痛

• 例如當歸、川芎可減少慢性發炎、舒緩疼痛。

✅ 強化臟腑功能

• 中藥常用來調理脾胃、強化心肺、滋養肝腎，促進臟腑氣血運行。

✅ 改善睡眠與情緒

• 酸棗仁、百合等藥材常用於安神助眠、減緩焦慮或心悸。

✅ 調理內分泌

• 柴胡、白芍、當歸等用於月經不調、更年期症狀的調節。

✅ 抗氧化、抗腫瘤輔助

• 某些中草藥含有多酚與皂苷，具抗氧化、抗癌輔助效果。

🩺 中藥的應用範圍

• 慢性病調理（糖尿病、高血壓、慢性腎病）

• 癌症放化療的支持療法（改善體力、減少副作用）

• 婦科問題（經痛、經前症候群、不孕症）

• 腸胃疾病（腸躁症、胃潰瘍、慢性胃炎）

• 呼吸系統疾病（慢性咳嗽、氣喘、過敏性鼻炎）

• 情緒及睡眠障礙（焦慮、失眠、憂鬱輔助）

⚠️ 注意事項

• 中藥須在合格中醫師指導下使用，避免誤用或藥材來源不明。

• 部分中藥可能與西藥產生交互作用，使用前請務必告知您的醫療團隊。

• 中藥雖具療效，但不應取代必要的現代急重症治療。

🌿 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.

🌿 中藥在癌症治療中的角色

👉 輔助治療 (Adjunctive / Supportive Therapy)

• 中藥在臨床上主要被用來輔助癌症患者，例如減輕化療或放療的副作用（如噁心、疲勞、免疫低下）、改善食慾、提升體力、增強生活品質。

• 有些中藥含有抗氧化成分或免疫調節成分，可能支持人體抵抗腫瘤生長，但證據多為輔助性質，尚未能完全取代標準癌症療法（手術、放療、化療、免疫療法）。

👉 改善體質 / 增強免疫

• 中醫講的「扶正祛邪」在癌症治療裡，指協助病人維持良好的體力與免疫力，讓患者更能承受正規療法，減少治療中斷。

🌿 中藥輔助癌症治療的研究

🧪 晚期非小細胞肺癌（NSCLC）＋化療

• 2013 年 PLOS One 發表系統回顧與統合分析指出，在晚期非小細胞肺癌患者中，合併 CHM 的化療可顯著提升即刻腫瘤反應 (RR = 1.36)，改善生活功能評分（KPS 兩倍提升，RR = 2.90），並減少 III–IV 級噁心嘔吐（RR = 0.24）及血紅素、血小板下降（RR = 0.64）等副作用。

🎀 乳癌化療副作用減輕

• 2020 年《Frontiers in Oncology》的回顧分析指出，CHM 輔助乳癌化療，可減少噁心、嘔吐、腹瀉、掉髮、骨髓抑制、免疫功能受損等副作用；但由於試驗質量普遍不足，仍需更大樣本、嚴謹設計的 RCTs 。

🧬 大腸癌輔助化療

• 回顧顯示 CHM 作為大腸癌輔助療法廣泛使用，主要目的是緩解化療引起的副作用並提高化療配合率；但目前證據仍不完整，尚無確定結論，需更多嚴格臨床試驗 。

👩‍⚕️ 卵巢癌化療後應用

• 系統回顧納入 18 項 RCT（975 名患者），結果顯示 CHM + 化療組在中醫症狀改善、生活品質（KPS）、CD4 比率、CA125 降低、3 年存活率皆優於西藥單獨組，且胃腸道反應與骨髓抑制症狀顯著減少。

📉 化療副作用整體緩解

• 最新系統回顧與統合分析顯示，TCM （中草藥與針灸）可顯著減少化療與放療引起的不良反應（包括噁心、疲勞、白血球抑制等），整體統計結果高度顯著（p < 10⁻⁵） 。

🌿 常用中藥成分與研究亮點

• 黃耆 (Astragalus)：多項 meta 分析指出，與鉑類化療合併使用可提升胃癌/肺癌的客觀反應率、生存率與生活品質，並減少毒性反應 。

• 華蟲草 (Huaier)：臨床研究顯示對肝癌及胃腸道癌有改善生存率、降低復發、增強 T 與 NK 細胞功能、修飾巨噬細胞及細胞因子分泌，有整體低毒性特性。

⚠️ 專業提醒

• 若單靠中藥治療癌症，缺乏足夠臨床證據支持，可能延誤病情。

• 標準治療（手術、放化療、標靶藥物、免疫治療）依然是目前臨床證實最有效的癌症療程。

• 如果想搭配中藥調理，一定要由合格中醫師評估，同時與西醫治療團隊討論，避免藥物交互作用或療效衝突。

• 不要輕信民間宣稱「中藥單方可以根治癌症」的說法，以免錯失黃金治療期。

✅ 總結給病患的建議

• 中藥可以在癌症治療中當作輔助選項，協助減少副作用、維持體力、調節免疫

• 標準的西醫治療（手術、化療、放療、標靶藥物、免疫治療）依然是治療癌症的主力

• 如果您想同時使用中藥，一定要和您的腫瘤科醫師與中醫師討論，確認安全並避免互相干擾