Functions
According to traditional Chinese medicine, this formula tonifies the liver and the kidney. Used to remedy the yin-type deficiency of the liver and the kidney, this formula can enhance the immune system, work as an antineoplastic, delay the aging process, and lower blood sugar and blood fat levels.
Dosage Info
Honey pill: 9g/pill, 1 pill each time; Water pill: 6-9g each time, 2 times a day. Tablet: 0.55g per tablet, 4 tablet each time, 2 times a day. 5:1 concentrated extract: 9 grams/day.
Ingredients
Pharmacology
Enhancing the immune system: Both the water decoction and the alcohol-based extract of this formula can increase lymphocyte transformation rate, with the latter’s effect being more prominent. Oral feeding mice this formula daily at the dosage of 5g/kg for a week can counteract cyclophosphamide-caused weight decrease in their thymus gland and spleen. This formula can also significantly counteract hydrocortisone-caused thymus gland atrophy in young mice; inhibit dexamethasone-caused phagocytic function decrease of young mice’s abdominal macrophage and blood lymphocyte decrease; in general, enhance phagocyte’s phagocytic function. Finally, this formula can enhance the generation of tonsillar cell-induced interferon. (1)
Antineoplastic: Oral feeding mice the water decoction of this formula, 15-20g/kg daily for seven consecutive days, can lower the induction rate of both N-nitrososarcosine ethyl ester-induced proventricular squamous carcinoma and ethyl carbamate-induced pulmonary adenocarcinoma. This same treatment can also prolong the lives of U14 transplantation-rendered cancerous mice. (2)
Anti-chemotherapeutic poisoning: Experiments indicate that oral feeding S180 mice this formula, 0.4mg (1g/ml) daily for 10 consecutive days, can significantly counteract the side effects of chemotherapeutic antineoplastics. (3)
Antimutagenic: Experiments show that this formula has a protective effect against mutation and cancerization. After a treatment for 60 consecutive days, the tumor appearance rate in animals decreases with the increase in dosage of this formula. (4)
Delaying the aging process: Feeding post-eclosion common houseflies this formula (1%) can prolong their lives. Increasing the formula’s concentration to 3% results in an increase in SOD activity, a decrease in lipofuscin, and no significant change in protein content. Oral feeding mice this formula, 20g/kg daily for seven consecutive days, can significantly decrease the lipid peroxide and lipofuscin content in senile mice’s blood serum (to a level comparable to that of young mice). (5) , (6)
Lowering blood sugar: Oral feeding diabetic hamsters water-based extract of this formula, 2.4g/kg daily for three days, can lower their blood sugar, urea nitrogen, and triglyceride levels; five days can lower their kalemia and urine ketone levels and raise their natremia and hemalbumin levels. Oral feeding mice this formula, 0.5g/mouse daily for seven consecutive days, can significantly lower the blood sugar content in both normal and yin-deficient mice. (7)
Lowering blood fat, antiatherosclerotic: Oral feeding hamsters of experimental high blood fat levels the water decoction of this formula, 10ml/kg twice daily, can significantly lower their total cholesterol (TC), lower hepatic fat levels, raise their high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level and raise the HDL-C/TC ratio, indicating that this formula has an excellent antiatherosclerotic effect. (8)
Lowering blood pressure: Duodenal administering of this formula (2ml/kg and 10ml/kg; 1:1 concentration) to hamsters can significantly lower their blood pressure. Of the smaller dosage group, the blood pressure starts falling significantly after 15 minutes into the treatment, reaches the lowest point after 35 minutes, which is 74% of the pretreatment blood pressure level. Of the higher dosage group, the blood pressure continues falling after 35 minutes into the treatment, and is 63% of the pretreatment blood pressure level at the 75-minute mark. (9) , (10)
Clinical Applications
Diabetes: A study treated 53 cases of diabetes with a variation of this formula (one dose daily; treated for 20 days), reported that the treatment was significantly effective in 46 cases, effective in 5 cases, and had no response in 2 cases. (11) Another study treated 65 cases of noninsulin-dependent diabetes with a variation of this formula. Of the 65 cases, 16 had a blood sugar content of 7.7-8.33mmol/L, 34 of 8.34-13.88mmol/L, and 15 greater than 13.88mmol/L. The patients were treated with one dose daily (water decoction taken orally five times a day). The results were as follows: the treatment was significantly effective in 30 cases, effective in 28 cases, and with no response in 7 cases. (12)
Nephritis: A study reported of curing 16 cases of nephritis with this a treatment based on this formula (with two additional ingredients, Ye Mu Cao and Ban Bian Lian, added to the formula). Of the 16 cases, 10 were of chronic and 4 of acute nephritis, with the remaining 2 of latent nephritis. (13)
Kidney and ureter stone: Of 32 cases of urinary system stones treated with a variation of this formula (one dose daily in water decoction), one study reported, 30 cases passed the stone(s), with only 2 cases having no response. (14)
Hyperthyroidism: A study treated 31 cases of hyperthyroidism with a variation of this formula. Of the 31 cases, 28 manifested a diffuse goiter, 15 cases a vascular murmur, 13 an exorbitism, 29 a significant weight loss, 28 an abnormal heart rate (higher than normal), and all cases had a higher-than-normal iodine uptake rate. After a treatment of between 15 and 20 doses, most cases experienced a significant improvement in the symptoms, with the iodine uptake rate significantly lowered or returned to normal, and the vascular murmur significantly decreased or disappeared. (15)
Tumor and cancer: One study reported treating 102 cases of various malignant tumors with this formula. Since day one of their concurrent chemotherapy, all cases started taking the formula orally, three times daily, 10ml each time. A treatment for 20 consecutive days was found to have enhanced the effect of, and lessened the side effects of, the concurrent chemotherapy. (16) Another study reported of using a variation of this formula to treat 48 cases of thyroid adenocarcinoma with satisfactory results. A variation was arrived at by adding with Mu Li, Xia Ku Cao, and Bei Mu (Zhe) to the basic formula. The variation was administered to patients in water decoction one dose daily (taken twice as first and second decoctions) for one to two months. The results are as follows: 26 cases resolved, 21 cases improved, and one case with no response, resulting in an overall effective rate of 98%. (17)
References
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