Frank Li Dec. 21 2011 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
[Abstract] Under the philosophical guidance of Daoism, Traditional Chinese Medicine - TCM has developed many natural therapeutic methods, identified more than 10 thousands of plants, minerals and animals as medicinal use and accumulated nearly 100 thousands of experience-based formulas covering almost all known human diseases. Modern studies from the level of molecular, protein and gene have shown that medicinal materials used in TCM have bioactive constituents with the therapeutic effect that is similar to that of synthetic ones in killing the pathogenic agents directly and the nutritional effect that is similar to that of orthomolecular medicine. Also some of Chinese drugs can improve human immunity, such as, boosting the weight gains of immune organs, increasing the number and activity of the phagocytes, NK cells and so on. Therefore, in subjective viewing, TCM is to regulate the physical balance, but in objective practicing, the process of the regulations plays a role of killing pathogenic agents by improving the immune function.
More pleasing is that in China, those experience-based formulas have updated and used to produce great many OCT drugs with modern technologies in the form of easy to use, such as, injections and sugar-covered tablets, and labeled with the instructions of the sort of treated-diseases, precautions and dosage. They are available in Chinese pharmacies worldwide.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Western Medicine
3. Chinese Medicine
3.1. Traditional Chinese Medicine
3.1.1. The origin of TCM, MCM and CM
3.1.2. Philosophy of TCM
3.1.3. The holistic view of life of TCM
3.1.4. Therapeutic Principle
3.1.5. Diagnose Method
3.1.6. The difference of TCM & WM
3.1.7. Example of doctors’ work manner of TCM and WM
3.1.8. Preventive attitude
3.1.9. TCM & Psychology
3.1.0. Chinese Drug & Compound Prescription
3.2. Modern Chinese Medicine
3.2.1. General Introduction
3.2.2. Medicinal Plant
3.2.2.1. Goldthread
3.2.3. Medicinal animals
3.2.3.1. Ants
3.2.3.2. Placenta
3.2.3.3. Earthworm
3.2.4. Medicinal Minerals
3.2.4.1. Gypsum
3.3. Meridian & Acupuncture
3.3.1. Effective evaluation of acupuncture
3.3.2. Meridian & Chinese drugs
4. Some application studies in natural drugs
4.1. Phytomedicine Research in Germany
4.2. Multi-Factorial Cognitive Disorders
4.3. Psychiatric disorders
5. The global trend on CM
6. Natural OTC drugs
7. Drug Mates
1. Introduction
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an accumulation of the experiences of medical practices in Far East China. Because it has initiated from primitive Era in thousands years ago, so there are no concepts and terms of modern anatomy and biology, its medical descriptions are using the terms and the principle of its philosophy - Daoism. Therefore, for the people who were educated with modern science, it is difficult to understand and to have caused the sense of mystery even misunderstood as witch or sorcery
Modern researches have unknowingly and indirectly proven that TCM is the best medical system worldwide so far compared with that of existences, especially Western Medicine (WM).
This article is trying to use the terms of WM to crack down the mystery through introducing the basic principle of Daoism, therapeutic mechanism and the modern researches of TCM. Thereby convince people to enjoy the ancient civilization willingly. Thus, many incurable diseases will be curable and the cost on the medications will lower down largely.
Although the social materials wealth is increasing but the polarization between the rich and poor is increasing too. There many people are struggling in the bottom of the modern society, hard working every day but less ability to afford expensive medication, well-equipped Hospitals are everywhere, but, they have no money to step in, even no ability to enjoy the fruits of modern civilization they made. Although the people do not have to worry about medical expenses in some rich welfare countries, however, long time waiting for treatment has become a life threats. The reality is urging us to serious consider the way out for dilemma in human health care.
WM has been taking Reductionism as philosophical guidance, it looks human body as an assembly of parts, and tries to study, diagnose and treatment of the diseases through the isolated part by reducing human body as micro as protein, gene and even peptides. Today we even can make life by genetic technology in a tube. So public have been convinced that modern WM is most advanced, most scientific and most reliable.
However, because human body is a complex system that various organs are closely interconnected with interdependent and interacting, there may be many unpredictable factors in affecting the development of diseases, especially the psychological factors. Many objective facts have proven that the medical route under the guidance of Reductionism is not sustainable feasibly, for instance:
Nine years ago, we once cheered for the completion of Human Genome Project with the happy of getting a new powerful therapeutic approach. Many of us thought that we could uproot all human diseases since then.
However, until now, it seems to have no genetic therapies been applied in clinic safely and stably, because there may be dozens even hundreds different gene-fragments in affecting the development of one diseases. Therefore, those believed as most advanced, most scientific, most reliable genetic therapies are only hopeful flowers that may need long time, and more study to bear enjoyable fruits. I believed that, this fruit can not mature forever, because it can not uproot the stress or psychological pressure – the main inducement of the diseases.
On the other hand, there are no suitable synthetic drugs for some diseases, such as, super bugs. Even those existing drugs are not all safe; the side effects of some of them are becoming new life-threats. More terrible is that the cost of medications is soaring up; even some people take the medical activities as the tools to loot money in contempt of life. It is just like the earthquake in Japan, coupled with the Tsunami, which was not enough, followed by nuclear radiation.
It is very disappointed but is a corollary under the misleading of Reductionism.
In as much Reductionism cannot work well, we should introduce new philosophy into medical system. The hopeful one is Holism – a philosophy that macro-views human body as whole, and considers all the affecting factors, including psychology. However, “There Are Two Sides to Everything.” Compared with Reductionism, Holism is too macro that may induce to ignore the factors of micro. Therefore, the best way is to combined use them to make up the disadvantages by the advantages of each other’s, and avoid their disadvantages. Thereby we can get rid of the current predicament in Western medicine. However, distant water cannot solve the immediate thirsty. We need to find another way out.
There are many experience-based therapies have been developed and accumulated in the populace’s daily life with the advantages of effective, safe, cheaper, handy and easy to use. They are good resources for developing alternative therapies. Among them, TCM is outstanding.
TCM has been developing under the guidance of Daoism - an ancient philosophy of China.
Daoism is contrary with Reductionism. It is similar with Holism and consistent with systems biology. Suppose that Reductionism focuses on a specific grass on the Himalayas, and then the Daoism is not only focusing on the entire grass, but also concerning those would affect the growth of grass, such as, destructive pests, the greenhouse effect and the reduction of glacier cover, etc.
Under the guidance of Daoism, human life is being taken as one of such a component of unity of opposites. It believes that human body is an organic whole that all components are closely interacted. A well-balanced human bodies will form an effective self-defence system that can handle the most of pathogenic agents. The diseases could happen only if there are some unbalanced parts in a human body. The treatments do not directly target to kill pathogenic but to bring back the natural balance. It achieves the purpose by natural therapeutic approaches, such as, natural drugs, acupuncture and physical exercises, etc.
Compared with Western medicine, TCM was believed as most primitive, most unscientific, and most unreliable. However, many modern researches have inadvertently proven the outstanding of TCM. Its holistic perspective with emphasizing the decisive role of psychological factors on the development of diseases is most rational and scientific. Such as, Henry K. Beecher’s The Powerful Placebo (1955), George Engel’s Biopsychosocial model (1977), the crossing disciplines research proved that Stress Causes Everything (2008), Ohio State University’s Socially active environment can cause cancer tumors to shrink and even disappear (2010) and British Man with 'Locked-in' syndrome makes amazing recovery by his will for survival (2010), etc. Those findings clearly indicated that, for most diseases, negative psychological plays inducement effect and positive psychological has therapeutic effect. On this point, TCM is much admirable.In thousand years ago, TCM practitioners have found the similar fact that diseases treatment is seven-tenths in psychotherapy and only three-tenths in medication. Suppose we take theplacebo effect as a kind of psychotherapy, then the proportion of seven-tenths in psychotherapy is close to the modern scientific statistics from the double-blind clinical trials, which was “placebos are effective in 50 or 60 percent of subjects with certain conditions.” And “some researchers maintain that there is not adequate evidence from studies to prove that the new (antipsychotic) drugs are more effective than placebos.”
The emergence of system biology is showing that Western medicine is starting to step toward the Holistic way with enlarging the scope of medical analysis. Essentially says, it was that Western medicine is from philosophical root turning its heads toward the ancient holistic medical approach of TCM after its hitting on the wall.
TCM has developed unique methods in diseases diagnosis and treatment by natural ways, such as Pulse diagnosis, Tongue diagnosis, Acupuncture, Massage, especially a large number choice of natural drugs. According to the statistic of national investigation of mainland China in the 80's of 20th century, there are 11,146 plants, 1581 animals and 80 minerals as medicinal using. The <Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescription> selected nearly 100 thousands of experience-based formulas from prescriptions of TCM since there are written records in the history of China, which covering almost all known diseases. Thanks the scientists of China, they have made many useful modern researches on Chinese drugs by emulating the methods of western medicine, and to have had those experience-based formulas updated and produced great many OCT drugs in the forms of convenient for using. Such as, injections and sugar covered tablets with the labels of providing treated-ranges, precautions and dosages.
The medicinal materials (natural drugs) used in TCM are all from nature. Modern studies from the level of molecular, protein and gene found those natural drugs containing a wide range of bioactive constituents. Some of them have therapeutic effect that is similar to that of synthetic ones in killing the pathogenic agents directly, and some of them have nutritional effect that is similar to that of orthomolecular medicine. For ill-debilitated patients, nutrition is even more important than that of drugs. I think that this is the unique advantages of natural drugs, and also it is the unique advantages of TCM.
Modern researches revealed that some of Chinese drugs can improve human immunity, such as, boosting the weight gains of immune organs, increasing the number and activity of the phagocytes, NK cells and so on. Therefore, in subjective viewing, TCM is to regulate the physical balance, but in objective practicing, the process of the regulations plays a role of improving the immune function, then the pathogenic agents to be killed by enhanced immune system. Although, in TCM there are no concepts of modern immunology, such as, immune organs or immune cells, the experience-based formulas were never to have considered on immunity, however, some of preparations by those formulas are playing the therapeutic role through enhancing human immunity. More significant is that when the physical balance of patient is restored, the most of uncomfortable symptoms of patient would be largely improved, such as, poor appetite, angst and insomnia, patient would feel much better not only in physical but also in psychological. Indeed, the physical improvement also plays the role of psychotherapy. The recovery of the diseases can certainly be accelerated.
The compound prescription is unique therapeutic method of TCM, which is to put many different natural drugs together as one dose. Studies have proved that drugs in compound using are able to generate synergy effect of multiplying the positive effect of each other. The findings revealed the mystery that preparations by experience-based formulas of TCM are more effective on some specific diseases and provided clear guidance for selecting effective natural drugs aiming on specific pathogenic. This is the reason that, in my hand, Chinese natural drugs seem to have gained magic in treating some thorny diseases, such as, Schizophrenia, fat liquefaction of incision and so on. Chinese drugs will be a powerful therapeutic approach on the diseases both communicable and non-communicable, which not satisfied by the treatment of synthetic drugs. Clearly, Chinese medicine is promising resource in developing new therapeutic approaches both drugs and therapies. Also it has huge market potential.
However, since that TCM is accumulation of the experiences from medical practices started in thousands years ago, there are no concepts and terms of modern anatomy and biology. The medical descriptions of TCM are using the terms and the principle of its philosophy - Daoism, such as, Yin & Yang, and cold & Hot. The diagnosis and the treatment of diseases are from this philosophical perspective to regulate the balance of the unity of opposites. It is very different with that of Western Medicine (WM) that is only focusing on the specific ill organ or pathogenic. As the same way, Chinese drugs are sorted and used to restore the physical balance of human body rather than focusing on any ill organ or pathogenic. Therefore, it can not be easily understood according to the way of WM.
Due to there is no corresponding English words; it is difficult to directly translate TCM into English in accordance with its original meaning accurately. In addition, TCM are based on great many written records from different historical period spanning thousands of years, many of those records wrote in Classical Chinese even in Oracle bone script, which is similar to that of some thing written in Old English, they are not easy to be understood. So that the unique philosophy and therapeutic efficacy of TCM was not be well understood & applied as it should be.
Even so, I firmly believed that, with my articles of together, the medical vision of readers would unconsciously advance into a broader Holistic scope from that of Reductionism. The advancement of the philosophical approach would release huge medical potential that can help us to learn properly about our life physically and psychologically, thereby to help more people living healthier and happier by advancing the prevention and treatment of the diseases.
The holistic view on human life mainly embodied following areas:
Human beings self, people and people, people and society, and people and nature is all in the state of unity of opposites. They must maintain in harmonious balance, once occurs deviation, people would fall into ill, between the people would conflict, the human society would fall into disorder and the nature would punish humankind. Those thoughts play a directing role in the diseases treatment.
1. Emphasis on the restoration of physical balance
TCM believes that human body is an organic whole that all components are closely interacted.A well-balanced human bodies will form an effective self-defence system that can handle the most of pathogenic agents. The diseases could happen only if there are some unbalanced parts in a human body. The treatments do not directly target to kill pathogenics but to bring back the natural balance. It achieves the purpose by natural therapeutic approaches, such as, natural drugs, acupuncture and physical exercises, etc.
Jan. 12 2011, a report that H1N1 and other seasonal influenza swept France and caused many deaths. According to the experiences of China, if the treatment integrates with some Chinese drugs to improve suffered symptoms of the patient holistically, the patients who fall into critical would be largely reduced. There is a simple method for rescuing critical patients. I will introduce it later.
Talking about the restoration of physical balance, we must make clear the physiological effect of nutritional ingredients in Chinese drugs.
A good example is Orthomolecular medicine (OM). It was coined by Linus Paulin who was enlightened from the successful practice of Canadian doctors who cured mental illness by megadose Vitamin B3 after read the paper of that wrote by Bill Wilson, a Canadian Physician, in December 1965, that was A communication to A.A.’s Physicians, not for public quotation or use.
The copy was from:
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health， CAMH Library
33 Russell Street, 2nd floor， Toronto，ON，M5S 2S1
Information Desk: 416.535.8501 x6988
The cover is as follow. (A.A. - Alcoholics Anonymous).
The OM was originally intended to treat the “mental disease by the provision of the optimal molecular environment of the mind, especially the optimal concentrations of substances normally present in the human body.” OM currently is called as diet supplements that have developed many products, such as, Vitamins, minerals and so on.
Linus Paulin who published the <Nature of the chemical bond> in 1939. Later he did many pioneering works in understanding the nature of life from atomic structure, binding mode between atoms, nucleic acids and proteins. Whether from chemical, biological, and medical, he has laid a solid theoretical foundation.
Vitamin B-3 has wide range of physiological improvement functions. Its therapeutic process for psychotic is to restore damaged brain rather than as that of antipsychotic drugs control the abnormal secretions in the brain. Naturally, OM treats the diseases in a Holistic way.
Although, for decades, some people have been eagerly trying to deny the curative effect of OM, however, the physiological improvement function is coming clearer in both clinic and academic. Now it gains extensively application world widely. Vitamin C was the one of OM, which was Linus Pauling strongly recommended, also was strongly opposed by others. following are some of new researches on Vitamin C.
1. <Vitamin C Saves Lives!> After Linus Pauling wrote his book on vitamin C in 1970, mortality from heart disease decreased 30-40% in the USA. From around 741,000 deaths per year to less than 500,000 deaths by 1986 - U. S. Bureau of National Health Statistics 1986.
2. <Vitamin C may be useful to treat cancer after all>.
3. <Study shows vitamin C's cancer-fighting properties>.
4. <Vitamin C beneficial in cancer treatment – study>.
5. <How Vitamin C Stops Cancer>.
In TCM, there are variety of nutritional constituents that are far more than that of in OM, which come from more than 10 thousands of plants, minerals and animals, such as, Ginseng, Gypsum and Placenta. They are certainly playing a significant role in the diseases treatment, but their unique contribution seems to have been ignored both clinically and academically. The reason may come from the TCM itself because that it never distinguishes the medicinal and nutritional, even without the concepts and terms, they were generally called as medicine. In western medicine, Chinese medicine generally called as alternative or diet supplements. I think that there is necessary to make a definition, such as, those with the effect of killing pathogenic agents should be called as medicinal, and those without the effect of killing pathogenic directly but with the role of physiological improvement should be called as nutritional, include those in Western medicine. A clear concept with a exact term will not only help clear describing, but also conducive to efficient thinking. The determination of a definition is difficult that need to be discussed carefully because of the ingredient of many single herbs is compound that contains both medicinal and nutritional. Even if a single constituent also has a dual role, such as, some peptide is nutritional but also an antibiotic. The nutritionals in Chinese drugs is a promising medical potential to be an attractive research direction.
Acupuncture is a treatment method based on Meridian. Modern researches showed that it could stimulate the blood circulation in some certain area of body by acupuncture on some specific acupoints to achieve the therapeutic effect. Clinical practices show it work well on many diseases, such as, stroke, pain, etc.
There are many physical exercises methods in TCM for enhancing physical strength. TheTaijiquan (Tai Chi Quan) is the one of them. Researches show that it can improve human immune function and treatment of many diseases. See articles: Benefits of Taijiquan Strongly Supported by Science. Comprehensive therapeutic benefits of Taiji: a critical review.
2. Emphasis on therapeutic effect of psychological factor
Modern researches have proven that human psychology acts as a double-edged sword that positive side can promote health with curative effect; negative side can damage the health with pathogenic effect. TCM has found the same fact in thousands years ago, and has indicated that the process of the disease treatment is seven-tenths in psychotherapy, only three-tenths in medication.
Such as, Henry K. Beecher’s The Powerful Placebo (1955), George Engel’s Biopsychosocial model (1977), the crossing disciplines research that Stress Causes Everything (2008), Ohio State University’s Socially active environment can cause cancer tumors to shrink and even disappear (2010) and British Man with 'Locked-in' syndrome makes amazing recovery by his will for life (2010), etc.
1955, H. K. Beecher published ." He indicated that there 35% of 1,082 patients were satisfactorily relieved by a placebo alone. “Other studies have since calculated the placebo effect as being even greater than Beecher claimed. For example, studies have shown that placebos are effective in 50 or 60 percent of subjects with certain conditions. It is close to that estimation of seven-tenths in psychotherapy of TCM.
1977, George Engel coined Biopsychosocial model: “a general model or approach that posits that biological, psychological (which entails thoughts, emotions, and behaviors), and social factors, all play a significant role in human functioning in the context of disease or illness. Indeed, health is best understood in terms of a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors rather than purely in biological terms.”
2008, a report that a research crossing the disciplines of psychology, medicine, neuroscience, and genetics revealed that “stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to yourheart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.” The results mean that psychology plays a decisive role in diseases inducement.
2010, the scientists in Ohio State University published <socially active environment can cause cancer tumors to shrink and even disappear>.They found that there were 5% cancer-infected mice’s tumors disappeared and 77% of them decreased the tumors’ volume by 43% only from living in an socially active environment for 3 weeks.
2010, a report that Mr.Graham who once paralyzed with Locked-in syndrome and medical staff have left him to die, but he never gave up the desire for life and firstly tried to move his toe by will and succeed in months later, then to move the finger and then he has stood up again. Actually, it was that the positive psychology cured the disease of Western medicine believed incurable.
If the idea of seven-tenths in psychotherapy and three-tenths in medication can be universalized the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases can be humanized greatly. More pleasant is that the positive psychology can create by the positive activities of social and physical. No doubt, it is a feasible self-help therapeutic approach with broad-spectrum feature. It is a true panacea that can be produced when we enjoying the life. It may be an only fair thing in the world, which can be shared by all people, no matter who is poor or rich, old or young.
In China, some doctors will use ingenious methods to adjust the patient's psychological state. For example, for those patients who diagnosed as serious diseases, they would not tell the truth to patient, but tell their families, thereby to avoid the psychological burden for patients. However, in the eyes of Western doctors, this thoughtful manner is cheating and immoral.
Chinese drugs can improve overall physical strength of patients through improving appetite, sleep, and many other uncomfortable conditions, so that the psychological state of patient will be improved largely from the physiological root.
3．Emphasis on the disease prevention
Huang Di Nei Jing a most important medical book of TCM in two thousands years ago said that the highly skilled doctor treats the diseases before its outbreak and indicated that medication after disease’s outbreak is similar to dig the well when felt thirsty and to forge the sword when the fighting has started, it is too late. This means that we should rather focus on the diseases’ prevention than focus on the treatment. The idea has a practical significance in modern society.
TCM has developed many physical exercise methods for diseases prevention and treatment. Such as, Taijiquan (Tai Chi Quan) mentioned above.
Above are only rough examples. The Holistic view on human life in TCM is much comprehensive not only above three points. I raised them here are intended to arouse public boldly to find more effective natural therapeutic ways, just as that of ancient people of China.
Although, the trend of medical philosophical approach toward Holistic has been emerging in western medical field, such as, the development of system biology, FDA has accepted the idea of traditional Chinese medicine idea.[1] [2] in their drugs regulations, and some super drug makers have dug into CM. However, there are much improvement room for comprehending and applying the Holistic therapeutic principle of TCM,
In the current process of study and application of TCM, people are still trying to find the bioactive ingredients and apply them in single constituent to treat diseases clinically as doing with that of synthetic drugs. Essentially speaking, it is not get rid of the leash of Reductionism.
No doubt, that treat the diseases in purified constituent is a great progress by promoting the use of the natural medicinals accurately and safely. However, if the bioactive constituents are not being used in compound, it will lose the synergy effect, the therapeutic efficacy would be largely reduced. More worse is that may lose the advantage of eliminating the drugs’ negative effect from/by each other, there may be some side effects occurred as same as that of synthetic one. Such as, Tamiflu is extracted from star anise – a pure Chinese herb. It has showed serious inverse effect clinically.
By emulating the methods of Western medicine, scientists of China has done a lot of researches on Chinese drugs, and achieved many promising results. Although the most of individual study is one-sided, but when string those research results together, we would pleasantly find that the medicinal constituent, nutritional constituent and therapeutic effects of natural drugs are so extensive and effective. Even some single natural drug has broad spectrum of pharmacological effects because it is a compound of medicinal and nutritional. Later, you will share my feelings.
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a new trend developed in recent years. It “aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making.” Some people say that experience-based medicine changes to the EBM are a profound revolution in clinical medicine of twenty-first century, and will be an inevitable trend. Those medical researches under the guidance of Reductionism, cells, proteins, genes and double-blind clinical trials, have made many people believes that kind of researches are real scientific and pure science, so the research results are reliable without any reason to doubt. Driven by this kind of superstitions, some people have begun to question the correctness of TCM, and said it is an experience-based medicine to have outdated, even there were people repeated the same old tune of appealing to abandon it in China recently.
In fact, TCM does not come from the magic fantasy. besides its medical description with the terms and principle of its Philosophy - Daoism, which are not easier to be understood; many of other parts are from a lot of therapeutic experiences of trial and error in long time massive clinical practice, which are similar to that of Western medicine from scientific studies experimentally. Some of the therapeutic experiences of TCM are reasonable and some may be not, which is similar to that of some synthetic drugs are effective and some killed people although they were all proven safe by so called scientific experiments and supported by the scientific data from strict double-blind clinical trial. More important is that those drugs are all to have approved by FDA. No one doubts that FDA is one of the most trusted authorities on the drug’s regulations. Its effective work has created a safer medical environment and increased the confidence of people on medicines. However, in view of some of their approved drugs have still killed people, we have reason to question that, are the FDA dereliction of duty or is medical philosophy improper to have lead the problem in medical methods?
Three-tenths in medication and seven-tenths in psychotherapy were simply estimated result according to the personal experience of ancient doctors of China. However, it is close to that of the scientific data from modern clinical practices. Modern scientific researches proved that those natural medicinal materials of TCM were sorted obvious scientific by unscientific primitive methods of seeing the color, smelling the smell, tonguing the tastes and clinical trials. For example, those were sorted as enhancing digestion are rich in Ca, Zn and Fe. Those were sorted as enhancing male sexual ability are rich in Mn and Cu. The therapeutic experiences got by primitive tools and methods under the guidance of the right philosophy are not worse, even better than that of got by expensive and sophisticated modern equipments with being considered as most scientific methods. The development of Medicine is for saving life, effective one is scientific and ineffective one is not scientific, no matter how it is made. We need to consider seriously that what the scientific is and what it is for.
Scientific has been using by some self-crowned master as a label to mark some thing correct or not. TCM is one of the victims. I think that, human civilization has evolved into today, even consumes whole lifetime, there is no one could learn through any discipline, I mean to make it clear entirely. No one could have enough knowledge to be a master or authority for declaring to abandon any fruit of human civilization, although in today's perspective, many of them may be not perfect.
There are two sides to everything. We must look at anything dialectically and practically to avoid going into a dogmatic dead end. We should not completely abandon the experience-based medicine when promote the evidence-based medicine, and vice versa. We should reserve the reasonable portion from every thing and use them integrated.
I must special point out that, due to the difference of physical and diet, when using the same natural drug, the physiological reactions may be different from people to people, especially for those who are in different ethnic groups or in different region. For some people are effective; some may be ineffective or even have side effects. We should pay serious attention before use them and study on it. It is better to increase the dose gradually to reach the level that recommended. Generally say that some of natural drugs have side effect, but it is much minor then that of synthetic ones or caused by improper use only.
There are reports that some Chinese drugs contain heavy metals and pesticide residues. I think that compared with no drugs to use, the metals and pesticide may be not a serious concern, so that those drugs with problems should not be forbidden but give warning, use or not, leave the choice to patients.
For a long times, WM have been playing an important role in the prevention and treatment of diseases world widely. It qualified to be called as mainstream medicine. However, now it is unable to extricate itself from trouble quagmire.
Such as, for the infectious diseases, it has failed in updating the antibiotics due to that fast mutation of super bugs has shortened the effective life of antibiotics and caused increasingly high research spending. Now some drug-makers abandoned their research into antibiotics. For the non-communicable diseases, it is much disappointed since no satisfied drugs, too.
On other hand, the inverse effects of synthetic drugs have become the life fatal threat. Such as, Britain has issued a warning on more than 60 cough and cold medicines that can not be given to children after causing dozens of deaths. There was a report that Newer Antipsychotics Have Same Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death as Older Ones. The drugs were developed for saving life rather than to kill life, however, as same as a lot of other things in the actual world, they are deviating from the will of kind-hearted people and are going farther.
Recent years, the system biology has been developed. It eliminated the deficiency of Holismand Reductionism by making up the gap between them. I called them as three medical philosophical brothers. Only the three works together, we can properly understand our body and the nature of development and recovery of the diseases. They have paved a new Medical Boulevard by forming an integrated medical philosophical system.
Here, I would like to make clear that, I promote the Holistic medical approach is intended to improve the balance of Philosophical approaches of Medicine by promoting the reasonable share that Holistic should take rather than to shoot Reductionism to die. When we are continuing to search human beings deepen into the microscopic, also we should take into account the macroscopic equally to understand human life comprehensively on physical, psychological and social. The thinges will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme. It is not sensible that focuses on either extremely. I prefer the dialectical thought of Daoism in maintaining the balance between Yin and Yang universally. It has the value far beyond the medical issue. If it can be universalized, the world would have developed according to the will of kind-hearted people; there are more harmony and lesser conflict. It will never be worse like today, even the essential daily safe for life has been destroyed. The ghost of the barbaric killers of Colonial expansion era is still wandering with a new deceive cloak; the world will never have peace.
Because that deadly side effect of WM, more and more people are looking for the hope from alternative medicines. Among the existing alternatives, Chinese Medicine (CM) is receiving increasing attention and welcomed world widely. Now it is becoming the hope in helping us to get out of the dilemma in health care. The door is opened widely for CM.
There were cases that are worth to mention here for demonstrating the magical therapeutic effect of CM.
A 36 years old male psychotic who was more than 10 years maintained by 20 mg Zyprexa daily after first time onset and cured quickly at his 16, did nothing besides eating and sleeping emotionlessly. It was that my preparation of Chinese drugs called back his emotion in days – talkative, listening music, curious-asking and willingly doing house works. He was sent to English language school after months due to his parents were bored by his endless curious-asking. Then he went to school everyday willingly alone, and he seemed to have restored the memory of his previously learned English because of his study progress showed as jumping. The result surprised me very much, although I believed some of Chinese drugs in compound-use can work on psychotic, but I never expected that it took effect so quick. I’ll discuss the case detailed in another article.
Other one was happened on my younger brother who hipbone fractured in a car accident 10 years ago. After one week of operation there was still 50 mm unhealed on incision suture and happened fat liquefaction. Besides the replacement of medical gauze and adjustment of the intravenous antibiotics conventionally, the doctors could not give more help. I worried about the wound infection or necrosis, so I hammered some dried raw herbs into coarse powder, then sprinkling on the watering area without sterilization. After 3 hours when I curiously opened the gauze found that the unhealed incision has crusted entirely. The appearance showed that the crust formed much earlier than 3 hours. Now more than 10 years has past without any sequel. The only logical explanation for fast heeling is that Chinese drugs have updated the recognized wounds healing process.
The successful cases made me deeply believe the magic effect of CM and gave me a strong confidence to help more people to enjoy the medical fruit from the ancient oriental civilization according to my more then 3 decades studies and experiences of successful cases with selected and self-designed prescriptions of CM.
I would like to make some apologies here: 1. For those possible mistakes in the article. Because of my literary culture both mandarin and English is too poor to convey the original meaning properly. 2, For those lost the links of tracking original resources cited in my article. I am no mean to prettify myself by stealing the works of others. I only did some sorting works to make existing medical literatures to be easier enjoyable. I would like to salute to those researchers for their excellent works, no matter their work cited or not in my paper, no matter which country they came from. Thank you for your hard working and great contribution to the advances of human civilization.
2. Western medicine
2.1. Philosophy: The philosophical approach of WM is the Reductionism that aims to reduce a complex whole to the effects of one part (or parts) upon another part (or parts), which microscopically viewing a complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts, and try to understand the whole by studying the part. Reductionism contrasts with the holism.
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2.2. Achievement of WM: No doubt, for a long time, the WM has been playing a dominant role in the treatment of diseases worldwide. Due to its therapeutic advantage and the reasons for market competition (See The Truth About The Rockefeller Drug Empire), in China, there were attempts to abolish TCM and promote WM instead. Even same events occurred in Japan. however, recently Japan has redressed their positive attitude and develop many drugs on TCM.
2.3. Human Genome atlas: In 2003, the Human Genome atlas was completed. It is a big success of WM. Many people think that we have gotten a new powerful approach to diagnose and cure diseases. Nevertheless, now 7 years have been passed, there are lesser genetic therapy can be reliably used clinically than that of ever hot expected. Because that even a single disease is associated with hundreds genome segments, so it is very difficult to be used clinically in a short time.
Plight of WM:
Communicable diseases: Recent years, some pathogenic-bacteria were named as super-bug because they can develop resistance to the existing class of antibiotics in short time after drugs putting in use. New antibiotic research is facing challenging in the competing against the mutation of virus. More time and spending are needed for antibiotic updating. So that many super drug-makers have abandoned the research in antibiotics. Simultaneity some drugs waswithdrawn from market because of serious negative effect. It will cause no effective antibiotics to fight with infectious diseases.
Such as: In the United States, deadly mystery superbugs kills soldiers and causes to amputate limbs among troops wounded in Iraq, because no antibiotics were effective for the infections, even for a slight wound.
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David Picard, CEO and the co-founder of Moleac, a biopharmaceutical company based in Singapore, in his article THE RISE of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that “Western pharmaceutical companies now spend over US$800 million on average to get a new drug approved.”
“This cost includes the lengthy and complex clinical development process which sees many potential drugs fall by the wayside, either because they do not work or because they cause unacceptable side effects.”
“Only around one in 17 candidate drugs identified make it to market.”
“If the drug being researched fails in the development process the losses can be considerable.”
“Pfizer, for example, recently wrote off around US$1 billion and 15 years of research and development after its experimental cholesterol drug failed to make the cut.”
“The industry is under increased pressure to develop new blockbuster drugs as patents expire, and to cut innovation costs. “
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Non-communicable diseases: Also became increasingly severe due to have no ideal drugs. Such as mental disorder, cancer, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and so on.
As a way in no way, in Sep. 13, 2007, Canadian Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute of Canada has launched a large, multi-year international study to try to find a way to help the hundreds of thousands of men diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, decide whether to opt for potentially life-altering treatments or choose a watch-and-wait approach. They hoped that Surveillance Therapy against radical treatment would resolve one of the thorniest dilemmas in prostate cancer care. Because of current therapy of chemo and radiation will cause the cancer degenerated faster.
28 February 2008, Helene Guldberg published the Heart disease: we need medicine not moralism. Said that “My mother died from a massive heart attack several months after being put on a waiting list for heart surgery. If she had been given the treatment she needed earlier she may still have been alive today.” She appealed “the experts should be concerned. They should be continually trying to reduce deaths from heart disease. Clearly, a hell of lot more can be done to improve medical intervention”.
Indeed, for her mother’s heart diseases, it was not that had no drugs, it was because that the synthetic drugs could not be used for a longer-time due to the deadly side effects. I believed, suppose that her mother had treated with Chinese drugs, they would be still enjoying their colorful life together.
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The cause of the plight: It was induced mainly from the philosophical approach, the Reductionism. Because human body is a complex system with psychological activity, there are many factors that interacts the pathogenic and development of the diseases, especially the psychological factors play a significant role. On the other hand, the most of diseases are syndrome with many sub-symptoms; it requires that treatment focus on the multiple targets with the well consideration of the interaction of all the factors physically and psychologically. Nevertheless, the WM has ignored those important factors. Therefore, it was that improper philosophical approach caused it into a dilemma.
We should review our Medical philosophy because of that philosophical approach is the foundation for doing any thing correctly.
System biology: Recent years, systems biology was developed. It is from system-level to understand human health and diseases in organs, organism and community. It is consistent to the Holism to understand complex biological systems in their entirety. This effort has great potential for the advancement of medicine with major implications for the future medicine and have emerged some pleasant results already.
Anti-diseases by immunity: Cationic antimicrobial peptides were developed in Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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“Hancock, who co-founded a company to commercialize IDR-1, a 13-amino-acid peptide, says the peptide does not kill bacteria directly. Instead it seems to prime the body's quick and dirty immune response, called innate immunity. A subsequent infection, he says, may then flag the body to send a surplus of white blood cells called monocytes and macrophages to gobble up invading pathogens.”
3. Chinese Medicine
3.1 Traditional Chinese Medicine
3.1.1. The origin of TCM, MCM and CM:
According to the developing model historically, Chinese medicine should divide into Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Modern Chinese Medicine (MCM). TCM was officially defined by the government of P.R. China in the 1950's after undertook an effort to coalesce many diverse forms of Chinese medicine into a unified system. It had no concept of modern anatomy and biology. The MCM is that new research results on TCM by the methods of integrating with Western medicine. The TCM & MCM should be integrated as Chinese medicine (CM). All the terms include diagnoses, treatment methods and medicinal materials, etc.
3.1.1.1. Definition of medicinal materials: For the medicinal materials are being used in CM or TCM, have different terms been used currently besides CM and TCM, such as, Chinese herbal medicine. Since that besides botanicals, there are animals and minerals are being used as drugs, too. So that Chinese herbal medicine can not exactly represent the entire medicinal materials. In order to avoid confusion, it is better to make some definitions. That all the medicinal materials are being used in CM or TCM is represented by Chinese drug (CD). By the same way, Western drug (WD) is used to represent the medicinal materials being used in WM.
There are many TCM terms are no corresponding English word, so it has caused some translations unreadable. I'll try to use simpler English words and cited some writings of others to make it easier to be understood. Here I only clarify the Yin and Yang.
3.1.1.2. Yin and Yang are the phonetic symbols of Mandarin. Roughly says that Yin means dark and Yang means light. Mandarin was officially designed by P.R. China in 1950s. It provided a unified language with spell and pronunciation for the people in 56 races of about 200 local languages throughout of China now is promoting world widely.
3.1.2. The Philosophy of TCM
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The Philosophy of TCM is based on Daoism that is similar to Holism. It is one of the important ancient philosophies of China, which has been deeply influencing China and East and South Asia.
The core of the Daoism is Dao. “It refers to a power that envelopes, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Dao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the universe.” It dialectically views that everything is in the unity of opposites universally. It embodies the harmony of the opposites.
Dao is symbolized by the Tai-Ji Diagram in which the Yin and Yang were coined to represent the two opposites.
Tai Ji Yin-Yang Diagram
In Tai Ji Yin-Yang Diagram, the outermost circle is called as Taiji or Wuji, which indicates that every thing universally is metaplasia from vitality and movement in cycling endlessly. The black fish represents the Yin, but its eyes are white that means yang, white fish represents Yang, but its eyes are black that means Yin. The whole symbol means that Yin doesn't leave Yang, and Yang doesn't leave Yin. They are opposites of each other with contradiction and reunification. Each is understood to be an integral part of the others. If one grows bigger, other one will be smaller. The main task of Dao is to make Yin and Yang keep in the state of harmonious balance.
Daoism views the universe as a system of the unity of opposites（Yin and Yang）dialectically, which is composed of many components - subsystem with own feature of unity of opposites. The components are all in the state of dynamic balance through continuous self-regulation. This primitive philosophical view generated thousands of years ago is well coinciding with the modern science. For example:
In micro perspective, as small as atom, extranuclear electrons cloud with the nucleus are both in the state of attraction and repulsion, the electronics rotating around the nucleus in dynamic equilibrium. They are in the state unity of opposites. Atoms are the components to compose of natural materials.
In macro perspective, the planets with the sun of solar system, and solar system with other galaxies are all in the continuously rotating in the state of self-regulation by attraction and repulsion of each other. They are also in the state of dynamic equilibrium of unity of opposites.
Yin often represents the negative, the female, dark, evil, cold, Earth, etc. Yang represents the positive, the male, light, good, hot, Heaven, etc. “There would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female. When patients got fever they would feel cold rather than hot.”
Daoism is contrary with Reductionism. It is similar with Holism and consistent with systems biology. Suppose that Reductionism focuses on a specific grass on the Himalayas, and then the Daoism is not only focusing on the entire grass, but also concerning those would affect the growth of grass, such as, destructive pests, the greenhouse effect and the reduction of glacier cover, etc.
In medical field, Daoism macroscopically views the human body as a whole and considers the interactions of various existing factors' from all components including the social and psychological factors with an over thousands years’ belief that the therapy is three-tenth in medication, seven-tenth in psychotherapy. The estimated effective proportion of psychotherapy in thousands years ago is close to the results of modern studies - “placebos are effective in 50 or 60 percent of subjects with certain conditions.”
TCM has developed an integrated theory independently based on the profound culture background that developed from thousands years China. It focuses on restoring the balance of human body and fight against diseases by enhanced physical capacity.
TCM has been riddling thousands natural medicinal materials through long time trial and error clinically, which includes botanicals, animals and minerals. Modern biochemical and pharmacological researches proved that Chinese medicine is sorted scientifically according to the therapeutic effect. For example, those are sorted as enhancing digestion are rich in Ca, Zn and Fe, and those as enhancing male sexual ability are rich in Mn and Cu.
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Meridian is a network system on human body found in ancient China. It distributes throughout the body that connects specific part from the body surface to the splanchnic organs. The acupuncture points locate on the networks and it can induce therapeutic effect on specific surface parts or splanchnic organs when stimulating them. Also some Chinese drugs can enrich in specific parts to take the therapeutic effect in similar performance with acupuncture.
3.1.3. The holistic view of life of TCM
It embodied that hunan body itself, human and nature, human and society, human and spirit is all unified whole and interacted each other.
TCM believes that human body is a unified whole, which is composed of tissues and organs that performs different functions, and they are organic links between each other. The components of constitute the human body are indivisible in the morphological structure, coordinated in the physiological function, interrelated in the metabolism and mutually affected in the pathological changes.
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Man and nature is a unified whole. Human beings are the product of nature developed to a certain stage. Nature exist the necessary condition for human survival. The motion and changes of the natural world are bound to affect human.
People and society is a unified whole, and many social factors may be directly or indirectly influence on human psychology, physiology and pathology.
Human spirit and the body is a unified whole. Mental activity is the advanced activities of human. Physical is the foundation of spirit, and the spirit is the product of physical. In turn, mental activity can significantly impact on the physical.
3.1.4. Therapeutic Principle:
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“TCM has a macro view to most diseases: well-balanced human bodies can usually handle most everyday bacteria and virus, which are ubiquitous and quickly changing; diseases happens only if there are some unbalanced parts in a human body. Due to this macro philosophy, TCM usually does not care what exact bacteria or virus are causing the symptoms, but tries the best to find which parts of the body are unbalanced as well as to find a strategy to bring back the balance. At the meantime, TCM believes only symptoms matter because irregular symptoms from the human bodies are the only faithful sources to deduce the unbalanced parts in a dynamic, complex system like a human body. Consequently, the treatments in TCM do not directly target to kill bacteria or virus but to bring back the balance of human bodies. It is very surprising but understandable that a TCM doctor may give very different herb prescriptions to patients affected by a same type of bacteria, because the different symptoms from the patients indicate different unbalanced parts in their bodies”.
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3.1.5. Diagnose Method:
Perhaps the biggest advantage of TCM is its diagnosis. Many diseases diagnosed by TCM can not diagnose out by WM. Many patients have felt significant discomfort, but the results of pathological analysis of WM show no signs of any disease.
3.1.6. The difference of TCM & WM:
In TCM the “Signs and symptoms are the first clinical indication when treating human diseases. Elimination of such signs and symptoms is the first priority in providing effective treatments. Any biomedical measurements relating to any diseases must be relevant to the signs and symptoms exhibited by any patient.”
“Western Medicine is not a perfect medical system. Its significance lies on its pathogenic theories. However, clinical signs and symptoms are only superficial phenomena, they do not represent contemporary pathogenic theories.”
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“In Chinese Medicine, every diagnosis relies entirely on signs and symptoms. Differentiation of Hot and Cold, Deficient and Excess is the crucial foundation in determining a patient’s medical kilter. Eliminating such signs and symptoms is the ultimate goal in Chinese Medicine. It also aims at improving the biomedical measurements as indicated by pathogenic analysis.” – Commenter: youzhang@tpg.com.au
Western drug and Chinese drug has different therapeutic mechanisms due to the difference of their philosophy. Western drug's entity is manmade single constituent, take the single effect on specific target. The allopathic is the main therapeutic mechanism. Chinese drug's entity is a group of natural bioactive constituent, take the multi-effect on multiple targets with the specificity. The physiological regulatory is the main therapeutic mechanism.
3.1.7. Example of doctors’ work manner of TCM and WM:
Now take a patient who is suffering from stomach disease as example to show the different in their works.
TCM doctors would try to find the causes by diagnosing the type of symptom. Does it induced by the improper diet or psychological pressure or excessive physical exertion, and or seasonal changes? Also patient has what kind of problems require to be adjusted? They will eventually restore the overall balance?
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WM doctors would try to find the causes by the gastro-scope and biochemical examination to find disease area and lesion extent as well as the source of pathogenic, such as helicobacter pylori. Then try to restore the health by killing the pathogenic microbe with WM drugs.
However, now we have made clear that some of digestion problems caused by psychological factors rather than the pathogenic microbe. Such as irritable bowel syndrome, is lack of abnormalities of morphological and biochemical, and closely related to the emotional changes or psychological factors, in which case that WM drugs can not work. Fortunately, TCM has been working well for either infectious or non-infectious with very cheap natural preparations for a thousands years.
“"Traditional Chinese medicine," sometimes shortened to TCM, involves the treatment of patients using the fundamental approaches of healing developed over the last 4000 years in China. The treatments in Chinese medicine include acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and Tui-Na, which resembles massage therapy combined with therapeutic touch. Chinese medicine has the longest history, and the most practical application, of any system of medicine in the world, outdating Western medicine by about 3800 years. In China, doctors were practicing relatively advanced medicine before the birth of Christ. Western medicine, in response, dismisses everything under Chinese medicine, ignoring the long history of safe and effective use of Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and other philosophies espoused by Traditional Chinese Medicine.”
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3.1.8. Preventive attitude:
TCM emphasizes that cure diseases before serious onset. This is one of its advantages. For the most of slight illness was diagnosed by TCM doctor, could not be detected out by the doctors or the means in WM.
TCM pays much attention on the prevention of diseases, and developed comprehensive preventive measures, such as, natural drugs, physical exercise methods, etc.
There is a research about the effect of Tai Chi Chuan exercise on subgroup of T Lymphocyte and NK Cells. After 25 min exercise performance in the group those have been exercising Tai Chi Chuan for many years, the percentage of the CD3, CD4 cell increased, the ratio of CD4/CD8 increased and the percentage of CD16 cells decreased. In quiet state, compared with that of non-Tai Chi Chuan group, those in Tai Chi Chuan group, the percentage of CD3 and CD4 cells is higher; the percentage of CD8 cells is higher but without statistical significance. So that Tai Chi Chuan exercise can enhance the regulatory capacity of the cellular immune, and improve the body's cellular immune function.
3.1.9. TCM & Psychology
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3.1.9.1. Psychological & diseases: December 1, 2004, CBC News reported Stress speeds up aging of immune cells.
A study of crossing the disciplines of psychology, medicine, neuroscience, and genetics reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer. And those optimistic people have lower incidence of heart disease, better prognosis after heart surgery, and longer life.
Now, many researches have made clear that our health is closely associated with psychological factors or so called stress, and it is the main inducement for various diseases. Such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart attack, stress ulcer, mind disorder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, retard the wound healing, and so on.
TCM has been giving much attention to the factors of psychological, social and environmental, etc., especially emphasizing that therapy is made up of the three tenth by medication and the seven tenth by recuperation psychologically.
“Chinese medicine poetically emphasizes the harmful role of stress in upsetting the emotional and physical imbalance leading to a weakened immune system. Western medicine is just beginning to tap into stress as the root cause of many illnesses and as a major obstacle in disease management. Chinese medicine has been doing it for over 5,000 years”.
3.1.9.2. Therapeutic effect of placebo: Indeed there are vivid evidences proved that psychological factors have therapeutic effect. That is placebo. They were widely used for new drug’s clinical trial in WM. Although some of them do not have pharmacological effect at all, however they do made therapeutic action physically.
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In 1955, Henry K. Beecher published the classic work entitled "The Powerful Placebo." He was the first scientist to quantify the placebo effect. He claimed that in 15 trials with different diseases, 35% of 1082 patients were satisfactorily relieved by a placebo alone. “Beecher started a wave of studies aimed at understanding how something (improvement in health) could be produced by nothing (the inactive placebo).”
“Other studies have since calculated the placebo effect as being even greater than Beecher claimed. For example, studies have shown that placebos are effective in 50 or 60 percent of subjects with certain conditions, e.g., "pain, depression, some heart ailments, gastric ulcers and other stomach complaints." And, as effective as the new psychotropic drugs seem to be in the treatment of various brain disorders, some researchers maintain that there is not adequate evidence from studies to prove that the new drugs are more effective than placebos. “
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The therapeutic effects of placeboes have proven that psychological factors are very important in the disease’s recovery. The positive frame of mind is conducive to the rapid recovery of disease. Also proves that TCM is excellent in the philosophical approaches that started from its origin stage in thousands years ago.
3.1.9.3. Biopsychosocial model: Until 1977, George Engel coined the biopsychosocial model, a general theory of illness and healing, which considered social and psychological factors associated with physical diseases in WM. Following are some of his articles.
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1. Engel GL: The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Science 8 April 1977; 196:129–136, Number 4286
2. Engel GL: The clinical application of the biopsychosocial model. Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:535–544
3. Engel GL: From biomedical to biopsychosocial: being scientific in the human domain. Psychosomatics 1997; 38:521–528
3.1.10. Chinese drug & compound prescription
In TCM, there were different kinds of botanicals, animals and minerals have been riddled and sorted as medicinal use according to their therapeutic effect. They were used to treat diseases last thousands years in China.
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3.1.10.1. Statistic on Chinese drugs: According to the largest national investigation in the 80's of 20th century mainland China, there are 12,807 kinds of Chinese drugs in total. Among them, 11,146 kinds are the medicinal plants, 1581 kinds are medicinal animal, and 80 kinds are medicinal minerals. However, according to the preliminary statistics in recent years Taiwan, the total number of medicinal plants was about 8000 kinds. There about 700 kinds were frequently used. The statistical data from Taiwan is lesser, may be derived from the geographical limits.
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Here I’d like to emphasize that although the medicinal animals and minerals are lesser in number, however their therapeutic effects are powerful, so they could not be ignored. I will demonstrate them later by true examples. I’m sure that the readers would be attracted and fallen addicted for their excellent therapeutic performance.
3.1.10.2. Compound prescription: For TCM, the most important therapeutic approach is compound prescription (multi-pharmacy, compound formula). That is by putting many different kinds of Chinese drugs in one prescription to treat disease by focusing on symptoms of syndrome. Some advantages are as following.
Firstly, I would prefer to point out that, the meaning of symptom in TCM is very different with that of in WM. In TCM, it is more in macro perspective of philosophical and dialectical rather than that of specific changes of anatomical and physiological physically in WM, such as, cold (of Yin) and hot (of Yang). The following content is only an example from my personal understanding roughly; it is not the same as the original intent of TCM because that completely understanding and exactly translating the medical theory of TCM is too difficult for me. It may need to extend my life to 199 years at least to learn starting from epigraphy on Oracle bone script in TCM and wording and new words coin in English. Once again, the purpose of this article is to promote the core of TCM – the Holistic medical approach rather than clinical reference.
3.1.10.2.1. Focus on the symptoms: the most disease is a syndrome that appeared many different symptoms at the same time or at the different development stage. Such as, fever, no appetite, rhinitis, faucitis, headache, coprostasis, insomnia and so on, TCM prescription may put many different Chinese drugs for treating each symptom at the same time.
3.1.9.2.2. Support each other: Some Chinese drug in compound prescription are not focused on the specific symptom, only enhance others’ therapeutic effect, For instance, some drugs may make other drug’s absorption faster, and the elimination slower. Some may increase the content of other drugs in blood to help absorption. Some can enlarge the drugs’ delivery amount by vasodilatation effect. Some even can make produce new therapeutic constituents in blood.
3.1.10.2.3. Relieve side effects: Such as, some natural drugs may has side effect of causing coprostasis, so put some Chinese drug of enhancing peristalsis of the alimentary canal to relieve it, at same time improve the appetite and nutrition supply, too.
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3.1.10.2.4. Improve the appetite & digestion: The condition of appetite & digestion also affects the therapeutic effect of the drugs. Unfortunately, that the appetite and digestion get worse for the most patient. So some drugs that can improve the appetite & digestion could also enhance the effect of other drugs. Also the improvement of appetite & digestion can enhance the nutrition supply to promote the recovery of patient.
3.1.10.2.5. Generate the new substance: General process method of Chinese drug is cook, and then drinks the soup. There were reports that some characteristic spectrums of new substance were found in the liquids from boiling mixed Chinese drugs, it shows some new constituent were generated during the drugs were being processing.
3.1.10.2.6. Correctness proven for compound prescription: Cocktail therapy for AIDS: That is the simultaneous use of two nucleoside drugs and a non-nucleoside drugs to treat AIDS, make the HIV virus no where to escape. The inventor, David D. Ho, M.D., the scientific director and CEO of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York, said, that he got inspiration from principle of the TCM compound formula. So, in fact, the achievement of the AIDS Cocktail Therapy is the success of the principle of compound prescription of TCM, although it was more in Reductionistic rather than Holistic.
Some content of TCM will be continuously discussed in MCM section.
3.1.10.3. Experience-based prescriptions: May 1st 2002 the Volume 1 of <Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions> was published in China. It is a referential book that carefully sorted and compiled from the experience-based prescriptions of Chinese medical books in history. The dictionary is about 18 million words with nearly 100 thousands prescriptions in 11 volumes, which shows the industrious and wisdom of ancient Chinese people by large amount of medical records. It has significant referential value for the modern medicine.
If you go to any Chinese Pharmacy in China or abroad, you will find many bottled tablets OTC Chinese drugs (CD): 1 Prescriptions Resources: Some of them are experience-based prescriptions and some of them have been updated according to modern researches.2 Making Methods: The most of them made by modern processing methods, Such as, Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction, Sugar coating, Tablets, Injections and so on. Few of them made by old methods: such as, Powder, Pill, Salve and so on. 3 Therapeutic range: Various diseases from Internal, Surgical, Gynecological to ENT. The most of them are focusing on specific diseases with the role of broad-spectrum treatment, some are for general physical enhancement. 4Application Level: The most of Chinese families reserve some often used Chinese drugs for some common diseases, such as common cold, headache, indigestion, diarrhea, wounds and so on. The most of Chinese hospital treat diseases by WM integrating CD.
3.2 Modern Chinese Medicine
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3.2.1. General Introduction
MCM has been developing based on the TCM by integrating modern biotechnology. Recent decades China, government made much effort to promote the research of TCM by modern biotechnology, introduced and developed many modern medical equipments and research methods, largely stimulated the development of Chinese drugs. And have gotten many valuable results. Now we can explain the therapeutic effects of Chinese drug more clearly in modern biological terms from the level of proteins, cells and gene.
Constituents: For the most Chinese drugs, such as, herbs, only a single one is a compound that contains dozens or hundreds of different constituents. So the bioactive constituents are complex and plenty. Obviously, the nature has prepared what we need and ready to be explored out.
Classification: The researches show that the Chinese drugs have been sorted scientifically. For example, those were sorted as enhancing the digestion are rich in Ca, Zn and Fe, and those as enhancing male sexual ability are rich in Mn and Cu. It has wonderful orderliness not only in chemical elements but also in bioactive constituents. Such as, Wahaha, a therapeutic drink made of Chinese drugs, has been in hot selling nearly two decades in China. Massive application has proven that it is effective in treating poor appetite for kids. No precocious puberty happened. Test results proved it rich in Ca, Zn and Fe.
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Bioactivity: The medicinal constituents are more active in natural drugs than that of any other kind of existence, so that human body can easily absorb them. For instance, in China, some researchers compared biological activity of gypsum in the form of nature and manmade，The results showed that only natural gypsum has therapeutic effect, although the manmade one is in 99.9% pure.
Antibacterial: Various active constituents in Chinese drugs could kill bacteria or virus directly as well as that of most Western drug does, fast and accurately at the time regulating the body balance. The Chinese drugs have showed the both advantages, one is the therapeutic effects that is similar to the Western drugs and second is the nutritional effect that is similar to the Orthomolecular Medicine.
Antiviral: Chinese medicine is the best anti-viral medicine. It can directly block the synthesis of virus nucleic acid, which can kill the virus, promote the formation of antibodies, and can enhance phagocytosis of macrophages to kill pathogenic rapidly and take a lasting effect.
Synergistic effect: Researches indicate that some pure extracts reduced their therapeutic effects compared with that were used in the completely original compound. These maybe caused by losing the potentiating synergistic effect when some constituents were being filtered away.
Therapeutic mechanisms: Western drug and Chinese drug has different therapeutic mechanisms due to the difference of their philosophy. Western drug's entity is manmade single constituent; take the single effect on specific target. The allopathic is main therapeutic mechanism. Chinese drug's entity is a group of natural bioactive constituent, take the multi-effect on the multiple targets with the specificity. The physiological regulatory is the main therapeutic mechanism.
Smart cure ability: Some Chinese drug can take intelligent therapeutic effect. For a normal body condition, it does not take effect; only for an ill body it takes regulatory effect. Some even take bidirectional regulatory effect. The so-called bidirectional regulatory effect means that the same drug in same dose can make the unbalanced body condition return to normal level. Such as: whether the hypertension or hypotension both can be regulated back to normal level. And no matter is sleepy or insomnia, all can be regulated back to normal sleep status, and so on.
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Brain diseases: Some Chinese drugs molecular are very small, easily go through the blood-brain barrier to enter the cerebral cortex directionally and selectively. It can improve the brain blood circulation, increase the oxygen metabolism of brain cells, and increase energy supply for cranial nerve system, removal the wastes of the brain metabolites. Effectively restore the synthesis and metabolism of nerve media and the central nervous conduction and separation.
Alleviate stress: Chinese drug can reduce the negative effects of psychological stress largely. Because it can alleviate the stress symptoms by releasing endorphins, decreasing the stress hormone cortisol, eliminating the oxygen free radicals, lowering the blood pressure, reducing the heart rate, relaxing the muscle tissue, improving the digestion and sleeping, and bringing more fresh oxygen to body tissues by improving the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids. This increased blood flow will eliminate the waste products from inside the body and enhance the nutrition supply to accelerate the recovery. This advantage can be used to prevent great many diseases since it reduce the inducement of diseases.
Anti-aging: Chinese drugs can prolong the life span of organism by many ways, such as anti-oxidation, immunoregulation, neuro -regulation, endocrine secretion regulation, anti-DNA injury, etc. It can relieve all the fatigue impairs for men and women, enhance the ability of hearing and seeing, and restore the color of beard and hair for elderly.
Broad cure ability: The most often used Chinese drugs are with have none or little negative effect. Even the little negative effects can be eliminated easily by compound prescription. It is effective for both diseases, no matter is communicable or non-communicable. Some examples are as following:
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Resist cancer development.
Inhibit the cells apoptosis.
Improve the transduction of cellular signal
Relieve cytotoxic.
Restore the organ or nerve system.
Reduce the psychic stress.
Improve the digestion and metabolism.
Relieve the chronic fatigue syndrome.
Relieve the irritable bowel syndrome.
Improve the male erectile dysfunction.
Relieve or heal the psychosis.
Detox the drug addiction disorders.
Relieve the snore and apnea.
Prevent or heal heart attack and stroke.
Substitute blood-dialyze of uremia patient.
Activate blood flow and removing blood stasis.
Protect the injury of cerebral or heart ischemia-reperfusion
Anti-agging.
Prevent or heal cough.
Relieve neurasthenic.
Cure and prevent the ulcer of alimentary canal.
Heal chronic tracheitis.
Smooth wound scars.
Relieve or heal arthritis.
Increase white or red blood cells.
Bi-immunoregulatory effect
And so on.
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The list can be made much longer. But those are enough to make any people understand the wonderful therapeutic effect of Chinese drugs.
Poison & Safety: Although the Chinese drug came from nature, however, some of them are not safe for using because of instant or long-term poison. If we use it correctly, it would be a very good medicine. Contrariwise, it will cause unexpected results. Now the poison Chinese drugs have been identified already and have found some special usage in treating diseases, such as, the arsenic (As2O3) can be used to cure cancer.
Natural Chinese drugs are a huge natural pharmaceutical resource, which Western drug does not have presently.
CM integrating WM: Besides bad negative effects that synthesize drugs have their specific advantages aiming at some diseases.
Xu Shou (1818-1884), was a pioneer of modern chemistry China. In his paper "The medical theory" of 1876, had been put forward the proposition of CM integrate with WM. He wisely pointed out a promising therapeutic avenue by using both advantages of the CM and the WM to patch up the disadvantages each other.
Bob Flaws, an active interpreter and practitioner of Chinese medicine with western background, said in An Interview, “that the combination of Western medicinals and Chinese medicinals is, for many disease processes, better than either of them individually. Typically, you get a better therapeutic effect with a smaller dosage of Western meds and have to take the Western meds for a shorter period of time. Clinicians know that most of the side-effects of Western drugs are dose-related and that, if you can keep the dosage minimal and the duration as short as possible, you'll get the therapeutic result without the adverse reactions. Chinese medicinals taken with Western medicines seem, in many cases, to achieve that therapeutic goal.”
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In China, it is common in CM integrating WM clinically. That is, at the same time, a patient being treated by two types of medicine. The advantages of WM are to take the effect quickly toward the main symptoms and the advantages of CM are to take the effect in eliminating the negative effects of WM by improving the patient's immunity and overall physical condition. Greatly enhanced the therapeutic effect and made the patient recover earlier. Also it greatly improved the life quality of patients. The good example is the treatment of SARS.
SARS: During the outbreak of SARS in 2003 in China, among 5326 were confirmed SARS cases, 3104 were treated by WD integrating CM. The wonderful therapeutic effect of Chinese drug is manifested.
1. Relieve fever and shorten the duration.
2. Improve weakness, breath shortness, dry cough and clinical symptoms of poisoning.
3. Eliminate the toxicity and the negative effects of Western drug, such as steroid in large doses use.
4. Help to reduce the amount of using in hormones.
5. Improve hematopoietic function and hypoxic conditions.
6. Protect the organs function and avoid organs failure.
7. Reduce the systemic complications.
8. Promote the absorption of inflammation to avoid the bad sequels.
Such as the femoral head necrosis of bad sequelae of SARS.
That the causes are still in debating, one is SARS virus, and another one is the use of glucocorticoids in large dose.
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As a result, no one was dead in the group of intervening with Chinese drugs.
N1H1 flu: The successful experience of mainland China on the treatment of A H1N1 flu was that, if the treatment focuses on each symptom of the patient to improve their physical condition by Chinese drugs besides killing the A H1N1 flu viruses. The number of developing into the critical and death was largely reduced.
It is easy to get some OTC Chinese drugs in the forms of pill or sugar coated tablets from Chinese pharmacies closing to your home by consulting seller or Chinese doctor. Please start with a half of pill or tablet then gradually reach the dose recommended on the label to avoid the happening of heavy side effect. Also there are injections that can be used for intravenous infusion, but needs the help of highly skilled Chinese doctors. Any way flu should not be a deadly disease.
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Critical patients: For those patients in severe critical states, such as, MODS, whatever the causes but no urinate and defecate for a while, and have no effect on any existing therapies, we may carefully try to smear the alcohol tincture of Aloe leaf in the navel and surrounding area about 16 square centimeter, then covering with a plastic film and massaging to make the medicinals transdermal absorption into the blood vessel. After about 10 hours, there will be diarrhea-like defecation and then the patients will feel much better. Smearing several times will be enough. I am not certain safe or not for the long term smearing. If there is no diarrhea-like defecation, it may need enlarge the smearing area or check the quality of the Aloe, whether have enough yellow colored medicinals’ secretions on the cut section of Aloe leaf. As a safe consideration, firstly smear small area to watch the patient’s reaction, whether there is side effect. The aloe must be more than 3 years old so that it has enough yellow colored medicinal.
The navel is a holographic acupuncture area that can connect human organs of whole body. The Aloe smearing can restore the digestive system; boost the physiological activities and immune function with a magical reviving effect.
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Above idea enlightened from the Rhubarb (Dahuang, Jiangjun), a pure Chinese herb with the proven therapeutic effect for critical patients, such as, for MODS, especially with gastrointestinal dysfunction. Although the reports of Aloe to be used for critical patients are less than that of Rhubarb, however, their main medicinal constituent is similar, so that their medicinal effect will be similar. On the other hand, compared with Rhubarb, Aloe is easier to be gotten due to it is being home planted world widely. I will introduce my experience about it home planting in another article.
Talking about Aloe Vera, the Editor of NaturalNews.com, Mike Adams wrote that “When I say aloe vera is the most impressive medicinal herb invented by nature, I don't make that statement lightly. Of all the herbs I've ever studied -- and I've written thousands of articles on nutrition and disease prevention -- aloe vera is the most impressive herb of them all.”
A natural, cheaper and simple method may pull back a person who has stepped into the door of another world with his or her one foot. The process is just like that makes a nearly stopped-pendulum re-swing again. There will be much more this kind of simple experience-based methods in public daily life that is better than those recommended by so called medical authorities. This is why that I said medical issue is the public issue, and it should be taken down from the mysterious Altar.
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The method can also be used to treat children malnutrition, poor appetite, constipation and emaciated, etc. Please do not long term use.
I do not recommend the use of Rhubarb unless prescribed by a doctor.
Now I’ll take some individual medicinal plants, animals and minerals in Chinese drugs as example to demonstrate the magical therapeutic effect that has revealed by modern researches.
3.2.2. Medicinal plant
Here let us look at the goldthread (Coptis chinensis), a frequently used Chinese plant drug to learn how an herb works.
3.2.2.1. Goldthread
Firstly I would like to introduce a book in which the goldthread was first recorded. The Shen nong ben cao jing, an earliest pharmacy monograph of TCM, which systematically summarized the clinical experience of Chinese drugs firstly. It has been hailed as classics and essence of Chinese pharmacy.
For the publish age, there is a different legend, one was in the Warring States period 476 BC - 221 BC, and the second was in the age of Qin and Han Dynasties 221 BC – 220 AD. The authors are unknown.
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3.2.2.1.1 Biochemical constituents
The biochemical constituent include: Berberine, coptisine, epiberberine, Palmatine, berberis red alkali, berberis alkali methyl, ferulic acid, magnolia flower alkali, phellodendron ketones and yellow-corktree bark lactones, etc.
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3.2.2.1.2 Pharmacological effects
3.2.2.1.2.1. Antibacterial: Goldthread preparations have a strong antibacterial effect on pneumococcus, staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus hemolyticus, comma bacillus, anthrax bacillus and bacillus dysenteriae, etc. Also has inhibitory effect on the bacteria of diphtheria, pertussis, tuberculosis and brucella, etc. The coptis decoction and water extract have inhibitory effect on violet trichophyton, floccus epidermal mentagrophytes, Candida albicans and Yanuca star bacteria, etc. And in vitro, show inhibitory effect on mice entamoeba parasite, chlamydi trachomatis and trichomonas.
3.2.2.1.2.2. Blood glucose: Coptis Decoction and berberine gavages may reduce the blood glucose in normal mice. The hypoglycemic effect may be by inhibiting gluccneogenesis or promoting glycogen glycolysis.
3.2.2.1.2.3. Platelet and thrombus: Berberine has significant inhibitory effect on the contraction of clot enriched with the platelet. After inhibiting the clot contraction, take a significant catalytic effect on clot lyses caused by urokinase and streptokinase. It is conducive to save the patients with heart artery thrombosis or cerebral artery thrombosis.
3.2.2.1.2.4. Heart Function: Berberine intravenous has a strong positive inotropic effect on canine heart. So that the rhythm slowed down, the diastolic blood pressure decreased, the pulse pressure increased, the total external resistance decreased, the blood output of per pulse increased.
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3.2.2.1.2.5. Hypertension: Berberine can lower down the arterial pressure, particularly diastolic pressure with the dose correlated. The mechanism is mainly competitive blocking β2 receptor on vascular smooth muscle to reduce the peripheral vascular resistance. The effect is weaker for stage Ⅲ hypertension and severe hypertension. Such as:
Berberine tablets 0.6 – 0.8 g.d-1 have good effect on hypertension in stage I & stageⅡ. Also have effect on secondary hypertension of renal and pre-eclamposia and eclamposia, etc.
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Oral Berberine tablets 0.4 ~ 0.5 g per time, 3 times daily for 4 weeks. Results: (1) 13 cases in stage I, 8 cases were marked effect, 5 cases were some effect. (2) 19 cases of stage Ⅱ, 10 cases were marked effect, 6 cases were some effect, and 3 cases were no effect. (3) 10 cases of stage Ⅲ, 2 cases were some effect, 8 cases were no effect. The total effective rate is 73.8%.
3.2.2.1.2.6. Hyperlipidemia: The hypolipidemic effect is primarily found at the experiment of treatment of non-diabetic animal models. It significantly reduced the content of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL2C).
Berberine tablets 0.5 g TID after meals orally treat hyperlipidemia, the effective rate was 90%.
3.2.2.1.2.7. Myocardial ischemia: Berberine can enhance the mice’s ability of hypoxia tolerance. Reduce the scope and extent of rabbits’ myocardial infarction.
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3.2.2.1.2.8. Arrhythmia: Oryzanol significantly increase the oral bioavailability of Berberine. Oral administration of the blend of two drugs can reduce the arrhythmia of rats induced by aconitine and coronary artery ligation. The mechanism is inhibiting outward potassium current and the tail current.
3.2.2.1.2.9. Brain Injury: Cerebral ischemia can cause the increase of the brain excitatory amino acids, such as, glutamate. Berberine can improve the brain injury by inhibiting glutamate-induced high expression of brain cells’ C-fos and the increase of intracellular calcium.
3.2.2.1.2.10. Cancer: Both in vitro and in vivo test, berberine shows a significant inhibiting effect for sarcoma S180 in mice. Also has inhibitory effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma, cervical cancer and transplanted tumors of nude mice.
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3.2.2.1.2.11.Toxicity: LD50 is 24.3mg/kg by mice intraperitoneal injection.
3.2.2.1.3. Clinic applications
3.2.2.1.3.1. Atrophic gastritis: Blend preparation of Berberine with other Chinese herbs treat atrophic gastritis, except 1 patient self terminated, 23 of 24 cases, the gastric mucosal atrophy was restored to normal, the stomach pain and the gastrectasia symptoms disappeared, the appetite improved. Gastric analysis: fasting total acidity and free acidity reached the normal level.
3.2.2.1.3.2. Stomach and duodenal: Blend preparation of Berberine and other herbs treats gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. Total 18 cases, 12 cases cured in one day and 6 cases in 2 days. Follow-up found relapse patients were re-cured in 1 ~ 2 days.
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3.2.2.1.3.3. Ulcerative Colitis: With metal pipe directly spray Coptis powder and positioning enema with Coptis powder aqueous solution treat 18 cases of Ulcerative Colitis, cured 15 cases. Spray method, Coptis powder 2 ~ 2.5 g one time daily total 9 times for a course of treatment. Enema method, Coptis powder mixed in 150ml warm water and then poured into. Except pain in first 2 or 3 times, there is no other side effect. The pain can be avoided by adding appropriate amount of Procaine.
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3.2.2.1.3.4. Diabetes: Type II diabetes 60 cases, oral Berberine 0.3～0.5g X 3 times daily, unknown the time of treatment course. After treatment, the fasting blood glucose is 117.19 ± 25.98mg/dl, that is significantly decreased than pre-treatment of 208.65 ± 51.68mg/dl (P<0.01). Patients’ clinical symptoms disappeared, serum insulin levels increased significantly (P<0.01), total effective rate was 90%. Had no significant effect on those blood glucose level is in normal. Follow-up 17 cases, there 11 cases were maintained in the level of treatment efficacy. In the experimental study showed a marked hypoglycemic effect, and demonstrated the promotion effect on pancreatic β-cell repair.
3.2.2.1.3.5. Suppurative otitis: Powder of Berberine with other herbs, blowing into the ear canal, and goes through the perforation of tympanic membrane, 2 times daily, five days for a treatment course. Total 41 cases, 36 cases fully recovered, 4 cases improved, 1 case was no effect.
In view of the public Knowledge on Chinese herbal medicine have been a lot. Here, I’ll introduce the rare one - medicinal animals.
3.2.3. Medicinal animals
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4000 years ago, there medicinal animals were used in China. The records were found on the tortoise shells. The animal names on shells include snake, musk deer, rhino and so on.
Currently, there were 1574 (1581?) kind medicinal animal’s recorded. Among them, the terrestrial animals are 1295 kinds; the marine animals are 275 kinds. The vertebrates are about 62% in the medicinal animal species. The invertebrates are 606 kinds.
Because the therapeutic effect of animals’ drug is powerful, so that it can take a significant effect by only a small doses. In addition, their resource is richer, toxicity is lower, and is capable to treat a wide range of diseases. Therefore, as same as the herbs, the medicinal animals are an important component of Chinese drugs.
Here I’ll take the ants, placenta and earthworm as example to demonstrate their wonderful therapeutic effect.
3.2.3.1. Ants
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In China, 3000 years ago has started to use ants. In book< Zhou LI Tian Guan> described that ants was as food for king. Some other TCM books have described ants, includes Compendium of Materia Medica《Ben Cao Gang Mu》.
In TCM, the ants are used for treating many diseases, such as, kidney inefficiency, rheumatic pain, stroke hemiplegia, hand-foot numbness, dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, dreamy, impotence, emission, lupus, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, carbuncle, swollen pain and snakebite, etc.
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3.2.3.1.1. Bioactive constituents
Ants aldehyde, formic acid, fatty acid, protein, free amino acids, alkaloids, histamine, terpenoids, variety of hormones, variety of enzymes, and ant antibiotic. Vitamin A, C, D, B1, B12, E. There are more than 20 kinds of minerals, Ca, P, Fe, Zn, Se, etc. In particularly the Zn content is prominent, per 1000g ants containing 100-200mg Zn, the Zn content is 8 times than that of soybean, 2 times than that of pig livers.
3.2.3.1.2. Pharmacological effects.
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3.2.3.1.2.1. Immunoregulatory: Ants can bi-directional regulate the cellular immune function to the normal level.
3.2.3.1.2.2. Immune synergy: Promote hyperplasia of thymus, spleen and other organs. Increase the number of blood leukocytes, can enhance the activity of macrophage and lymphocyte, and improve antibody cell count and serum antibody levels after antigen stimulation.
3.2.3.1.2.3. Inhibit inflammation: Experiments show that ants can significantly inhibit the inflammation induced by xylene and formaldehyde. This provides a reliable theoretical basis for clinical application of ant to treat rheumatic diseases.
3.2.3.1.2.4. Rheumatoid arthritis: Ants have immunoregulatory effect, adrenal cortex-like effect and anti-inflammatory effect. Has obvious therapeutic effect on joint swelling, morning stiffness and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
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The preparation of ants and herbs treats rheumatoid arthritis 35 cases, 17 cases cured, 12 cases were marked effect, 5 cases were some effect, 1 case was no effect. The longest treatment course was 15 months, the shortest was 20 days.
3.2.3.1.2.5. Asthma: Ants preparation can relieve the bronchial asthma and intestinal spasm induced by ethylene choline. And can relieve the intestinal spasm induced by barium chloride.
3.2.3.1.2.6. Sedative effect: Ants preparation can reduce the times of spontaneous activity of mice, showed certain sedative effect.
3.2.3.1.2.7．Painkiller: Experiment in mouse acetic acid writhing response showed that ants have very significant effect in relieving throes. The pain threshold was increased 4.347 times.
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3.2.3.1.2.8. Liver: Ants preparation can lower down the activity of rat’s serum glutamicpyruvictransaminase enhanced by carbon tetrachloride. Show that ants can inhibit the hepatocyte fatty change.
3.2.3.1.2.9. Anti-aging: Ants can increase the content of intracellular DNA and RNA, enhance the phagocytosis capacity of the macrophage, and scavenge free radicals
3.2.3.1.2.10. Sex: Ants are a sexual enhancer to promote the sexual ability by making following improvements: (a) Increase the weight of the testes and ovary. (b) Increase the content of DNA, RNA in leydigscells and spermatocytes of convoluted suminiferous tubule. (c) Promote the cell division. Experiment show that ants can increase the weight of semen capsule prostate and glandulae preputiales of castrated male mice, increase the weight of spermary and epididymis of normal mice markedly and significantly increase the number of sperm. For aged mice increase the weight of testes and thymus.
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This kind of sexual enhance is based on the enhancement of the overall physical strength healthily. It will obviously reduce or even avoid the deadly sequelae during enjoy the pleasure of sex by the assist of WM drugs. Such as, 109 'have been killed by Viagra'.
3.2.3.1.2.11．Fertility: Ants have a significant effect in the promotion and protection for the fetal rat growth. And have satisfactory effect on the treatment of infertility of men and women. Such as, azoospermia; oligospermia; non-ejaculation; varicocele; endometriosis; amenorrhea; ovarian cysts; uterine hypoplasia; irregular menstruation; no-ovulation; polycystic ovary syndrome and bilateral tubal barrier.
The United States does have infertility rate-17 percent, and this rate continues going up. However, China have the lowest infertility rate, less that 3 percent. The contribution of lower infertility rate came from the natural Chinese drugs.
3.2.3.1.2.12．Diabetes：Ants can regulate the disorder of endocrine function in vivo, enhance the metabolism of the sugar, protein and fat, and stimulate the cell function. Thus, enhance the activity of insulin and inhibit the generation of insulin antibody. Improve the fatigue phenomenon. In China, more and more patients use ants and herbs compound to treat diabetic syndrome.
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Total 56 out-diabetes patients, 21 males and 35 females, 9 were over 60, 26 were 45-60, and 21 were less than 45. The course of disease was from 6 months to 4 years. All these patients had varying degrees of oral thirst, rapid hungering, polyuria, obesity or emaciation, and generalized lack of strength. Fasting blood glucose was equal to or more than 7 mmol/L (126mg/dL) and glycosuria was +-++++.
Ants 60g and another 19 Chinese herbs ground into fine powder and disinfected. 10 capsules (0.3g/capsules) X 3 times daily, 3 months equaled one course of treatment. After 2-5 such courses, outcomes were assessed.
There were 38 patients (67.9%) were marked effect, 12 patients (21.4%) were some effect, and 6 patients (10.7%) were no effect, for a total amelioration rate of 89.3%. However, these effects were most significant in those with the early stage of disease in asymptomatic. According to the Chinese authors of this study, there were no observable side effects from this protocol.
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Note: As a opinion of mine, that the amelioration rate will be over 95% without side effect if the dose doubled especially in the increase the amount of ants.
3.2.3.1.2.13. Antibiotics: Researches indicated that the waxy substance of ants’ secrete contains antibiotics.This "ant antibiotic" may assist the human body to resist variety of pathogenic microorganisms, especially in case of fungal infection and staphylococcus.
“Researchers at Princeton and Harvard Universities believe that the discovery of two key proteins guiding one of the two groups of pathogenic bacteria that make up an ant's outer shell could pave the way to the development of new antibiotics.” ”the antibiotics would be particularly effective against gram-negative bacteria, such as E coliand Salmonella, and would destroy these pathogens by disabling the mechanism that produces the ants' protective coating.”
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3.2.3.1.2.14. Cancer: Radiotherapy and chemotherapy will seriously damage the patients’ immune system. Ants can provide compensation to restore being destructed immune system. At the same time, those increased natural killer cells can kill cancer cells directly.
Here is a miracle recover case of liver cancer.
Beijing Medical University, Yu Guo An, a 75 years old male, suffered multiple liver tumors, is no longer able to carry out removal operation. In which case, he took large dose ants preparations competing for one year. When one year after he went to hospital review, surprisingly found that tumors reduced.
Suppose that Mr. Yu took the conventional treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy, he would be died already. Even if alive he would be at counting his remaining survival days or months on bed by bending his finger according to the general experience, because that the liver cancer is a badly malignant one, so that it is being called the king of cancers’.
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Indeed, in above case, it was that incurable cancer is cured by animal drug without help of conventional medical means. Obviously no any constituents that can kill cancer cell directly in ant powder. However, it was that the ants killed incurable cancer cell indirectly by enhancing Mr. Yu’s immune ability. Therefore, it is the success of holistic philosophical approach. The fact has provided a powerful evidence to prove the system biology is a prospective philosophical approach and that the nature killer cells kill cancer cell is effective in vivo.
Suppose take the ants regularly as preventatives before, Mr. Yu would not be suffered in cancer.
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3.2.3.1.2.15. Safety evaluation: In mice model carried out safety evaluation for Ant Powder. The results as following:
Acute toxicity test: LD50>215000mg/kg.
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Ames test: No findings on cancer mutagenicity in following test. the concentration of Ant powder in 1.0 mg/plate. 2.0 mg/plate 3.0 mg/plate and 4.0 mg/plate orderly were studied with TA97(a), TA98, TA100, TA102 bacterial, at the same time, mutagenic were used as the control groups. The test was repeated under the action of metabolic activated enzyme. The bacterial numbers at every concentration had no significant differences than the control groups.
Micronucleus test: No significant different with control group in bone marrow cytogenetic test: Micronucleus rate at 5000mg/kg, 10000mg/kg, 20000mg/kg and positive were 0.2%, 0.16%, 0.18%, 0.2%, 3.26% respectively.
The sperm shape abnormality test: No significant different with control group in following tests: 5000mg/kg, 10000mg/kg、 20000mg/kg and positive were 1.94%, 1.98%, 2.24%, 12.84%.
Thirty days feeding test: All histopathologic and biochemical indexes were in normal after 30 days feeding. Including blood, liver, kidney, stomach, intestines, growth status, all results were negative. The facts indicated that Ant powder is non-toxic.
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Following are some studying articles for ants in medicinal practice.
U.N. Conference Promotes Insect-Eating for Everyone From Famine Victims to Astronauts
Colombia's Big-Butt Ants Entice Gourmets
'Big-Butt' Ant Delicacy Goes Global
Ants Have Much More Efficient Antibiotics Than Humans Do
Extracts in Chinese Ants May Fight Against Arthritis and Others
New Slant On Ants: Eat Them And Stay Healthy, Chinese Say.
BEIJING - A handful of ants a day keeps the doctor away, according to Chinese scientists.
The consumption of ants as part of a healthy diet or for medicinal purposes has a history in China that goes back at least 3,000 years.
Ants May Help Researchers Unlock Mysteries of Human Aging Process
Insects and other arthropods used as drugs in Korean traditional medicine
3.2.3.2. Placenta
Placenta is the unique organ and the initial home for therian mammals.
The medicinal use of placenta started around 2200 years ago. The first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, the man who made China and tasted the placenta firstly on the purpose of prolonging his life. He felt it did work and ordered to take it as top grade tonic in royal regimen. Thereby the kings in subsequent dynasties of China took placenta as a best tonic, too. They conducted some studying on placenta and used it as a special drug clinically.
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In TCM book, the Compendium of Materia Medica has an attractive description: the placenta of human, sheep, pigs, cattle, deer and other mammals’ can be used as drug. They can relieve all the fatigue impair for men and women. Even those in critical condition, take 1 or 2 times, can be survived. Adhering long-term use, can enhance the ability of hearing and seeing, and can restore the color of beard and hair for elderly, benefit to the health and longevity. It is a magical panacea medicine.
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3.2.3.2.1. Bioactive constituents: Modern Pharmacological studies indicate that the placenta contains at least 55 kinds of bioactive nutrients that play an important role in human life. There are more than 30 kinds of essential amino acids, multi-vitamins and trace elements. Among all of them, the important one is placental peptide; the peptides are the biological active substances that involved in a variety of cell functions in vivo. Almost all cells are subject to peptide-regulating in multi-aspect, such as, hormones, nerves, immune regulation, tumor, neurohormonal neurotransmitter regulation, cells’ reproduction and differentiation, etc.
3.2.3.2.2. Pharmacological effects
3.2.3.2.2.1. Immunoregulatory: Placental Immunoregulatory peptide can significantly promote the growth, maturation and differentiation for human T lymphocytes and B lymphocyte. It can significantly improve the immune function of mice in radiotherapy and chemotherapy. For the mice that are in immunosuppressive state, the placental peptide can restore the immune ability by increasing the number of neutrophils, the index of body weight, spleen weight and lymphocyte stimulation, etc. After 10 days administration of sheep placenta peptide on puppies, found that many physiological indicators were significantly increased. Such as, total number of blood leukocytes, peripheral blood T cells, serum globulin levels, serum lysozyme activity, etc.
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3.2.3.2.2.2. Fatigue and hypoxia: In mice model, placental preparation can enhance the capacity of anti-fatigue and anti-hypoxia. It can significantly increase the time of load swimming. Experiments show that the blend preparation of deer placenta with herbs can extend the sustained swimming time in mice and hypoxic survival time of rats. Increase the human muscle endurance, so that after exercise the body's blood pressure, heart rate were all reduced, and in serum those related to energy metabolic enzymes and energy supply substance can be all increased.
3.2.3.2.2.3. Anti-aging: Placental preparation can take an anti-aging effect through scavenging the free radicals by enhancing the activity of superoxide dismutase. Experiments show it can significantly reduce the lipofuscin content in the tissue of mice brain, thus reducing the damage of brain tissue and slowing down the development of aging.
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3.2.3.2.2.4. Cell: Placental preparations can promote the proliferation and metabolism of the cells. With the experiment of DMEM cultured epidermal basal cell of neonatal mouse, confirmed that the extract of placental tissue have the effect of the nutrition and growth factor. Now it is used to make cosmetics due to its capacity of removing wrinkles and enhancing skin elasticity.
3.2.3.2.2.5. Intellect: Placental preparations can improve the learning ability. Experiments proved that the Placental Immunoregulatory Factor (PIF) can improve the learning ability of mental retarded children. In rat’s Alzheimer's disease model, in placental group, the score of learning and memory test was superior to the control group.
3.2.3.2.2.6. Eyes: Placenta preparations can induce the generation of the cells melanin to take the therapeutic effect for retinal malnutrition of myopia and age-related.
3.2.3.2.2.7. Gynecological: Placental preparations can treat some gynecological problems. Such as, uterus’ hypogenesis, follicle presenility and serious early amenorrhea, etc. The effect is significant better than that of WM hormone treatment.
3.2.3.2.2.8. Live: Treats hepatitis-C 115 cases by placental peptide, there 91 cases were cured clinically. The cure rate reached 79.1%. Show that the placenta peptides have the effect of anti-hepatitis virus in vivo. The mechanism maybe is that regulate the cellular immune function.
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3.2.3.2.2.9. Respiratory: Placental peptides have significant therapeutic effect on respiratory diseases. Such as, chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma, etc. For instance, treat chronic bronchitis by single placenta; the total effective rate was 64%. After integrated with WM drugs, the total effective rate reached 84%, were significantly higher than 53% in single WM drug group.
3.2.3.2.2.10. Cancer: As adjuvant treatment of chemotherapy for tumor bearing mice, show that placental peptides can increase the total WBC number of peripheral blood, thereby regulate the physiological function, repair the damaged tissue and cells. Placental peptide can inhibit the growth of S180 tumor cell and colon tumor cell, the inhibition rate was 48% and 57%. After the treatment by radiotherapy integrating placental Immunoregulatory factor for nasopharyngeal cancer patients, the level of CD4, CD4/CD8 and the activity of NK cells’ were significantly increased.
3.2.3.2.2.11. Graft-versus-host: Placental immunoglobulin can effectively inhibit early differentiation of T lymphocytes, induce the immune deviation of the T cells; take the effect in preventing mice graft-versus-host disease.
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3.2.3.2.2.12. Tuberculosis: Human placental lipopolysaccharide has adjuvant therapeutic effect on tuberculosis.
3.2.3.2.2.13．Sleep：When massive crowd efficacy testing, found that the sheep placental preparations can improve the sleep quality.
3.2.3.2.2.14. Digestion: In mice model, intraperitoneal injection of Sheep’s Placental Living Cell Extract, found that the level of gastrointestinal impel reached 64.57% ± 10.81%, is significantly higher than that of 56.12% ± 12.48% of control group. The result indicates that the Sheep Placental Living Cell Extract can enhance gastric peristalsis, therefore improve the digestion.
3.2.3.2.2.15. Beauty: Placental preparations can make the human skin beautiful and extend the adolescence by regulating the endocrine, dissolving the aged rough skin and repairing the injured skin tissue.
3.2.3.2.2.16．Various diseases: Placenta-related preparations also demonstrated good clinical results on various diseases. Such as, malnutrition, rhinitis, psoriasis, leucoderma, chickenpox, chronic gastritis, pelvic inflammation, nervous headache, stroke sequelae, acute leukemia, some eye diseases, etc.
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3.2.3.2.2.17. Poison: Do not find the report on LD50 for placenta currently. As a kind of meat that placenta should be safe in any dose obviously.
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Following are some articles on placenta.
Researchers find blood stem cells originate and are nurtured in the placenta
Tumor-suppressor gene is critical for placenta development
Key to early diagnosis of autism may be in the placenta
Discarded placentas deliver researchers promising cells similar to embryonic stem cells
Placenta Is A Rich Source Of Blood Stem Cells
Cure for Postpartum Depression
3.2.3.3. Earthworm (rainworm)
Our most familiar special animal, the one is between the insects and mammals have a wonderful therapeutic effect.
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Its medicinal use started around 2000 years ago China, which recorded in the book Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica Classic.
In TCM, the earthworm’s preparations were used to treat asthma，mania, cancer, hypertension, hemiplegia, chronic bronchitis, oliguria edema, arthralgia numbness, limb numbness, stroke sequelae and high fever shock convulsive epilepsy.
3.2.3.3.1. Bioactive constituents
Modern pharmacological researches indicate that earthworm contains plenty bioactive constituents, includes adenine, guanine, choline, xanthine, succinic acid, earthworm kinase, earthworm toxin, earthworms antipyretic alkali, nitrogen substances, glutamic acid and 6-hydroxy-purine, etc.
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3.2.3.3.2. Pharmacological effects
3.2.3.3.2.1. Antithrombotic and thrombolysis: The earthworm kinase has good effect on antithrombotic and thrombolysis. It can also repair the tissue necrosis on the surrounding area of cerebral infarction and cerebral thrombosis, and improve the stroke sequelae. The earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme, extracted from the earthworm, have thrombolytic fibrinolytic effect and plasminogen activator effect. It can not only dissolve the plasminogen-rich fibrin clots, but also dissolve non-plasminogen fibrin clot.
3.2.3.3.2.2. Antipyretic: The earthworm antipyretic alkali has antipyretic effect. In guinea pigs model, the body temperature can drop 0.7℃ in half an hour. The antipyretic principle is that the earthworm antipyretic alkali regulate the thermoregulation nerve center, heat loss was increased, at the same time, the body heat production also increased. However, the former is over the latter, and thus the body temperature was dropped. The earthworm water-soluble extract have good antipyretic effect for rabbits fever induced by coli endotoxin. The cooling effect is moderate than antipyrine.
3.2.3.3.2.3. Digestion: A combination of herbs and earthworms, or lumbricus can tonify the sympathetic and parasympathetic functions of the central nervous system, thereby enhancing the digestive function in the stomach and the gastrointestinal tract.
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3.2.3.3.2.4 Sedation and anticonvulsant: In mice and rabbits model, hot alcohol lixivium of earthworm showed sedative effect and antagonistic effect for convulsions induced by electricity, pentetrazole and caffeine.
3.2.3.3.2.5. Antihypertensive: Earthworm preparations have moderate and long-term hypotensive effect. It was proved in the models of rats, cats, anaesthetized dogs and chronic renal hypertensive rats. Hypotensive mechanism related with the central nervous system above spinal cord, because the antihypertensive effect disappeared after cut off the cat second section of cervical spinal cord.
3.2.3.3.2.6. Vasoconstriction and Vasodilator: Earthworm extracts have strong long-term excitatory effect on smooth muscle organs, can cause spastic contraction. Experiments show that it has exciting role for uterine in vitro and in vivo. With the dosage increased the uterine contraction increased significantly, thus enabling an immediate increase in tension, blood pressure dropped to zero to deaths. Experiment in vitro with variety of smooth muscle organs, that earthworm lixivium can enable vasoconstriction in direct effect, and can enable vasodilator by effect through the central nervous system.
3.2.3.3.2.7. Antibacterial: Earthworm antibacterial peptide has a broad range of anti-bacterial effect with strong vitality. Earthworm’s extracts have a strong antibacterial effect on human type mycobacterium tuberculosis.
3.2.3.3.2.8. Cancer: Inhibiting the growth of MGC~03 gastric cancer cell and mouse transplanted tumor (S180 and H22). Remission rate was significantly higher than that of control group in treating esophageal cancer (331 cases), lung cancer (155 cases) without any side-effects.
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3.2.3.3.2.9. Poison: Earthworm’s LD50 is 1213mg/kg.
Some study articles are as following.
Earthworms Have Been Used in China, Korea,and Most of Southeast Asia for Thousands of Years
Earthworm powder, fibrinolytic enzymes without the risk of hemorrhage.
Metal-munching earthworms could be the “21st Century eco-warriors”
Earthworm extracts for anti-inflammatory, analgesic
Cell adhesion and the immune system: a case study using earthworms
A Glimpse of The Traditional Medicines Of Animal Origin
The Useful of Earthworm Powder For Human Care!
Anticoagulant effect of earthworm powder on experimental rabbit
Earthworm leukocyte populations specifically harbor lysosomal enzymes that may respond to bacterial challenge
Antimicrobial defense of the earthworm
US Patent 6365198 - Pharmaceutical preparation for the treatment of gastrointestinal ulcers and hemorrhoids
Earthworm immunity: a model of immune competence
Earthworm paste (Lampito mauritii, Kinberg) alters inflammatory, oxidative, haematological and serum biochemical indices of inflamed rat
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Magical function earthworm
Hypothetical mode of action of earthworm extract with hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties
Anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic activities of earthworm extract—Lampito mauritii (Kinberg)
Do earthworms have any medical uses?
Research in the USA is currently looking into earthworms' anti-inflammatory properties for treating arthritis and other joint ailments and is also investigating
Boluoke: Fibrin-dissolving enzyme from earthworms that protects from heart disease
Earthworm fibrinolytic enzyme：anti-tumor activity on human hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo
Novel thrombolytic therapy discovered from traditional oriental medicine using the earthworm.
Earthworm extracts help relieve asthma symptoms
Cerebral apoplexy and Chinese medicine (fibrinolytic activity of earthworm).
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3.2.4. Medicinal Minerals
The first record of the medicinal use of minerals was found in <Zhou LI>. The publish time was estimated at the age of 725 BC - 645 BC according to the book has mentioned the economic activity of Guan Zhong of a famous ancient politician China.
Although there are 80 kinds mineral drugs were used in TCM, however only 30 kinds were commonly used.
3.2.4.1. Gypsum
Gypsum (Shi Gao) (CaSO4·2H2O), a mineral we are most familiar since it is used to fix the bone fracture by doctors. Also being used to treat various diseases for a long times due to its wonderful therapeutic effect in China.
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The record of Gypsum’s medicinal use was found in Ming Yi Lu firstly, a book published in Tang Dynasty. It was a biographies for 120 famous doctors from San Huang (3000 BC - 2700 BC) to Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD), which covered thousands years historical span in China. The book mentioned the gypsum as medicinal use. It said that a female patient with hyperpyrexia and cold. Failed in treatment by many TCM doctors, however she was cured by a TCM doctor with gypsum finally. The case maybe happened much earlier than that of book publish age. It means that gypsum used as a drug is much earlier, too.
In TCM, the gypsum has been using to treat diseases as following.
1. Orally administration: chronic hyperpyrexia，exanimation, delirious speech, fidget, thirst, dry throat，wheeze，heatstroke, spontanous sweating，headache，toothache，exanthesis，ulcers in the mouth and on the tongue, etc.
2. External smear with baked powder: Treat the scald, fire burns and chronic fester by promoting the tissue regeneration.
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3.2.4.1.1. Pharmacological effects
3.2.4.1.1.1. Antipyretic effect: Gypsum can inhibit the over-excited thermoregulation central nerve system during fever to take a strong and quick cooling effect. Gypsum Decoction has disincentive effect on inducing iatrogenic fever by leukocyte. Gavages 2g/kg raw gypsum has an antipyretic effect on rabbit fever caused by E. coli endotoxin. Has no effect on normal rabbit.
3.2.4.1.1.2. Anti-inflammatory: Gypsum react with the gastric acid, partially become the soluble calcium salt. It can increase the concentration of the serum calcium after being absorbed into the blood in intestine. The increased serum calcium can inhibit the nerve stress energy (including thermoregulation central nerve system), reduce the excitability of the skeletal muscle, alleviate the muscle spasm and reduce the vascular permeability to take the effect of detoxification, anti-spasm and anti-inflammatory.
3.2.4.1.1.3. Immunity: Gypsum decoction 1:4 concentration 4ml gavages can increase the content of macrophages cAMP of spleen and peritoneal for Burned rats. Gypsum preparations can increase the number of T lymphocytes, increase the rate of lymphocyte transformation and enhance the phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages.
3.2.4.1.1.4. Convergence role: External use calcined gypsum has an effect of converging mucosa to reduce the secretion.
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3.2.4.1.1.5. Anti-virus: By dot-blot hybridization experiments, 25%-100% concentration of gypsum decoction, have the effect on lower the content of deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV DNA) in the poison of Hepatitis B.
3.2.4.1.1.6. Diuretic and choleretic: Increase the urine output for mice and increase the bile output of rats and cats.
3.2.4.1.1.7. Cardiac excitatory and inhibitory: Low-dose gypsum infusion has an excitatory effect on isolated heart of toads and rabbits and inhibitory effect in large doses.
3.2.4.1.1.8．Analgesic：Gypsum injection can inhibit the evoked potentials in cortical somatosensory areas, which caused by afferent impulse of C saphenous nerve fibers of cat. So that it can take a selective central nerve analgesic effect.
3.2.4.1.1.9. Muscle cramps: Gypsum preparations can inhibit the excitability of skeletal muscle, reduce the vascular permeability and ease muscle cramps.
3.2.4.1.1.10. Thirsty: Gypsum decoction can reduce the thirsty status of the rats.
Clinical Applications:
Zhang Xichun (1860 -1933), a modern famous TCM Doctor in China, since he was good at using large doses of gypsum to treat diseases and successful again and again, so that he was called Zhang Shi Gao (Gypsum). He once said, gypsum has cooling ability and be able to dissipate the body heat. It is capable to penetrate the skin to ease the ill in internal muscles. You may use gypsum boldly with the rest assured to treat those patients with hyperpyrexia, the curative effects will exceed over that of the elixir.
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Professor Zhang Qi (1922 – Present), a doctoral tutor, Heilongjiang Academy of TCM, is long time engaged in the internal medicine research for acute severe diseases. He is well-known by his unique therapeutic skills of TCM in China.
He clinically comprehended that the hyperpyrexia is the acute severe diseases. The most patients were turning to seek hope in TCM after failed in WM treatment. They are all in poor prognosis in complex condition. Clinical symptom of those patients are the temperature sustained over 39℃, the fever degree is asymmetry on the body bilaterally. Patient is anhidrotic, and the blood leukocyte is in normal level usually. It may be the central hyperpyrexia caused by dysfunction of central thermoregulation nerve system. In which situation, the general physical cooling methods and the WM antipyretic drugs are usually ineffective. And the hibernation therapy has many side effects, unfortunately.
For above symptom, the primary step is antipyretic treatment by Chinese drugs, Professor Zhang Qi believed firmly. He treats them mainly by large dose of raw gypsum and raw rhubarb. The curative effects were confirmed by the substantial cured cases. There additional benefits are that it is not only being able to effective cooling, but also be able to reduce the complications, improve the prognosis and life quality for patients largely.
Professor Zhang usually used to treat hyperpyrexia with large dose of gypsum. The lowest dose is 50 g, and the highest one is 200 g. The excessive gypsum easily leads to diarrhea. However, the diarrhea will be stopped after gypsum giving stopped.
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Application in Farm:
Miscellaneous chicken 300, all were infected with chicken infectious bursal disease, died 92 in five days, there were 91 could not stand up. After gavaging decoction of gypsum 210 g and brown sugar 420 g, all chickens’ ill symptoms were improved. Next day one more time decoction gavaging, all chickens was survived.
Only natural gypsum has antipyretic effect although the manmade one is in 99.9% pure. The fact shows that the calcium is not the main constituent of the actual pharmacological effect. Then, what is it? It still is a mystery waiting to be answer.
3.2.4.1.1.11. Poison of Gypsum?
Mammals - Acute oral LD50 (mg kg-1) 5050 E4 Rat
Mammals - Dermal LD50 (mg kg-1) 8480 Q3 Rat
For the safety of gypsum, we can evaluate out a positive answer from dozens cases of suicide by gypsum, which happened in Iran. No one died and no any sequelae.
“A 48-year-old-male patient attempted suicide by ingesting a large amount （more than three glass≥750 ml）of a solution composed of plaster in water. The patient had experienced mild abdominal cramping (restricted to the epigasteric region) and watery diarrhea following ingestion. Ten days after, he developed melena, nausea, and vomiting. On arrival at the emergency ward, two weeks post-ingestion, he was alert, and was admitted suspecting for bowel obstruction.”
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“Vital signs were blood pressure 120/70 mm Hg, temperature 36.6 ℃, heart rate 76/min, and respiratory rate 16/min. On clinical examination, there was no abdominal distention, tenderness or rebound tenderness, and also no abdominal mass was palpable.” “He did not present with a toxic syndrome consistent with other ingestants.”
“three masses of plaster were totally removed （measuring 3cm × 3cm × 3 cm, 5cm × 3cm × 3cm and 7cm × 7cm × 7cm） by an anterior gastrotomy.” “The patient resumed oral intake on the second post-operative day and returned to normal activity on the 3rd post-operative day.”
“a 37 year-old woman presenting with plaster ingestion and gastric outlet obstruction, who underwent surgery. At six months follow-up the patient was fully recovered. The authors concluded that plaster has no toxic or erosive effects.”
“Calcium sulfate hemihydrate has been used for many years and is still used extensively in both industrial and consumer areas. While bowel obstruction has been considered as a consequence of plaster ingestion, documentation of recent such case reports in the medical literature are lacking and therefore, we report such a case for the first time to our knowledge. Our investigation of literature identified one large review on suicide attempt by plaster ingestion in an Iranian national journal （Iranian Journal of Legal Medicine）. In this only previous study, the authors reviewed demographic features and endoscopic results of forty patients admitted to a general hospital in one of the western states of Iran （Kordestan）, with a history of plaster ingestion between 1997 and 2000. Twenty-three of the patients （57.5%） were female and 17 （42.5%） were male. The majority of patients （45%） were in the range of 10~19 years, which correlates well with previous data on the prevalence of suicidal behavior. 37.5% of the victims were student and 35% were housekeeper. All of the suicide attempts were by ingestion and in the form of water soluble. In their report of these forty cases, Yeganeh, et al. found that the most common symptom was abdominal pain （42.5%） followed by vomiting（15%）. The most commonly reported sign was a palpable abdominal mass, which was detected in the 17.5% of the patients. Fifty percent of patients had no remarkable sign or symptom. No toxicological data were given, but there were no remarkable abnormality in the laboratory and biochemical analysis of the patients.”
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3.3. Meridians & Acupuncture
Meridian: is a network system throughout our body with therapeutic function.
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2,500-year ago, the Huang Di Nei Jing, a masterpiece of Chinese medicine, firstly coined the Meridian, and forged cornerstone of acupuncture and Chinese medicine in comprehensive written. In recent decades, some historical literature of Meridians has been unearthed from the tomb gradually. Such as Silk Books, bamboo slips books and men's Meridian model made in copper and wooden.
They described that throughout our body has a network system that consists of 12 regular meridians and 8 extraordinary meridians.
The 12 regular meridians consist of 6 Yin Meridians and 6 Yang Meridians, which connect to specific splanchnic organ separately. The feature of their distributing on the surface of human body is as following:
a. Distributed symmetrically and lengthways.
b. The 6 Yin Meridians distributed on the chest, abdominal and medial side of limbs. There are five connect to lung, heart, spleen, liver and kidney separately, and the other ones* connects to the part that surrounds the heart.
c. The 6 yang Meridians distributed on face, head, trunk and lateral side of limbs. There are five connect to stomach, large intestine, small intestine, bladder and gallbladder separately, and the other ones* connects to the organs inside of the chest and the abdomen.
*. The concept of the other ones can not be explained detailedly due to it is very complicated.
In the 8 extraordinary meridians, the two have their own sets of acupoints, and the other 6 interconnect across with the 12 standard meridians and share the acupoints with them. They enhance the links between 12 regular Meridians. The feature of their distributing is as following:
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a. No connect with splanchnic organs directly.
b. No connect between each other directly.
c. No distribute on arms.
Meridian system is Similar to the modern highway networks. The difference is that Meridian network on the surface of the body have linked with splanchnic organs to form a complex three-dimensional network while modern highway network being a plane one.
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Acupuncture: The acupuncture points were located on the meridians. The therapeutic mechanism of acupuncture is that will get response on the specific organ or area by stimulating specific acupoints to realize therapeutic purposes physically.
Then, what is the nature of Meridian system? It is difficult to explain currently. Because of Meridians were not found visually in modern anatomy.
However, research results for examining Meridians by the means of biological physics, indirectly proved that it is there. For instance:
By gamma camera filming, found that the track of isotope movement on body is consistent with distribute direction of the specific meridian channel. By measuring the electrical resistance, found that there is very little resistance between the two acupoints on the same Meridian Channel. However, there is a great resistance between the two acupoints that is not on the same Meridian Channel although they are very close. And so on.
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3.3.1. Effective evaluation of acupuncture
May 11, 2009, The Herald-Mail reported that Area moms say acupuncture helped them to conceive in Hagerstown city, Maryland State, USA. Those moms are failed in pregnancy after various attempts. However they were conceived and gotten healthy babies with the help of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Following photo is Kelly Morton with her lovely daughter.
Kelly Morton, 37, of Hagerstown holds daughter Sadie, 8 weeks, in front the wall of children who have been conceived using Chinese medicine. Sadie was conceived with the help of acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
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Effects of acupuncture on rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilisation: systematic review and meta-analysis
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39471.430451.BE, (Published 7 Feb. 2008)
Abstract: Objective: To evaluate whether acupuncture improves rates of pregnancy and live birth when used as an adjuvant treatment to embryo transfer in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation.
Data sources: Medline, Cochrane Central, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Database, hand searched abstracts, and reference lists.
Review methods: Eligible studies were randomised controlled trials that compared needle acupuncture administered within one day of embryo transfer with sham acupuncture or no adjuvant treatment, with reported outcomes of at least one of clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, or live birth. Two reviewers independently agreed on eligibility; assessed methodological quality; and extracted outcome data. For all trials, investigators contributed additional data not included in the original publication (such as live births). Meta-analyses included all randomised patients.
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Data synthesis: Seven trials with 1366 women undergoing in vitro fertilisation were included in the meta-analyses. There was little clinical heterogeneity. Trials with sham acupuncture and no adjuvant treatment as controls were pooled for the primary analysis. Complementing the embryo transfer process with acupuncture was associated with significant and clinically relevant improvements in clinical pregnancy (odds ratio 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.27 to 2.14; number needed to treat (NNT) 10 (7 to 17); seven trials), ongoing pregnancy (1.87, 1.40 to 2.49; NNT 9 (6 to 15); five trials), and live birth (1.91, 1.39 to 2.64; NNT 9 (6 to 17); four trials). Because we were unable to obtain outcome data on live births for three of the included trials, the pooled odds ratio for clinical pregnancy more accurately represents the true combined effect from these trials rather than the odds ratio for live birth. The results were robust to sensitivity analyses on study validity variables. A prespecified subgroup analysis restricted to the three trials with the higher rates of clinical pregnancy in the control group, however, suggested a smaller non-significant benefit of acupuncture (odds ratio 1.24, 0.86 to 1.77).
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Conclusions: Current preliminary evidence suggests that acupuncture given with embryo transfer improves rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing in vitro fertilization.
Acupuncture could obviously improve the cerebral vasomotoricity of the patients with cerebral ischemic stroke. The mechanism is Acupuncture could improve the cerebrovascular function, improve the cerebral blood circulation, so as to provide abundant blood for the focal area and the neighboring ischemic area, to prevent the nerve cell from necrosis and accelerate recovery of the impaired neural system, thus obtain the therapeutic purpose.
Germany has conducted the largest clinical trials of acupuncture ever undertaken. About 500,000 patients were included in these ambitious projects, which are sponsored by four large health insurance companies. As an aftereffect, now, there are five big acupuncture research centers are financed by the German government. German insurance companies spend some 600 million marks a year for acupuncture therapy. Also it will be paid by the German social insurance scheme if administered by a qualified acupuncture physician for chronic low back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee.
A study conducted in UK has shown that the acupuncture is definitely effective in chronic headache, and is reported in the British Medical Journal.
Acupuncture in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.
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Methods: Patients were randomized to treatment with acupuncture, minimal acupuncture (superficial needling at non-acupuncture points), or a waiting list control. Acupuncture and minimal acupuncture were administered by specialized acupuncture physicians in 30 outpatient centers, and consisted of 12 sessions per patient over 8 weeks. Patients completed standardized questionnaires at baseline and at 8, 26, and 52 weeks after randomization. The primary outcome variable was the change in low back pain intensity from baseline to the end of week 8, as determined on a visual analog scale (range, 0-100 mm).
Results: A total of 298 patients (67.8% female; mean +/- SD age, 59 +/- 9 years) were included. Between baseline and week 8, pain intensity decreased by a mean +/- SD of 28.7 +/- 30.3 mm in the acupuncture group, 23.6 +/- 31.0 mm in the minimal acupuncture group, and 6.9 +/- 22.0 mm in the waiting list group. The difference for the acupuncture vs minimal acupuncture group was 5.1 mm (95% confidence interval, -3.7 to 13.9 mm; P = .26), and the difference for the acupuncture vs waiting list group was 21.7 mm (95% confidence interval, 13.9-30.0 mm; P<.001). Also, at 26 (P=.96) and 52 (P=.61) weeks, pain did not differ significantly between the acupuncture and the minimal acupuncture groups.
Conclusion: Acupuncture was more effective in improving pain than no acupuncture treatment in patients with chronic low back pain, whereas there were no significant differences between acupuncture and minimal acupuncture.
The minimal acupuncture by superficial needling at non-acupuncture points was being called as sham acupuncture. It does make therapeutic action. From this kind of phenomenon, some people questioned the validity of Meridian theory. I think that main reason of the phenomenon is placebo effect psychologically and others are that the mechanism of acupuncture is not quite clear.
3.3.2. Meridian & Chinese drugs
The therapeutic mechanism of Chinese drugs is similar to the acupuncture, that is Chinese drugs can enrich in specific organs or parts to take the therapeutic effect on the enriched area. Therefore, the treatment of different diseases in TCM will use different medicine according to their therapeutic effect along with the Meridian Channel.
This phenomenon is being called meridian entry (channel tropism) by , which is “orientation of the medicinal action according to the meridian / channel on which the therapeutic action is manifested, also called meridian tropism.”
4. Some application studies in natural drugs
4.1. Phytomedicine Research in Germany
The is a very good article for understanding how the natural drugs do works and how they were accepted by German society legally. It would be helpful for understanding the therapeutic mechanism of Chinese drugs and promoting their wider application.
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“Abstract: In Germany since 1980, more than 300 clinical studies have been carried out with standardized phytopharmaceuticals, including Crataegus, Silybum, Ginkgo, Hypericum, Sabal, Urtica, Kava-Kava, Allium sativum, Valeriana, Aesculus, Echinacea, and Viscum drugs. These studies assessed the efficacy of phytopharmaceuticals for the treatment of moderate or moderately severe diseases and prevention. Several comparative clinical trials showed that these phytopharmaceuticals had full therapeutic equivalence with chemotherapeutics and had the simultaneus advantage of being devoid of any adverse effects. The mechanism of action of herbal drugs and their extract preparations, which differ in many respects from that of synthetic drugs or mono substances, can be characterized as a polyvalent action and interpreted as additive or, in some cases, potentiating. Currently, a rationale for the observed reversal effects and optimal effects with very low doses after a long-term application has not been developed, but is under investigation by systematic research at the molecular level.”
“In Germany, there are two reasons phytopharmaceuticals are of high standard and are classified primarily as conventional drugs by law. One reason is that during the last 50 years traditional medicine has been kept alive by both medical practitioners and the increasing interest of patients in herbal drugs. The other reason is that shortly after World War II the pharmaceutical industry specialized in and relied on herbal drugs and also developed and supported projects aimed at optimizing the quality of herbal drugs by standardization and scientific basic research. This development was paralleled by an intensified evaluation of herbal drugs and a search for the active principles of phytopreparations.”
“The fight for the acceptance and registration of phytopharmaceuticals as drugs has been successful. Today in Germany most of the herbal drugs, even mixtures of herbal drugs, are registered as conventional drugs (1); this means that they meet the same stringent criteria of quality, efficacy, and safety as synthetic drugs. These requirements of the German drug law have stimulated the search for the active principles in medicinal plants and phytopreparations, the development of standardization methods of phytopreparations, and the performance of clinical trials.”
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“The search for the active principles was an important prerequisite for the standardization procedure. In contrast to investigations carried out 10 or 20 years ago, most extract fractionations were performed using bioguided methods and the diode array high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique (2,3). These techniques may be quickly performed and allow researchers to focus on those fractions or compounds that are expected to be responsible for the pharmacologic activity of an herbal drug. Because of the use of new target models in pharmacology, there has been remarkable progress in determining the mechanisms of action and the true active constituents of herbal drugs. For example, the well-known antitumor activity of garlic derives partly or totally from apoptosis induced by reactive oxygen species via the transcription nuclear factor B of the tumor cell (4). In another experiment, Dirsch et al. (5) revealed that allicin and ajoene, the major constituents of fermented garlic extracts, inhibit the nitric oxide-synthase of macrophages and, by this, the generation of NO species, which in turn may be involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. In a new approach to elucidate the antiprostatic active principle of the roots of Urtica dioica (stinging nettle) root, we showed that one major constituent in the water extract of this herbal drug, the Urtica lectin UDA (Urtica dioica agglutinin), binds to the epidermal growth factor receptor of the prostatic cell and thus inhibits prostate growth (6).”
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“Further insights into the mechanisms of action of herbal drugs have been obtained by novel bioguided phytochemical investigations with Echinacea, Hypericum, and Crataegus drugs (7-9). In many cases, the overall pharmacologic effects and therapeutic efficacies derived not from a single compound but from several compounds generating additive or synergistic pharmacologic effects. This means that the standardization method to be applied should include at least two or more compounds according to methods established by the national pharmacopoeias or additional specific herbal drug monographs. Because the criteria for the quality proof of an herbal drug differ from country to country, steps should be taken toward a global harmonization of the guidelines, e.g., by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IFPMA), which represents the global research-based pharmaceutical industry and aims to ensure the same standards of safety, quality, and efficacy for new medicines and more efficient registration for use worldwide. These endeavors are handicapped when the active principles are only partly known or when a mixed preparation contains several raw drugs or extracts. In this case, a fingerprint chromatogram of the extract or preparation obtained by HPLC, gas chromatography (GC), or thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is the most appropriate way to document the quality (3). This fingerprint should demonstrate identity and purity of a drug and should guarantee the therapeutic equivalence of extracts from the same herbal drug. Single marked constituents can be quantified. An exact chemical characterization of all major constituents of an extract can only be achieved by specific and selective analytical methods such as HPLC with diode array detection, HPLC-mass spectrometry, or capillary GC with mass detector. If a phytopreparation contains more than four or five drugs or extracts, it is more reliable to characterize the individual drugs or extracts by HPLC before mixing them. For publication and registration of phytomedicines in Germany, it is mandatory that pharmacologic experiments be performed with at least two or three batches of the phytopreparation from different time periods to confirm reproducible processing and to guarantee stability and the same efficacy of the preparation.”
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“Before initiating a clinical trial, all toxicity studies necessary to establish the safety of the trial must be performed. From 1970 to 1985, the first phase of herbal drug investigations in Germany was completed; this involved proving quality of these phytopreparations and a thorough search for the various active principles. This phase was followed by clinical trials that initially focused on about 10 herbal drugs or phytopreparations which were already on the market, but for which sufficient good clinical practice studies were lacking.”
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The herbal drugs include
· Hawthorn leaf with flower (Crataegus monogyna, C. laevigata)
· Garlic (Allium sativum)
· Ginkgo biloba leaf
· St. John`s wort herb (Hypericum perforatum)
· Valeriana root (Valeriana officinalis)
· Echinacea purpurea herb
· Kava-Kava root (Piper methysticum)
· Milk thistle fruit (Silybum marianum)
· Saw palmetto fruit (Serenoa repens)
· Nettle root (Urtica dioica).
“One of the first clinical trials was performed with hawthorn extract (Crataegus sp.), which was standardized on flavonoids and procyanidins. It has been suggested that both classes of compounds are the major active principles and are involved in the positive inotropic and coronary artery-dilating effect described for Crataegus extract (10,11). Meanwhile, an angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) -inhibiting effect could be demonstrated for the oligomeric procyanidins (12). The results of the trials were accepted by the German Drug Administration for the treatment of nondigitalis -dependent patients with heart insufficiency stage I and II according to the New York Heart Association. In a double-blind study of the standardized Crataegus extract and captopril, the mean score values of complaints recorded after 8 weeks of treatment showed the same degree of improvement in both groups (13).”
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“Other trials were performed with the same positive results, e.g., with standardized Ginkgo, Hypericum (St. John's wort), Kava-Kava, Sabal, Urtica, and Echinacea preparations (1).”
“Forty-four double-blind studies indicate the efficacy of various Ginkgo extracts for the treatment of cognitive disorders. Kleijnen and Knipschild (14) described eight of these studies and determined that they were performed correctly and without methodologic shortcomings. A recently published double-blind study performed with a Ginkgo extract showed promising results when the extract was applied for the treatment of dementia and, in particular, for Alzheimer disease (15).”
“The Hypericum extract, which is now widely used for the treatment of moderate and less severe depression, was investigated in several placebo-controlled double-blind studies (16). Some of these studies were also performed in parallel with the synthetic psychopharmaceuticals imipramine and maprotiline (17). Surprisingly, a 6-week treatment with Hypericum extract with one of the synthetic drugs in parallel resulted in the same significant reduction of the Hamilton Depression Anxiety (HAMDA) score values, with the advantage that there were no side effects with the Hypericum medication (17).”
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“Another accepted use of herbal drugs is for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Germans spend approximately 250 million deutsche marks (wholesale price) per year on prostate remedies, whereas in the United States, surgical treatment is the gold standard in urology. In Germany, many urologists believe that treatment should not target primarily benign prostatic hyperplasia as such, but only the associated symptoms, especially the distressing symptoms of obstructive and irritative urination (1). In the last 10 years, many clinical and pharmacologic studies have confirmed the observations made when extracts of Urtica root, Serenoa repens fruits (saw palmetto), Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) seeds, and Hypoxis rooperi were used to treat prostate symptoms (1). The Sabal, Cucurbita, and Hypoxis drugs; sterins; and other lipids have been suggested to be responsible for the antiinflammatory and cell proliferation-inhibiting effect of the extracts. Similar positive effects observed with Urtica extracts may be caused by a synergism of polar compounds such as UDA and polysaccharides (18). In recent years, Echinacea preparations have developed into the best selling herbal immunostimulants for the adjuvant therapy of recurrent infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts and for the prevention and therapy of common colds and flu (19). Thorough phytochemical investigations have revealed cichoric acid, alkylamides, and polysaccharides to be the putative major active principles responsible for the enhancement effect on the unspecific immune system (7). Six clinical studies performed with Echinacea preparations, reviewed by a meta-analysis, have confirmed the therapeutic efficacy, but further investigations are necessary to find the optimal dosage and application form (20). The list of herbal drugs that have been intensively investigated in the last 10 years by phytochemists, pharmacologists, and clinicians includes Silybum marianum (milk thistle), Allium sativum (garlic), Viscum album (mistletoe), Piper methysticum (Kava-Kava), Harpagophytum procumbens, Aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut), and Valeriana officinalis. Clinical studies have been performed for these phytopreparations (1).”
“Other than the clinical proof of efficacy, several new scientific findings have arisen from the many pharmacologic and clinical investigations that have been performed with the various phytopreparations. They provide insight to the mechanism of action of herbal drugs, which in many respects differs from that of synthetic drugs. The new findings can be summarized as follows: “
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“Phytopreparations are applicable primarily for the treatment of moderate or moderately severe diseases. This limitation is often designated "for stage or grade I and II" of any disease. In addition phytopreparations can also be used as adjuvants in combination with a strongly acting chemosynthetic drug.”
“The positive clinical results obtained with phytopreparations fully justify this type of classification.”
“As shown in several comparative clinical trials (21), several phytopreparations that were selected according to the above criteria showed full therapeutic equivalence with chemotherapeutics and had no adverse effects. “
“If one compares the concentrations of the active compounds of an herbal drug with those of a strongly acting chemotherapeutic drug, it is evident that most phytopreparations exert their effects at a much lower concentration. The ratio can be 1:10 or more. This difference can be explained by potentiating synergistic effects caused by the various compounds in a raw herbal drug or extract when no interactions between the several compounds are likely or when interactions can be excluded on the basis of pharmacologic experiments. The measurement of synergistic effects can be made with a two-component mixture of substances according to the isobol method of Berenbaum (22), but it is not applicable for herbal extracts. Therefore, an indirect method using the results of clinical trials can be used: for example, if 1 g of a plant extract containing a total amount of 1% bioactive compounds (approximately 10 mg) is found to be therapeutically equivalent to approximately 100 mg of a synthetic substance at a given equal indication (as evidenced in a clinical trial), the bioactive compounds of the extract may possess polyvalent activities and exhibit a synergistic (potentiating or overadditive) pharmacologic effect. This conclusion is justified if the single components of the bioactive compounds alone have very low pharmacologic activities. Furthermore, it must be concluded that the activities of the single components are directed against different pharmacologic targets. In this context, it should not be assumed that a 5- to 10-fold potentiation of an overall pharmacologic effect is caused only by an increased solubility and by the enhanced oral uptake of the compounds of the extract by the gut.”
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“Another phenomenon observed for many phytopreparations is dose-dependent pharmacologic or therapeutic reversal effects if the same preparations are applied at high and very low doses. For example, the cytostatically acting vincristine, which usually is applied in vivo in milligram concentrations, can activate the nonspecific immune system in minute (microgram or nanogram) quantities (23). “
“Many phytopreparations exhibit no immediate pharmacologic or therapeutic effects and achieve their optimal efficacy only after long-term treatment. This effect has been demonstrated in an in vivo study with a Crataegus extract, which resulted in an increase in myocardial blood circulation only after a 3-week application (24).”
“These new findings need a scientific explanation, especially where the mechanisms of action and possible interactions are concerned. There is a general consensus that these described phenomena, which at present have no rationale, must be elucidated by thorough and systematic research at a molecular level.”
Note: In above paper, that “Many phytopreparations exhibit no immediate pharmacologic or therapeutic effects and achieve their optimal efficacy only after long-term treatment” maybe caused by following reasons:
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Lack of potentiating synergistic effects by adding more bioactive constituents from other drugs, just as the principle of compound prescription of TCM.
Insufficient in drugs’ dose. Many natural drugs are no poisons and dose-dependent, which allowing to be used in a higher dose.
The therapeutic mechanism of the natural drugs is regulatory rather than allopathic, so that the effect only appeared after the overall physical condition being regulated back to normal. This point is the main advantage of natural drugs.
4.2. Multi-Factorial Cognitive Disorders
Herbal Contributions to the Management of the Multi-Factorial Cognitive Disorders—Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia
“Purpose: Multi-factorial disorders of cognition such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia are increasing as the general population ages. The small number of drugs currently approved for the treatment of such disorders provide palliative and temporary benefit with only modest efficacy; thus, it stands to reason that alternative approaches should be explored.”
“Method: Certain plants and plant derivatives are currently under study for their effects on memory and other domains of cognition. These plants and the compounds derived from them have minimal adverse effects and have multi-functional properties (anti-oxidant, pro-cholinergic, antiplatelet aggregation, amyloid beta peptide inhibiting) with relevant application in the treatment of dementia and other cognitive impairment. This paper reviews four herbal medicines (Ginkgo biloba, Bacopa monniera, Huperzine Alpha, and Vinpocetine) with varying degrees of proven benefit for the treatment of dementias and other cognitive impairment.”
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“Results and Conclusions: These herbal medicines are promising alternative or adjunct treatment modalities. The plants or plant derivatives discussed here have, in many cases, proven to be equally or more effective than conventional drug therapy in the treatment of dementia.”
4.3. Psychiatric disorders
4.3.1. Therapeutic effects of herbal extracts and constituents in animal models of psychiatric disorders
“A search for novel pharmacotherapy from medicinal plants for psychiatric illnesses has progressed significantly in the past decade. This is reflected in the large number of herbal preparations for which psychotherapeutic potential has been evaluated in a variety of animal models. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of herbal extracts and constituents that have significant therapeutic effects in animal models of psychiatric illnesses.”
“Eighty five individual herbs reviewed were classified as anxiolytic, antidepressant, neuroleptic, antidementia, or anti-substance abuse herbs. The full scientific name of each herb, herbal part used, active constituent, extract, dose range and route, animal model, possible mechanisms of action, and pertinent references are presented via synoptic tables. The herbal mixtures were also mentioned. A considerable number of herbal constituents whose behavioral effects and pharmacological actions have been well characterized may be good candidates for further investigations that may ultimately result in clinical use.”
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“The investigation of a large portion of the herbal extracts and herbal mixtures is in its infancy. Herbal remedies that have demonstrable psychotherapeutic activities have provided a potential to psychiatric pharmaceuticals and deserve increased attention in future studies.”
4.3.2. A Review of Herbal Medicines for Psychiatric Disorders
”OBJECTIVE: This review examines herbs commonly used for psychiatric symptoms—St. John's wort, kava, ginkgo biloba, and valerian.
METHODS: MEDLINE was searched for articles related to the use of herbs in psychiatry published after 1990. A secondary search examined sources cited in articles obtained from the MEDLINE search.”
“RESULTS: Of nine controlled and standardized trials of St. John's wort, five showed the herb's superiority to placebo, and four found no differences in effectiveness when compared with antidepressant drugs. The pharmacologically active components are not known. Several double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated the anxiolytic efficacy of kava, but these studies had ill-defined patient populations, small sample sizes, and short treatment duration. All but one of 40 controlled trials of ginkgo extracts in the treatment of dementia found clinically significant improvement in memory loss, concentration, fatigue, anxiety, and depressed mood. Most studies of gingko had poorly defined patient populations and small sample sizes and used nonstandard measures. A recent well-designed multicenter study showed significantly less decline in cognitive function among patients with dementia receiving gingko. Valerian has been shown to decrease sleep latency and nocturnal awakenings and improve subjective sleep quality, but placebo effects were marked in some studies, and in some cases the beneficial effects were not seen until two to four weeks of therapy.”
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“CONCLUSIONS: Although evidence of the efficacy of herbal preparations in treating psychiatric conditions is growing, translating the results of efficacy studies into effective treatments for patients is hampered by the chemical complexity of the products, the lack of standardization of commonly available preparations, and the paucity of well-controlled studies.”
5. The global trend on CM
Nowadays everyone realized that if they do not have a health body, he or she could not enjoy the colorful life. People are paying much concern on health increasingly. Since Western drug’s deadly inverse effects, more and more people are seeking hope from alternative medicine.
Among the existing alternative approaches, Chinese Medicine has been taking a dominant role because that only it has an independent Medicine Theory with many therapeutic approaches and rich in the resources of natural drugs. No doubt, that Chinese medicine will play more and more important role in oncoming alternatives waves.
In many countries, CM market is growing rapidly. The Cuba is the best one among them.
Cuba has been suffering embargo for a long time and is lacking medical essentials, but they made a miracle with their universal health care, and gained high reputations worldwide, and were praised by some world’s authorities.
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Learn from Cuba, said so of the World Bank.
Cuba, Colombia, Chile and Costa Rica are the Latin American countries with the best health systems, said so of the WHO.
Dr. Luis Popa Salcedo has been working as a Cuban Provincial Director of Public Health lasting 21 years, who commented that, "Chinese Traditional Medicine was incorporated into our system as an efficient and useful therapeutic tool. We use it because it works. As people see its effects for chronic degenerative diseases, the demand is growing; and it is not a high cost therapy. Our death rates have dropped for asthma, diabetes, hypertension, cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases. Out of 140 doctors in our province, 130 have been trained in acupuncture by the 36 physicians who were already skilled specialists in this area."
The article《Cuba’s Green Revolution》has vividly described the herbal medicine in Cuba.
David Picard also said in his paper THE RISE of traditional Chinese medicine, “Increasingly, companies are looking to TCM as a source of innovation. The economic incentives are clear.”
November 05, 2003, reported that Pfizer Inc. will soon set up a regional headquarters and clinical trial centre in Shanghai China.
November 01, 2005, reported that Pfizer Inc. has opened a research and development facility in Shanghai to offer drug development support capabilities and biometric expertise to China and the surrounding Asian region.
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November 06, 2006, reported that Swiss Novartis AG announced plans for a US$100 million integrated research and development center in Shanghai. “The company already has a partnership with a local research institute, the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, and collaborates with a local drug manufacturer,Wuxi PharmaTech Co.”
In the western countries, governments took strict regulations to control the medicine market. One of them dictates that every constituent and its therapeutic effect must be clear for the compound medicine. This is a big barrier for the Chinese drug since that of even a single herb is a compound too, and the constituents were varied from different producing area and even reaping season. So it is not easy to make clear every constituent and their therapeutic effect exactly.
Due to the above problems, World Health Organization (WHO), European Community (UC), United States (US), Canada and many other countries have issued some Guidance or policies for promoting the use of traditional medicine. They suggested that although the constituents and therapeutic mechanism are not very clear in some traditional medicine, since it has exact therapeutic effect and safe, which has been proven by long time use clinically. These policies allow it to enter medicine market.
FDA accepted the idea of traditional Chinese medicine idea
WHO -- Strategy for Traditional Medicine 2002-2005.
E.C.----- DIRECTIVE 2004/24/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending, as regards traditional herbal medicinal products, Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use.
U.S. ----- Guidance for Industry Botanical Drug Products.
Canada - About Natural Health Product Regulation
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6. Natural OTC drugs
Nowadays, the people doctor them self is increasing because of searching medical knowledge easily on the Internet. We should make effort to meet the needs of those people by substantially increasing the number of OTC drugs. Thus, there will be a lot of benefits. For example, the patients can get required drugs conveniently and thereby can alleviate the pressure of the shortage in doctors. Also avoid that some patients can not get treatment on time due to they dare not to see a doctor for some secret diseases, such as, sexually transmitted disease, and mental diseases, etc.
Moreover, it is necessary to increase the number of instant drugs for changing the way of drug administration. For example: the instant sublingual drugs. As much as possible to make the therapeutic constituents go directly into the systemic circulation to reduce the harm for gut and liver by avoiding first-pass effect. It is not only to make the drug take effect in minutes, but also will largely reduce the lost of therapeutic effect of drugs and thereby being able to reduce the dose and the side effect.
Because the most diseases are syndrome, although the main symptoms are same, however, the side symptoms may be very different between the individual patients. The Chinese drug is used differently according to the TCM theory, thereby it is difficult to make Chinese drug in OTC. The most of TCM practitioner, whom only searches the medical information from the old TCM books, would refuse to give a formula to be used in OTC drugs, because that in TCM have no concept of pharmacological and bioactive constituent at all. However, the modern pharmacological researches on Chinese drugs have provided a good condition for this aims. Suppose that make those modern research results integrating with the principle of the compound prescription of TCM, we do certainly can make good natural OTC drugs by the same materials from the Chinese drugs.
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Also, we can make some natural preparations to be used for preventative purpose. Who can prevent the heavy onset of disease ahead by taking those preparations in case of feeling a slight ill symptom?
On other hand, we can make some natural OTC drugs as anti-aging purpose. We knew that increases with the age, the organs and immune function of human body will be gradually degraded. We can regularly eat some Chinese drugs to slow down the aging process.
I believe that natural health products would become a part of daily diet with health enhancing purposes to help us get free from many diseases in the near future.
The rocket of worldwide market for Chinese drug is ready for launching. It only needs a gentle trigger.
7. Drug mates
Drug-mate is made by natural Chinese drugs to be used with synthetic drugs together or to integrate two kind drugs together directly.
The purpose is to reduce the side effect and enhance the positive effect of synthetic drugs by the advantage of overall improvement of Chinese drugs.
In this process, Chinese drugs play a role to fix the damages caused by the side effect of synthetic drugs to exert the both advantages of synthetic one taking the effect strong and quick targeting on the diseases but with bad side effect and the natural one taking the effect on general improvement quickly but targeting on diseases slowly, thereby to improve the life quality of patients and shorten the treatment duration.
More significant is that those market-recalled synthetic drugs with serious side effects may be reused again. The key is to control the safe duration when using, better to use them as first aid. Thereby to increase the therapeutic available and reduce the waste of huge cost on their development.
Recommended Reading:
Chinese Medicine - A Promising Therapeutic Approach -4
Chinese Medicine - A Promising Therapeutic Approach -3
Chinese Medicine - A Promising Therapeutic Approach -2
Chinese Medicine on A H1N1 Flu 2009
Chinese Medicine and Cells Regeneration
Recover Mental Disorders by Chinese Medicine
Chinese Medicine on Wound Healing
Chinese Medicine can Reduce Stress
Chinese Medicine can Improve Sleep
Chinese Medicine and Sexual Function
Chinese Medicine and Heart Disease
Chinese Medicine and immune system
Chinese Medicine - A Promising Therapeutic Approach-1
Daoism - The Philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine
