Traditional Chinese medicine today includes more than 3,200 herbs and 300 mineral and animal extracts used in over 400 different formulas, according to the American Cancer Society. As many as 30 states license practitioners of Asian medicine, and there are over 25 colleges of Oriental medicine. Researchers around the world are beginning to study Chinese herbal remedies for their potential healing properties for diseases, including various lung conditions.
Bakumondo-To
In Japan, researchers conducted two studies on the traditional Chinese medicine Bakumondo-to, which is used commonly to treat a variety of bronchial ailments. They found that unlike codeine, Bakumondo-to had a notable cough-suppressant effect, especially in patients with bronchial asthma and severe allergic inflammation.
Da Huang
Rheum officinale Baill, more commonly known as Da Huang, is frequently used in Chinese medicine to treat cancer. A study at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University tested Da Huang extracts on the human lung cancer cell line A549 in vitro and found it had significant growth inhibitory effects with a significant decrease in the number of cells and DNA fragmentation.
Emodin
Emodin isn't a specific herb itself but rather a component in Chinese herbs. A Chinese study at the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease tested its effects on pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that causes progressive scarring of lung tissue, and found that emodin inhibited the effects of induced pulmonary fibrosis in laboratory animals.
Feitai
Feitai is a Chinese folk formula consisting of several herbs and used primarily for pulmonary tuberculosis therapy. A study at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica wanted to test the formula on another lung disorder, pulmonary fibrosis. They found that 28 days after the start of therapy, feitai was able to inhibit lung fibrotic lesions and reduce the cell transforming growth factors that are a hallmark of the disease, leading them to conclude that feitai may be helpful in treating pulmonary fibrosis.
Licorice
In the U.S., licorice is primarily used for flavoring and sweetening foods. In China, it's called Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Gan-Cao) and is one of the most commonly used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found that in vitro licorice inhibited airway eosinophilic inflammation that occurs with allergic asthma.
Xia-Bai-San
Xia-bai-san (XBS), composed of the four herbs Cortex mori, Cortex lycii, Radix glycyrrhizae and Fructus oryzae, is a traditional Chinese medicine used for centuries to treat asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis. A study published in the July 30, 2009, issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology reported that XBS inhibited the inflammatory process in lung tissue and decreased the histological damage in the tissue.
References
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology: Xia-Bai-San ... and Human Lung Cells
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology: Water Extract of Rheum Officinale Baill. Induces Apoptosis in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: Licorice Flavonoids Inhibit ... Fetal Lung Fibroblasts in Vitro
- Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology: Inhibitory Effect of Emodin on Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice
- Journal of Ethnopharmacology: Effect of Feitai on Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rats
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