A Commonly Used Anticancer Chinese Patent Medicine: Dahuang Zhechong Wan
Dahuang Zhechong Wan (Rheum and Eupolyphaga Pill) is an inexpensive anticancer Chinese patent medicine produced by many manufacturers.Compared with costly anticancer Chinese patent medicines such as Xihuang Wan, Dahuang Zhechong Wan is far more economical and is very suitable for financially disadvantaged patients who cannot afford expensive medical costs; however, it should be used only once its indications have been confirmed.Dahuang Zhechong Wan is a classic famous formula drawn from the Jingui Yaolue (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Casket) by Zhang Zhongjing, the great physician of the Han dynasty. It is the classic formula in Chinese medicine for treating 'five strains and extreme deficiency with dry blood retained internally,' and it is also a commonly used anticancer formula.Dahuang Zhechong Wan is a pill formula; in clinical use it should not be prepared as a decoction but taken internally as pills.The prescription for Dahuang Zhechong Wan is as follows: wine-processed Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (dahuang) ten parts, Scutellariae Radix (huangqin) two liang, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (gancao) three liang, Persicae Semen (taoren) and Armeniacae Semen (xingren) one sheng each, Paeoniae Radix (shaoyao) four liang, Rehmanniae Radix (dihuang) ten liang, Toxicodendri Resina (ganqi) one liang, Tabanus (mengchong) one sheng, Hirudo (shuizhi) one hundred individuals, Holotrichia (qicao) one sheng, Eupolyphaga/Opisthoplatia (zhechong, tubiechong) half a sheng. Today manufacturers generally grind the above herbs together into powder, then add excipients such as refined honey to make pills.In this formula Eupolyphaga (zhechong/tubiechong) resolves stasis and reduces swelling, unblocks the meridians and stops pain; combined with Rheum (dahuang) it can reach and drain the sanjiao to drive out necrotic, static dry blood. Persicae Semen (taoren), Toxicodendri Resina (ganqi), Hirudo (shuizhi), Tabanus (mengchong), and Holotrichia (qicao) all invigorate blood and unblock the collaterals, disperse accumulations, and attack and drive out static blood.Scutellaria (huangqin) with Rheum (dahuang) clears above and drains below, thereby removing stasis-heat; Persica (taoren) with Armeniaca (xingren) descends lung qi, opens the large intestine, and dispels static blood; Rehmannia (dihuang), Glycyrrhiza (gancao), and Paeonia (shaoyao) nourish yin and tonify the kidney, enrich blood and moisten the vessels, and harmonize the middle and moderate urgency; Scutellaria and Armeniaca clear and diffuse lung qi and resolve constrained heat; the medicine is taken with wine to promote the action of the drugs.When all the herbs are used together, they achieve the effect of removing static blood, clearing stasis-heat, nourishing yin-blood, and moistening dry binds. The characteristic of this formula is using unblocking as supplementation, removing stasis to generate the new, and moderating the middle to supplement deficiency.According to Chinese medical theory, Dahuang Zhechong Wan is mainly used for emaciation and bodily leanness caused by five strains and extreme deficiency, abdominal fullness with inability to eat or drink, tidal fever, a 'turtle-shell' or scaly dryness of the skin and muscles, dark and dull eyes, a purple tongue or one with stasis points, and a deep, choppy pulse. It can also treat female amenorrhea, abdominal masses, and stabbing pain from zheng-jia concretions beneath the ribs.In modern practice this formula is often used to treat cerebral infarction, cerebral arteriosclerosis, cerebral thrombosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, benign tumors, primary lung cancer, ovarian tumors, pelvic tumors, cervical cancer, liver cirrhosis, chronic leukemia, postoperative intestinal adhesions, aplastic anemia, complications and sequelae of varicose veins, uterine fibroids, prostatic hyperplasia, cervical lymph node tuberculosis, mammary hyperplasia, and digestive tract tumors—various conditions belonging to the pattern of five strains and deficiency with dry blood retained internally.Dahuang Zhechong Wan can be used in the treatment of almost all advanced solid tumors of the abdomen and pelvis, and can markedly improve the patient's quality of life.Modern pharmacological research has confirmed that Dahuang Zhechong Wan lowers blood viscosity, prolongs clotting time, inhibits thrombosis and platelet aggregation, inhibits fibrinolysis, and relieves pain.At the same time, Dahuang Zhechong Wan is a famous TCM formula commonly used to treat liver diseases such as hepatitis B, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. It can markedly improve liver function and lower transaminases. It has good efficacy in patients with hepatitis B, cirrhosis, or liver cancer who present with abdominal distension and fullness, constipation, and a deep, choppy pulse.Some clinical trials have also confirmed that Dahuang Zhechong Wan has a certain efficacy against diabetic foot. It also has good effects in treating common benign tumors and hyperplastic conditions such as uterine fibroids and prostatic hyperplasia.The common side effects of Dahuang Zhechong Wan mainly include gastrointestinal irritation such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Because this formula is a classic for invigorating blood and expelling stasis, patients with a bleeding tendency should not use it, and neither should pregnant women.In addition, this formula must not be used for prolonged periods. First, its force in attacking pathogen is strong, and long-term use will damage the patient's body. Second, the Rheum (dahuang) it contains, used over a long time, easily causes habitual constipation. Third, both Persica (taoren) and Armeniaca (xingren) contain trace amounts of cyanide, and prolonged use easily causes chronic cumulative poisoning.