The Heat-Purging, Bowel-Loosening and Anti-Leukemic Effects of the Patent Medicine Danggui Longhui Wan

Danggui Longhui Wan (Angelica, Aloe, Gentian Pill) is a Chinese patent medicine. Its composition is: Danggui (Angelica sinensis), Longdancao (Gentiana), Zhizi (Gardenia), Huanglian (Coptis), Huangbo (Phellodendron) and Huangqin (Scutellaria) each 30 g; Shu Dahuang (prepared rhubarb), Luhui (aloe) and Qingdai (indigo naturalis) each 15 g; Muxiang (Aucklandia) 0.3 g; artificial Shexiang (musk) 1.5 g. Among commercially available patent medicines there are Danggui Longhui Wan, Danggui Longhui tablets and Danggui Longhui capsules; these three are the same medicine. Danggui Longhui Wan is a dark green to dark brown water pill, slightly aromatic, bitter in taste.

Danggui Longhui Wan clears heat and drains fire, and attacks and drives out stagnation. It is mainly used for what TCM calls the liver-gallbladder excessive fire syndrome, manifesting as dizziness, hypochondriac pain, fright palpitations, convulsions, delirious speech, mania, constipation, and scanty dark urine.

This formula can be used for abdominal distension, hypochondriac pain and constipation caused by hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases (such as gallstones, cholecystitis, pancreatitis). It can also treat epilepsy, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients presenting with irritability and constipation. Besides treating these common diseases, Danggui Longhui Wan can be used as adjuvant therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The formula not only relieves high fever, coma and constipation in leukemia patients, but the Qingdai and Luhui in it also have anti-leukemic efficacy; in particular, indirubin contained in Qingdai has been proven to have marked anti-cancer and anti-leukemic effects. Clinical trial statistics show that if this formula lacks Qingdai and Luhui, it is ineffective against chronic myeloid leukemia; only when Qingdai and Luhui are added does it achieve good results.

This formula was developed by adding herbs to Huanglian Jiedu Tang (Coptis Detoxification Decoction), a classic TCM formula made of four herbs: Huangqin, Huanglian, Zhizi and Huangbo. TCM holds that Huanglian Jiedu Tang is good at clearing heat from the triple burner (upper, middle and lower jiao). What TCM calls triple-burner heat clinically manifests as inflammatory reactions in the respiratory, digestive, urinary and excretory systems. Huanglian Jiedu Tang is a formula I myself like to use; it is remarkably effective for acute gastroenteritis, and can bring about recovery as soon as the cup is set down.

Patients with severe triple-burner fire-toxin often show the common symptoms of “shanghuo” (internal heat)—scanty dark urine, bound stool, bleeding gums, mouth ulcers—and in more severe cases, delirious coma and manic agitation. For such patients, using Huanglian Jiedu Tang alone cannot solve the problem. On the basis of Huanglian Jiedu Tang, Danggui Longhui Wan adds Danggui, Luhui and Dahuang to invigorate blood, moisten the intestines, purge heat and loosen the bowels; adds Muxiang and Shexiang to move qi and open the orifices; and adds Longdancao and Qingdai to clear the liver and downbear fire. When all these herbs are used together, a relatively ideal symptomatic supportive therapeutic effect is achieved.

After patients take Danggui Longhui Wan, their urine changes from scanty and dark to clear and copious, the bowels move freely, abdominal distension and pain are relieved, symptoms such as mouth ulcers and bleeding gums disappear, and agitated, restless moods are calmed; the clinical symptoms are basically completely relieved. Once these symptoms are resolved, in TCM terms the therapeutic goal has been reached and Danggui Longhui Wan can be stopped.

Compared with Western medicine, TCM's greatest advantage lies in symptomatic supportive treatment—that is, what TCM calls treatment based on pattern differentiation. Many human diseases require only symptomatic supportive treatment during an attack; once the patient's symptoms are relieved, these diseases resolve on their own without further treatment. Other diseases, such as schizophrenia, are hard to cure at the root; whether by Chinese or Western medicine, only symptomatic supportive treatment can be given when the patient's disease flares up.