"Donglingcao Mixture": Linxian's Experience Formula for Esophageal Cancer
Linxian (now Linzhou), Henan Province, is a high-incidence area for esophageal cancer in China, and the experience of treating esophageal cancer there is also the richest in the country.
The folk experience of using Donglingcao (Rabdosiae Rubescentis Herba) to treat esophageal cancer was unearthed from Linxian, but Linxian's use of Donglingcao for esophageal cancer also had a comprehensive regimen. The effect of using Donglingcao alone is limited; combining it with other formulas can raise the effective rate.
The Donglingcao Mixture regimen was once published in the Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (1989, issue 9). The regimen is composed as follows: 1. Donglingcao Syrup; 2. Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix (Shandougen) 20 g, whole Trichosanthis Fructus (Gualou) 15 g, Solani Nigri Herba (Longkui) 20 g, Clematidis Radix (Weilingxian) 12 g, Puerariae Radix (Gegen) 12 g, Citri Fructus (Xiangyuan) 12 g; 3. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix (Danshen) 20 g, Paeoniae Radix Rubra (Chishao) 15 g, Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuanxiong) 15 g, Moutan Cortex (Mudanpi) 15 g, Curcumae Radix (Yujin) 12 g, Astragali Radix (Huangqi) 20 g.
The preparation method of Donglingcao Syrup is as follows: soak shade-dried stems and leaves of Donglingcao in water, boil for 30 minutes, filter, add white sugar, and make a syrup containing 1 g of crude drug per milliliter. Nowadays, the Chinese patent medicine Donglingcao Tablets can also be used directly instead of this syrup; when using Donglingcao Tablets to treat esophageal cancer, note that the dosage should be increased, to 2-3 times the usual dose.
For administration, take Donglingcao Syrup 3 times daily, 30 ml each time, with 2-3 months as one course of treatment; this is actually equivalent to using 90 g of Donglingcao per day. When using tablets, the dosage can be determined according to this crude-drug amount. This dosage is much larger than the conventional dose; Donglingcao is basically non-toxic, and using it at this amount will not cause obvious side effects.
At the same time, decoct the formula in item 2 for oral use, one dose daily, taken in 2-3 divided doses. The third formula is made into a powder for infusion, 9 g taken daily. Nowadays, the third formula can also be made into capsules for oral use, using No. 0 capsules (each holding 0.5 g of powder; 18 capsules daily, 6 each in the morning, noon and evening).
The above regimen was once used clinically by doctors in the Linxian area in the 1980s, with a certain effect. The author reprints this regimen for the reference of TCM physicians interested in esophageal cancer, and of esophageal cancer patients and their families.