Kangfuxin Liquid: Preventing Radiation Injury, Treating Ascites and Its Anti-Cancer Effects
Radiotherapy is a common treatment for cancer patients, but radiation is harmful to the human body. It kills not only cancer cells but also normal cells. Radiation therapy often damages the skin and mucous membranes and can lead to common sequelae such as radiation esophagitis, radiation pneumonitis and radiation enteritis.
Kangfuxin Liquid is a drug that can prevent radiation injury. It is an extract of the dried body of Periplaneta americana (a species of cockroach). It is a light-brown liquid with a slight, faint fishy odor and an astringent taste. Kangfuxin Liquid has a good anti-ulcer effect and can be taken internally or applied externally. For internal use, take it orally according to the dose in the package insert. For external use, moisten gauze with the liquid and apply it to the affected area. Besides treating various ulcers, Kangfuxin Liquid can also treat ascites.
Cockroach is used as a Chinese medicine whose main actions are to dissipate stasis, reduce swelling, dissolve accumulation and resolve toxin; it is indicated for abdominal masses, sores and swellings, and insect or snake bites. The Gang Mu Shi Yi records cockroach for treating tympanites (i.e., ascites caused by diseases such as liver cirrhosis or liver cancer): "one cockroach (roasted dry), a pinch of Luobo Zi (i.e., Lai Fu Zi, Radish Seed, from the Chinese pharmacy). Fry both together into powder, and swallow with good wine." Of course, we now know that ascites patients should not use alcohol, so it is better not to take it with wine; water is preferable.
Cockroach also has anti-tumor activity. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that total cockroach extract at 50 g/kg or 25 g/kg, given by intraperitoneal injection for 10 consecutive days, markedly inhibits the growth of mouse S180 sarcoma and rat W256 sarcoma. Total cockroach extract at 0.05 g/ml significantly inhibits cultured mouse Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells in vitro. In vitro, cockroach oil directly kills S180 cancer cells. Subcutaneous injection of cockroach oil at 2 g/kg for 5 consecutive days also significantly inhibits xenografted human esophageal carcinoma masses in mice.
Therefore, Kangfuxin Liquid is a commonly used adjunctive anti-cancer and anti-ulcer drug in oncology. It has good wound-healing effects on Helicobacter pylori infection, ulcerative colitis, peptic ulcers, skin ulcers in diabetics, radiation-induced skin ulcers, ordinary skin ulcers, oral ulcers, and chronic senile ulcers.
The West China Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences published an experiment in 2006 on Kangfuxin Liquid for preventing acute radiation injury to the oral mucosa in radiotherapy patients. The controlled trial showed that patients who rinsed with 5–10 ml of Kangfuxin Liquid during radiotherapy fared significantly better than those who rinsed with saline or received routine oral ulcer care; it effectively prevented oral mucosal damage caused by radiation.
Kangfuxin Liquid can also be used after surgery to promote healing of surgical wounds. A controlled trial showed that patients who held Kangfuxin Liquid in the mouth after tonsillectomy had markedly shorter pain-relief time and wound-healing time.
Thus, Kangfuxin Liquid can be used as an adjunct in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, after surgery, or when ascites appears, and it may also be used directly as a treatment for patients with esophageal cancer.