Which Patent Chinese Medicines Raise White Blood Cells During Chemotherapy for Cancer Patients?

Low white blood cell counts during chemotherapy are a common phenomenon among cancer patients. White-cell-boosting injections are both expensive and have significant side effects. They mainly work by stimulating bone-marrow hematopoietic cells to speed up white-cell production in order to maintain immunity. If used long-term, they easily cause fatigue of the marrow hematopoietic cells; once the injections are stopped, normal immunity may in fact not be maintained.

Many TCM formulas have a good white-cell-raising effect, and nowadays they are made into patent Chinese medicines for convenient use. Of course, for treating cancer, the best TCM approach remains to see a TCM physician who writes a one-person, one-formula prescription. But when a suitable TCM physician cannot be found, using some patent medicines for root-supporting (fuzheng) treatment is also feasible.

The following medicines help with the white-cell decline during chemotherapy in cancer patients; readers should take them under the guidance of a qualified physician and pharmacist. For dosage and administration, refer to the package insert.

Bazhen Wan (Eight-Treasure Pill, or Bazhen Granules)

Bazhen Wan or Bazhen Granules is a patent Chinese medicine made according to the famous qi-and-blood-supplementing formula Bazhen Tang (Eight-Treasure Decoction). Its main ingredients are ginseng (Renshen), atractylodes (Baizhu), Poria (Fuling), licorice (Gancao), Angelica sinensis (Danggui), rehmannia prepared (Shudi), Ligusticum chuanxiong (Chuanxiong), and white peony (Baishao). Its action is to boost qi and nourish blood, mainly used for qi and blood dual deficiency presenting as shortness of breath and reluctance to speak, fatigue, poor appetite, a pale tongue with thin white coating, and a fine, weak or large, forceless pulse. After injury, qi and blood are insufficient. It is suitable for various cancers showing the qi-blood dual-deficiency pattern, and is especially used as adjuvant therapy after radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, and in leukopenia.

Modern pharmacological experiments show that Bazhen Tang can reduce cyclophosphamide-induced damage to the bone-marrow hematopoietic microenvironment in mice, bringing about significant recovery of hematopoietic tissue volume and sinusoid volume; it markedly raises serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels in normal mice and rats, and significantly promotes the production of EPO-like growth factors in spleen-conditioned medium (SCM) of normal and blood-deficient rats.

At the same time, Bazhen Tang also regulates immunity, promoting T- and B-lymphocyte transformation and cytokine production; it clearly enhances NK-cell activity in S180 sarcoma-bearing mice and strengthens the phagocytic capacity of peritoneal macrophages. It significantly promotes 3H-T incorporation in mouse spleen lymphocytes stimulated by concanavalin A (ConA), and significantly promotes IL-2 production by stimulated mouse spleen lymphocytes and mixed spleen lymphocytes.

In addition, Bazhen Tang can raise superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity in serum and brain tissue of subacute aging-model mice, while lowering malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels. It promotes the growth of liver, heart-muscle, and brain cells.

Shiquan Dabu Wan (Ten-Complete Great-Tonifying Pill)

Shiquan Dabu Wan is a patent Chinese medicine made according to the famous TCM formula Shiquan Dabu Tang (Ten-Complete Great-Tonifying Decoction). Its main ingredients include ginseng (Renshen), cinnamon (Rougui), Ligusticum chuanxiong (Chuanxiong), rehmannia prepared (Shudi), Poria (Fuling), atractylodes (Baizhu), licorice (Gancao), astragalus (Huangqi), Angelica sinensis (Danggui), white peony (Baishao), fresh ginger (Shengjiang), and jujube (Dazao).

Action and indications: tonify qi and blood. For various cancers presenting with dizziness and blurred vision, shortness of breath and reluctance to speak, fatigue and spontaneous sweating, a pale or sallow complexion, palpitations and insomnia, a pale tender tongue, and a fine, weak, forceless pulse — signs of qi and blood dual deficiency — it is a Chinese-medicine adjuvant for recovery after radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, and can markedly raise the patient's white blood cell count.

Modern pharmacological experiments show Shiquan Dabu Tang acts on cancer patients mainly in the following three ways:

1. Tumor-suppressing effect. Ito et al. found that oral Shiquan Dabu Tang inhibited the growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) and Lewis carcinoma (LLC) ascites in mice. Maruyama Hirofumi found that injecting Shiquan Dabu Tang into the body after cancer resection suppressed recurrence, and proposed that the formula's tumor-suppressing mechanism can be understood as activating complement C3, generating TNF, activating the reticuloendothelial system, and inhibiting tumor drug-metabolizing enzyme systems.

2. Reducing toxicity and enhancing efficacy during radiotherapy and chemotherapy: Shiquan Dabu Tang prolongs survival time in experimental animals, and acts synergistically with chemotherapeutic drugs to reduce their toxic side effects. Used together with cyclophosphamide, Shiquan Dabu Tang effectively inhibits pulmonary metastasis of LLC carcinoma, restores the platelet-forming cell response that was markedly reduced in EL24 leukemia mice and S180 sarcoma, and protects and repairs cyclophosphamide-induced spleen damage, as shown by serum hemolysin levels in CTX mice.

3. Immunomodulatory effect: Shiquan Dabu Tang enhances various immune responses (especially the damaged immune state of tumor-bearing animals), promotes spleen monocyte-macrophage secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor in tumor-bearing mice, powerfully induces cytotoxic T-cell activity, and enhances NK-cell activity.

4. Other effects: Shiquan Dabu Tang also has certain actions in inhibiting pathogens, anti-aging, increasing blood cells, and improving blood circulation.

Some domestic scholars have found through clinical research that Shiquan Dabu Wan can markedly improve patients' quality of life and prolong survival; some patients taking Shiquan Dabu Wan alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy have generally enjoyed prolonged survival.

Zhenqi Fuzheng Capsules (or Granules)

Zhenqi Fuzheng Capsules (Granules) is a modern patent Chinese medicine composed of two herbs: glossy privet (Nüzhenzi) and astragalus (Huangqi). Action and indications: boost qi and nourish blood, yin-nourishing and root-supporting; used for deficiency damage from prolonged illness and insufficient qi and yin. Combined with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, it promotes recovery of normal function and raises immunity.

Modern pharmacological experiments prove that Zhenqi Fuzheng Capsules markedly enhance immune function; the water extracts of astragalus and glossy privet significantly enhance, in vitro, the lymphocyte proliferation induced by suboptimal doses of PHA, ConA, and PWM. The two herbs significantly enhance the local xenogeneic (human) lymphocyte-induced graft-versus-host reaction in rats. This immune-enhancing action is at least partly achieved by eliminating or weakening the action of suppressor T cells.

Experiments also prove that Zhenqi Fuzheng Capsules (Granules) can raise blood-cell counts and protect the function of bone marrow, adrenal cortex, and liver. For patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, taking astragalus and glossy privet protects bone marrow, adrenal cortex, and liver. Components such as astragalus polysaccharide significantly improve T-lymphocyte function in tumor patients. Oleanolic acid, an active component extracted from glossy privet, has an immunomodulatory effect.

Animal experiments further confirm that Zhenqi Fuzheng Capsules (Granules) can delay the onset of liver cancer, reduce the toxic damage to the liver caused by carcinogens, and delay liver-cancer development.

Domestic scholars have shown through clinical research that Zhenqi Fuzheng Capsules (Granules) can markedly prolong cancer patients' survival and improve their quality of life.

The above patent medicines are all inexpensive, good-quality preparations available in most hospitals and pharmacies.