Professor Wang Pei: Raw (Unprocessed) Chinese Herbs Are More Effective Against Cancer

When treating cancer in clinical practice, Professor Wang Pei preferred to use raw Chinese herbs rather than their processed (paozhi) versions. For example, raw Banxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma), raw Heshouwu (Polygoniflori Multiflori Radix), raw Xiangfu (Cyperi Rhizoma), raw Huangqi (Astragali Radix), raw Yiyiren (Coicis Semen), raw Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), raw Longgu (Mastaodi Os), raw Muli (Ostrea Concha), raw Duzhong (Eucommiae Cortex), and similar herbs were among the herbs he commonly used.

Professor Wang Pei believed that some herbs with good anticancer effects lose their active constituents during processing, so they are less effective when processed than when used raw. In his view, raw herbs are forceful in action and their raw nature tends to be dispersing, which fits the therapeutic principle for tumors. Before the Southern Song dynasty, physicians mostly used raw drugs; it was only after the Southern Song, with the appearance of Leigong Paozhi Lun (Lei's Treatise on Processing), that processed herbs became common in the clinic. Thereafter processing procedures grew ever more complex, to the point that some drugs entirely lost their original medicinal nature.

For a drug such as raw Banxia, in Zhang Zhongjing's Shanghan Lun of the Han dynasty it was simply noted that it should be washed several times. On the use of Banxia for anticancer therapy, Professor Wang Pei and his teacher Professor Fang Mingqian were of the same mind: both preferred raw Banxia. Professor Fang Mingqian even had patients grind raw Banxia into powder and swallow it directly—a very dangerous practice that can be fatal if used improperly. The antitumor effect of raw Banxia is indeed superior to that of processed Banxia, but raw Banxia is difficult to buy in pharmacies; the Chinese government prohibits ordinary herbal shops from selling it. Raw Banxia is highly toxic with a very low lethal dose. When Professor Wang Pei used it, he usually required it to be decocted first for about 30 minutes, at a customary dose of 15 g.

When Huangqi is used in tumor treatment, raw Huangqi should be chosen. This was already noted in the Qing dynasty work Waike Zhengzhi Quansheng Ji by the renowned physician Wang Hongxu (Wang Weide), who firmly opposed using honey-fried Huangqi for sores and ulcers. In TCM external medicine, raw Huangqi is called the 'holy medicine for sore patients'; it can be used in the early, middle, and late stages of sores and ulcers. In modern tumor formulas, the single most frequently used herb is raw Huangqi; even among Chinese patent anticancer medicines, raw Huangqi is used in the largest amount. In the early stage it resolves toxin, in the middle stage it supports the outward expression of toxin, and in the late stage it boosts qi and astringes—making it an indispensable herb in cancer treatment. In oncology, raw Huangqi is usually dosed at 15–30 g, and in heavy use can reach 60–90 g. Modern pharmacology has also demonstrated that raw Huangqi has antitumor, immune-enhancing, liver-protecting, anti-aging, diuretic, and antihypertensive effects.

Raw Heshouwu and processed (honey- or black-bean-processed) Heshouwu differ in function. Although both can tonify the kidney, the active constituents such as chrysophanol in raw Heshouwu remain intact. Through the dynasties, Heshouwu has been an important herb for tumor-like conditions such as sores and ulcers, earning it the name 'sore-sweeper.' Raw Heshouwu is especially suitable for patients with lymphoma, myeloma, blood disorders, and those undergoing chemotherapy. The great esteem in which the Chinese folk have long held Heshouwu is not without reason. However, raw Heshouwu has a laxative effect because it contains chrysophanol; some patients develop diarrhea and reduced appetite after taking it. For such patients, simply adjusting the dose of raw Heshouwu appropriately is enough—there is no need to fear it because of the laxative effect.

Raw Yiyiren (Coix seed) is also a commonly used herb in modern TCM tumor treatment. It fortifies the spleen, transforms dampness, and resolves toxin (Zhiyuan's note: I have also found that raw Yiyiren relieves itching when some cancer patients develop skin pruritus). Its anticancer effect is recognized in contemporary TCM. Professor He Ren was especially fond of using raw Yiyiren.

Raw Xiangfu differs from vinegar-processed Xiangfu and processed Xiangfu. Raw Xiangfu primarily moves qi and scatters nodulation; its effect in treating tumors is superior to that of processed Xiangfu. Xiangfu is an important herb for breast lumps and has definite efficacy against other tumors as well; Professor Zhao Shaoqin also liked to use Xiangfu when treating tumors. Vinegar-processing destroys the active constituents of Xiangfu, so its anticancer effect is not evident.

Raw Muli (oyster shell) and raw Longgu (dragon bone) are also among the herbs commonly used in TCM clinics. Raw Muli is an important ingredient in the famous antitumor prescription Xiaoluo Wan (Scrofula-Dissolving Pill). Contemporary TCM physicians like to combine raw Muli and raw Longgu for tumors—a herb pair especially praised by Shi Jinmo, one of the four great renowned physicians of the capital. Calcined Longgu and Muli lose their softening-hardness and dissipating-nodule action and are unsuitable for tumor patients who have palpable masses.

It often happens that patients, when taking a TCM prescription to a pharmacy, end up with the wrong herb substituted—for example, raw Banxia dispensed as processed Banxia, raw Muli as calcined Muli, raw Xiangfu as vinegar-processed Xiangfu—and this inevitably discounts the therapeutic effect.