TCM Treatment of Excess-Heat-Type Tumors: Focus on Clearing Heat and Cooling Blood
In TCM pattern differentiation, some tumors belong to the excess-heat type. Such patients' tumors often manifest fever, heat and swelling; they have constipation, are prone to acne and bleeding, and the pain is usually a burning or throbbing pain; some patients also have maculopapular rashes or purpura. For these patients, the TCM treatment strategy is to clear heat and cool blood, reduce swelling and stop pain.
According to traditional TCM theory, the cause in such tumor patients lies in blood heat and blood dryness. In clinical treatment, one should heavily use blood-cooling, swelling-resolving medicinals such as Shengdi (Rehmanniae Radix), Chishao (Paeoniae Rubra Radix), Mudanpi (Moutan Cortex), Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix), Digupi (Lycii Cortex), Sheng Huaimi (Sophorae Flos Immaturus), Ceboye (Platycladi Cacumen), Xuanshen (Scrophulariae Radix) and Chonglou (Paridis Rhizoma); such herbs often shrink or even resolve the patient's tumor.
Most patients with blood heat and blood dryness present with exuberant heat-toxin symptoms, such as dry mouth and tongue, dark yellow urine, oral ulcers, and agitated heat. So it is also necessary to use some heat-clearing, toxin-resolving herbs such as Zihuadiding (Violae Herba), Pugongying (Taraxaci Herba), Jinyinhua (Lonicerae Flos), Lianqiao (Forsythiae Fructus), Banzhilian (Scutellariae Barbatae Herba), Baihuasheshecao (Hedyotidis Herba), Lulu (Rhapontici Radix), Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix) and Beidougen (Menispermi Rhizoma).
Adding to the formula some herbs that dissolve phlegm and scatter nodules, and activate blood and reduce swelling, helps shrink the tumor and control its progression. Commonly used phlegm-dissolving, nodule-scattering herbs include Zhe Beimu (Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus), Tu Beimu (Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma), Chuan Beimu (Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus), Huangyaozi (Dioscoreae Bulbiferae Rhizoma) and Shancigu (Cremastrae Pseudobulbus); commonly used blood-activating, swelling-reducing herbs include Ruxiang (Olibanum), Moyao (Myrrha), Xuejie (Sanguis Draconis) and Huaruishi (Ophicalcitum).
Patients with blood heat also bleed easily. Blood-cooling, swelling-resolving herbs have a hemostatic action, but one should also consider using hemostatic medicinals to prevent tumor ulceration and bleeding. As ready-made medicines, Yunnan Baiyao may be used; in decoctions one may add Xianhecao (Agrimoniae Herba), Qiancao (Rubiae Radix), Fengweicao (Pteris Herba), Puhuang (Typhae Pollen), Diyu (Sanguisorbae Radix), Baiji (Bletillae Rhizoma) and Xueyutan (Crinis Carbo).
If the patient has constipation—very common in blood-heat-type cancer patients—one may judiciously add raw Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma), cooked Dahuang, Roucongrong (Cistanchis Herba), Fanxieye (Sennae Folium) and Huomaren (Cannabis Semen).
For such patients, one may also combine Chinese patent medicines with a blood-cooling, swelling-resolving action such as Xihuang Pills and Liushen Pills. Generally such patients can also use external medicines applied to the lesion—especially for tumors that feel hot. Xihuang Pills and Liushen Pills may be crushed, soaked in yellow wine, and applied externally to the affected area; one may also make external pastes based on Shexiang (Moschus), Bingpian (Borneolum), Ruxiang and Moyao and apply them directly. Fresh dandelion roots or goldenrod roots may also be crushed and applied externally. For these excess-heat-type cancers, after applying the above herbs externally, swelling and pain usually subside rapidly.
Cold-cooling medicinals easily damage the spleen and stomach, so when the patient takes the herbs, closely watch for poor appetite and diarrhea. If appetite is poor, add spleen-stomach-supporting, digestion-promoting herbs such as Jiao Sanxian, Chao Jineijin and Chao Laifuzi. If diarrhea occurs, add spleen-fortifying herbs such as Huaishanyao, Baizhu, Zhigancao and Biandou (Lablab Semen Album).