The Action of the Famous Warming Formula Yougui Pill on Yang-Deficient Cancer Patients
Yougui Wan (Right-Restoring Pill) is a famous warming-tonifying formula from the Jingyue Quanshu (Complete Works of Zhang Jingyue). It consists of Shu Di Huang (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata), Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), Shan Zhu Yu (Corni Fructus), Shan Yao (Dioscoreae Rhizoma), Gou Qi Zi (Lycii Fructus), Lu Jiao Jiao (Cornu Cervi Pantotrichi Colla), Tu Si Zi (Cuscutae Semen), Du Zhong (Eucommiae Cortex), Rou Gui (Cinnamomi Cortex), and Zhi Fu Zi (processed Aconiti Radix). Yougui Wan is available as a Chinese patent medicine on the market.
Traditional TCM holds that Yougui Wan warms and supplements kidney yang and fills essence and marrow. It is used for kidney-yang deficiency with decline of Mingmen fire, presenting as aged or prolonged-illness fatigue and listlessness, aversion to cold with cold limbs, weak and soft lower back and knees, impotence and seminal emission, infertility due to yang decline, reduced food intake, unformed stool, spontaneous urination, pale tongue with white coating, and deep, slow, forceless pulse.
Yougui Wan has broad uses. In modern practice it may be used for nephrotic syndrome, aplastic anemia, leukopenia, hypertrophic spondylitis, osteoporosis, sciatica, oligospermia, nocturnal urinary frequency in the elderly, and chronic bronchitis, whenever the pattern is yang deficiency.
Modern pharmacology confirms that Yougui Wan significantly regulates B-lymphocyte function, enhances human immunity, and also regulates sex-hormone levels. It may be used for cancer patients with kidney-yang decline, but patients needing castration therapy, such as those with prostate cancer or breast cancer, should use it cautiously, lest elevated sex hormones promote tumor growth.
A considerable proportion of advanced cancer patients have a yang-deficient constitution, especially those who have undergone repeated surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Yang-deficient patients generally have clear, long urine or frequent urination, loose stool, aversion to cold with cold limbs, and sore, weak lower back and knees—typical symptoms of insufficient body heat. Such patients should not be treated with heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs; if they absolutely must be used, they should be combined with warming-tonifying herbs. For such patients, Yougui Wan is an ideal choice.
Yougui Wan can raise the white blood cell count in yang-deficient cancer patients. While using Yougui Wan, yang-deficient patients may also simultaneously use moxibustion, moxaing acupoints such as Zu San Li (ST36), Guan Yuan (CV4), Qi Hai (CV6), Shen Que (CV8), and Shu Shen (BL23). Yougui Wan combined with moxibustion can markedly improve the clinical symptoms of yang-deficient patients and raise their quality of life.
Of course, treating cancer cannot rely solely on supporting zheng qi; it must also expel pathogen. While using Yougui Wan to support zheng qi, one must also, according to the patient's specific condition, select appropriate antitumor herbs.
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