Radioprotective Herbs
Radioprotection is an important function in complementary oncology. Ionizing radiation (IR) therapy has been used in cancer treatment for many decades; it is used to eradicate cancer and as a palliative to relieve pain associated with metastases. In the course of treatment, radiation produces numerous biological perturbations in cells; because normal cell toxicity limits the doses used in effective treatment, approaches are designed to strike a balance between eliminating cancer cells and protecting normal tissues. The primary focus in radiotherapy is to increase DNA damage in tumor cells, as double strand breaks are important in cell death. Read more »
Daniel Weber with the International Consortium of Chinese Medicine and Cancer at the National Cancer Institute (NIH) in Bethesda Nov. 3 2014
Daniel Weber with the International Consortium of Chinese Medicine and Cancer at the National Cancer Institute (NIH) in Bethesda Nov. 3 2014. Read more.

Targeting apoptosis pathways in cancer by Chinese medicine. Li-Weber, M. Cancer Letters.
Inspecting the history of drug development during the past half century demonstrates that natural resources represent a significant segment on the pharmaceutical market compared to randomly synthesized compounds. Read more.

Zhang Zhong-jing once said, about 1800 years ago, ‘a doctor who uses herbal medicine is like a soldier using his weapons’.
The formation of prescriptions with combination herbal formulas has undergone a considerably long history. Read more.

Utilising Chinese Medicines to Improve Cancer Therapy - Fiction or Reality?
Utilising Chinese Medicines to Improve Cancer Therapy - Fiction or Reality? Despite the tremendous effort on research and development by government and industry, effective treatment of cancer in most patients remains elusive at present. Read more.

Effect of Curcumin Supplementation During Radiotherapy on Oxidative Status of Patients with Prostate Cancer: A Double Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study
Current Therapeutic Role and Medicinal Potential of Scutellaria barbata in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Research
Current Western research related to S. barbata is focused on cancer treatment, which corresponds to the most common use of S. barbata by TCM practitioners. Other common uses that practitioners reported included infection and inflammation, for which Beijing practitioners reported use of S. barbata more often than Nanjing practitioners (p<0.05). Hedyotis diffusa was found to be the most commonly cited herb to pair with S. barbata for cancer treatment (p<0.05). When compared to Western clinical trials of BZL101, an S. barbata extract, TCM practitioners reported using smaller doses of S. barbata in shorter durations, in combination with numerous other herbs with the goal to potentiate therapeutic efficacy and mitigate side effects. Read more »
Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined Conventional Chemotherapy Regimens in Advanced Recurrent Breast Mammary Carcinoma.
Hu et al., (2013) reported one successful case of “GP” regimen of combining chemotherapy with traditional Chinese medicine decoction (“lung description”) for breast cancer with lung and bone metastases. A second-line chemotherapy regimen of GP (cisplatin + gemcitabine) was applied. In the meantime, they administered Chinese herbal medicine (Fei Decoction, mixed with a variety of effective herbal components) to help her recover from the poor condition.
The tumour markers (CEA, CA15-3) had dramatically decreased to the normal range. Both lung and bone metastatic sites reduced according to CT and ECT imaging, and this patient felt free from the complaint of pulmonary and cardiac discomfort. The quality of life has been greatly improved, and the PFS (Progression-Free-Survival) and TTP (Time-to-Progression) have been prolonged from the onset to date.
Conclusions: In the course of this combined treatment, it has been shown that Chinese herbal medicine played an important role in the therapy of breast mammary carcinoma.
Therefore, Chinese herb may turn out to be an additional choice with its better benefits and tolerability in the treatment of recurrent breast mammary carcinoma.
Source
Hu M, Chen RZ, Zhu LL et al. Journal of Cancer Therapy, 2013, 4, 1506-1512. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jct.2013.410182