We feel it important to caution the reader about Chinese medicines. We know
many persons who have found TCM to be very helpful, but there have been
many instances of unscrupulous preparation of Chinese medicinal
compounds, where herbs and substances other than those indicated were
used in the preparation. In some cases this has led to death. Please
seek out a reputable practitioner.
The following is from (“Complementary and alternative
medicine in chronic liver disease,” Hepatology September 2001 Volume 34
Number 3)
TCM has been practiced for roughly 2 millennia, with comprehensive records of
Chinese medical theories dating back to 221 BC. CTM comprises multiple
forms of ritualistic healing practices. These include the relatively
well-known practices of acupuncture and herbal therapy and the
lesser-known moxibustion (dermal counterirritation therapy), massage, and
exercise therapy (Qi Gong). Chinese herbal therapy comprises over 100,000
recorded treatments, roughly 80% being combination or herbal
mixtures. Most herbal mixtures comprise 4 to 5 herbs with 1 to 2 major
pharmacologically active compounds (King herb), the remaining herbs
playing a “helper function,” such as reducing toxicity, promoting
delivery to the target site, or working synergistically with the “King.”
Regarding chronic liver disease, a limited number of mixtures (approximately
76) have been identified by screening a Traditional Oriental Medicine
Database (Tradi/Med DB). A hepatoprotective extract with the highest
potency and the lowest toxicity is the Plantago asiatica seed, the active
component being aucubin. Aucubin appears to inhibit hepatitis B virus
(HBV) replication in vitro and in animals (100 mg/kg daily for 1
month). Its use in a human trial, 10 mg/kg administered intravenously for
4 weeks, led to a 10% to 40% decrease in serum HBV-DNA levels that
returned to pretreatment values after stopping therapy.
A second combination of 10 herbs, termed “Herbal Medicine 861 (HM861),” was
tested for antifibrotic activity in 3 controlled clinical trials
encompassing 107 patients with hepatitis B. ALT levels fell into the
normal range in 73% of patients, while spleen size, portal pressure, and
serum procollagen peptide and laminin levels decreased in 53%. Liver
biopsies, 6 months posttreatment, showed reductions in fibrosis and
inflammatory infiltrates and quantitative decreases in tissue
hydroxyproline. All patients remained hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
positive. In vitro studies using human stellate cells and in vivo studies
using animal models of fibrosis (CCl4 and albumin induced) showed that
HM861 inhibited stellate cell activation by blocking
cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase activity in the cell cycle, and that
fibrotic tissues were remodeled, with revascularization of liver
sinusoids. Transforming growth factor and collagen type I, III, and IV
gene transcripts were reduced while matrix metalloproteinase I was
increased, suggesting a reversal of early stages of cirrhosis through the
correction of imbalance in the dynamics of synthesis and degradation of
the extracellular matrix.
CH-100 is a formulation of 19 different herbs developed for treatment of liver
disease. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving patients
with hepatitis C, treatment with the product was associated with a
significant reduction in ALT levels, although no treated person cleared
the virus. NCCAM is currently supporting a study of a 10-herb
combination, referred to as 3AR. The trial will assess safety and adverse
events, as well as symptoms of fatigue, quality of life, liver function,
and HCV-RNA levels in patients who do not qualify for standard therapy of
hepatitis C. Thus, there is increasing interest in conducting rigorous
testing of candidate CTM compounds (1) as alternatives to standard
treatment, (2) to augment conventional treatments, or (3) to ameliorate
the side effects of current therapies.
A very good overview of TCM and HCV can be found in Matt Dolan’s book, The Hepatitis C Handbook
