Fructus Akebiae
From HerbLab, herbal encyclopedia of Chinese traditional medicine
Contents |
FRUCTUS AKEBIAE(八月扎)
Dietetic Materia Medica says: "The herb, cold and nontoxic in nature, is effective for loss of appetite due to evil heat and regurgitation of food from the stomach. "
It is the dried fruit of akebia, Akebia quinata (Thunb.) Decne,, which mainly contains sugar.
ANTICANCER PHARMACOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
1. The herb is found active in inhibiting sarcoma-ISO and sarcoma-37 in rats. 2. The inhibitory rate of the herb on JTC-26 is 50 to 60 per cent.
EXPERIMENTAL FORMULAS
For cancer of the stomach:
Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine reported in August, 1984 that the decoction of the following herbs was indicative for the disease:
Fructus Akebiae 30g Folium Cycadis Revolutae 30g Herba Hedyotis Diffusae 30g Herba Scutellariae 30g Nidus Vespae 9g Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae 9g Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae 9g
For cancer of the Liver:
Handbook of Common Anticancer Drugs recommends the decoction of the following herbs daily: Fructus Akebiae 30g Fossil of Cyrtiospirifer sinensis (Graban.) 30g Herba Verbenae 30g
HISTORICAL COMMENTS
Dietetic Materia Medica says that: "The herb can make the muscles of the digestive tract grow thicker, hence increasing the evacuation of the lower portion of the digestive tract and helping to increase the appetite of the patients. It is also good for clearing the twelve regular channels."
Ri Hua Zi Materia Medica says: "The herb is effective for mass in the hypochondrium. "
Dictionary of Chinese Materia Medica says: "The herb soothes the liver through regulating the circulation of qi, abates pain through promoting blood circulation, relieves restlessness and alleviates water retention. Thus it is indicative for stomachache due to emotional depression and the attach of hyperactive liver qi, indigestion due to the stomach-heat, polydipsia, dysentery, lumbago, costalgia, hernia, dysmenorrhea and tenesmus of the uterus."
Supplementation to Compendium of Materia Medica reports that: "The herb removes excessive body fluid and relieves dysphoria with smothery sensation. After taking it, you may feel ease-minded, thirst-relieved and the adverse qi flows downward. "
THE AUTHOR'S NOTE
This herb is mainly indicative for tumors of the digestive tract, but when combined with other anticancer drugs, it is also indicative for other types of cancer. According to Treatment and Prevention of Common Types of Cancer in Qinghai, taking 60 grams of each of Fructus Akebiae, Rhizome Rhodomyrti Tomentosae and Herba Hedyotis Diffusae daily in decoction is effective for chorioepithelioma. The author has also found that, as an adjuvant, 20 grams of Fructus Akebiae and 4 grams of Radix Ginseng, when cooked together with rice into gruel, can modify the symptoms of cancer patients if taken daily.
