Radix Notoginseng
From HerbLab, herbal encyclopedia of Chinese traditional medicine
Contents |
RADIX NOTOGINSENG(田七)
According to Huang Gongxiu in the Qing Dynasty, "The herb, being bitter in flavor and warm in nature, can remove blood stasis. When put in p.g blood, the herb can turn the blood into water."
This is the dried root of notoginseng, Panax pseudo-ginseng Wall. var, notoginseng (Burkill) Hoo and Tseng, which grows in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces and mainly contains various arasaponin.
ANTICANCER PHARMACOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
1. The hot water extract of the herb inhibits cancer effectively with an inhibitory rate of over 90% on JTC-26 in vitro. 2. Experiments in vivo showed that the herb also inhibits sarcoma-180 in mice. Mice with sarcoma-180 were fed with glucose derived from the herb with a dose of 2.5mg per kilo of their body weight and after two weeks, the size of the tumor mass became reduced and after five weeks, the tumor mass disappeared completely in six out of the ten mice. 3. In tests with phagological scanning for anticancer drugs, the herb was found antiphagologic.
EXPERIMENTAL FORMULAS
For cervical cancer:
Practical Oncology recommends external application of the powder of the following herbs:
Radix Notoginseng 3g Realgar 3g Venenum Bufonis 15g Rhizoma Bletillae 12g Prepared Arsenicum Trioxidum 1.5g Alumen 60g Sal Ammoniaci 0.3g
For cancer complicated with blood in the sputum, urine and stool:
Records of Integrated Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends the powder of the following herbs for oral administration twice a day with boiled water:
Radix Notoginseng 6g Ophicalcitum 9g Crinis Carbonisatus 3g
For cancer of the esophagus:
Collection of Proved Recipes in Anhui Province recommends the powder of the following herbs for oral administration with honey water three times a day and each time 6 grams:
Radix Notoginseng 18g
Rhizoma Pleionis 120g
Sargassum 60g
Bulbus Fritillariae 60g
Pruina Kaki 60g
Prepared Rhizoma Pinelliae 30g
Flos Carthami 30g
Prepared Resina Olibani and Myrrha 15g
HISTORICAL COMMENTS
New Compilation of Materia Medica by Wu Yiluo commended: "The herb, being sweet and bitter in taste and warm in nature, can disperse blood and relieves pain."
Compendium of Materia Medica says: "The herb can stop bleeding, disperse blood stasis, relieve pain, and hence it is indicative for hematemesis, epistaxis, metrorrhagia, dysentery with blood stool, profuse menstruation, retention of putrid blood after birth, dizziness and pain due to blood stasis, acute conjunctivitis, carbuncle and snake or animal bite. For wound caused by sharp metal weapons and tools or flogging trauma, applying the powder or paste of the herb to the lesion can stop bleeding immediately."
Collections of Simplified Recipes of Binhu says: "For innominate inflammatory swelling with persistent pain, grind the herb into a paste and apply it to the swelling. The swelling and the pain will be relieved at once. The powder of the herb is used if the swelling becomes ruptured."
Essentials of Materia Medica says: "The herb is very effective for incised wound caused by sharp metal weapons or tools, particularly for flogging trauma. The herb is similar to Bletilla striata and Rehmannia glutinosa in appearance and a bit sweet like Radix Ginseng. Its powder, when mixed with blood of pigs, can change the blood into water."
THE AUTHOR'S NOTE
Yunnan Pulvis Medicinalis Albus, a white medicinal powder consisting of pulverized notoginseng root and other ingredients, has been proved to inhibit sarcoma-180 in rats.
People's Hospital in Fuzhou City tried to cure cancer of the esophagus and the liver with Yunnan Pulvis Medicinalis Albus. They asked the patients to take the powder after meals, three times a day, each time I to 2 grams. Each course constituted two weeks and between courses, the powder was ceased for a week. The drug can be administered on a long term basis. In his practice, the author has found that the drug has an unpleasant taste of pepper and some patients do not like it. The best way of taking it is to mix it with food. To treat hematemesis in stomach cancer and epistaxis in lung cancer, the author found the following recipe, taken a dose daily, is very effective:
Herba Agrimoniae 40g Radix Ginseng 9g Yunnan Pulvis Medicinalis Albus 0.5g
According to report by American Journal of Drugs, the analysis made on Yunnan Pulvis Medicinalis Albus by American National Research Institute of Cancer proved that the two kinds of arasaponin derived from the herb had a definite inhibition on lymphatic leukemia-388 and leukemia-1210 and nasopharyngeal epithelial cancer.
