Radix et rhizoma rhei
From HerbLab, herbal encyclopedia of Chinese traditional medicine
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RADIX ET RHIZOMA RHEI(大黄)
Huang Gongxiu in the Qing Dynasty said that: "The drug, extremely bitter in taste and cold in nature, is characterized by properties of descending and dispersing."
The drug is obtained from the radix of Rheum officinale Baill. of the Rheum family and the Polygonacene genus, mainly produced in Hunan and Sichuan provinces in China. Drugs of the same family, such as Rheum palmafum L., Rheum tanguticum Maxim et Balf., and Rheum wittrockii Lutulstr., are used as the substitutes of the drug.
ANTICANCER PHARMACOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
1. Intracutaneous injection of the unrefined extract of the drug causes damage to sarcoma-27 of mice. 2. Emodin evidently inhibits cellular respiration of ascites cancer, oxidization and deoxidization of certain kinds of amino acids and the products produced during glycometabolism. 3. Emodin evidently inhibits mice melanoma with an effective rate of 76%. 4. Rhein inhibits ascites cancer with an effective rate of 15% and mice sarcoma-180 with an effective rate of 21%. 5. Anthraquinone contained in the drug resists the activity of cancer. 6. The hot water extract of the drug inhibits mice sarcoma-180 with an effective rate of 48.8%.
EXPERIMENTAL FORMULAS
For uterine cancer:
Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 30g Rhizoma Paridis 90g Radix Paeoniae Lacti florae 30g Radix Angelicae Sinensis 30g Radix Astragali 30g
The above herbs are ground into powder and rolled with honey into pills of 6 grams each. 2 of the pills are taken daily. (Handbook of Medicinal Herbs in Northea.st China)
For recto cancer:
Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 3g Fructus Bruceae 15g Venenum Bofonis 0.015g
The herbs are ground into powder and taken once a day. (Journal of Hunan Medicine, Vol. 5, 1977)
For uteroma:
Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 180g Radix Scutellariae 150g Radix Glycyrrhizae 210g Semen Persicae 360g Semen Pruni armeniacae 360g Radix Rehmanniae 600g Lacca Sinica Exsiccata 60g Tabanus 70 Natrii Sulfas 300g Hirudo 70
The herbs are ground into powder, rolled with honey into pills for oral administration 9 grams each time, 3 times a day. (Modern Prescriptions for Gynecology)
For acute granulocytic leukemia:
Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 9g Cortex Moutan 3g Radix Scrophulariae 9g Radix Rehmanniae 9g Folium Isatidis 9g Pulvis Glycyrrhizae Praeparatus 4.5g Periostracum Cicadae 4.5g Radix Trichosanthis 6g
The prescription is taken one dosage a day in decoction. (Medical Research Correspondence, Vol. 7-8,1973)
For uterocancer at the primary stage:
Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 2g Natrii Sulfas 3g Cortex Moutan 4g Semen Persicae 4g Semen Benincasae 4g Rhizoma Atractylodis Lanceae 4g Semen Coicis 8g Radix Glycyrrhizae 1g
The prescription is taken in decoction. (Elucidation on Clinical Application)
For ovarian cancer:
Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 6g Cortex Phellodendri 3g Folium et Ramulus Biotae 6g Herba Lycopi 3g Herba Menthae 1.5g
The herbs are ground, decocted into a paste, mixed with some wine and applied to the abdomen before the patient is going to bed each night and removed the next morning. (Prevention and Treatment of Common Tumors)
HISTORICAL COMMENTS
In Atlas of Materia Medica, Li Shicai said that: "The drug is very violent in action, and therefore it is called a 'general commander'." It is reported in Confucian Medicine that: "The drug bears a bitter taste and a fragrant odor, therefore it is used both as a tonic and a purgative. In fact, it is usually used as a purgative to treat dyspepsia or hyperhydrochloria. "
It is said in Materia Medica that: "The drug is effective in curing hematostasis, amenia, cold-heat syndrome, abdominal mass, dyspepsia, constipation, damp-heat accumulation in the lower part of the body and disorder of the viscera. " In the book, is recorded a prescription for curing uterine cancer: 30g of the drug is decocted in wine for oral taking. Another prescription recorded in the book is for breast tumor: 30g of the drug and 30g of Radix Glycyrrhizae are ground and decocted in wine into a paste for application to the lesion with a handkerchief and also for oral administration one spoonful a time.
It is reported in Guide to Materia Medica that: "The drug is forbidden for patients with deficiency of the stomach and the blood, when the disease develops to the qi phase. The functions of the drug are different when steeped in wine, steamed in wine, processed and unprocessed. The unprocessed drug is especially violent in action, therefore, Radix Scutellariae must be added as guiding element."
THE AUTHOR'S NOTE
In Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Shanghai First Medical University, 14 cases of acute leukemia were treated with the drug and Semen Strychni as the main ingredients accompanied with Compound Cytarabine. The result was that 1 case of acute granulocytic leukemia was alleviated, 4 partially alleviated, 1 case of acute lymphatic leukemia and 2 cases of acute monocytic leukemia partially alleviated. The total alleviated rate was 57.1 %. Orally administration of the crude drug powder has been proved to be very effective in stopping bleeding of the upper digestive tract, and the effective rate is reported to be 97.25%.
It was reported in Journal of Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine (Vol. 3, 1980) that a case of violent bleeding caused by an operation on colocancer, was cured with 9 grams of the drug powder blended with 140ml of salt water for enema, after the failure of transfusion of 1000ml of blood in three times and other therapies.
