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Traditional Chinese herbal medicine prescribes individualised multi-herb decoctions, taken by most cancer patients in China to reduce chemotherapy side effects. Cochrane reviews found the hundreds of trials small, unblinded and poorly reported, so whether they help is unknown, and some herbs damage the liver or interact with tyrosine kinase inhibitors through CYP3A4.
Traditional Chinese medicine prescribes multi-herb decoctions individualised to the patient, which makes standard trials difficult. Cochrane reviews of Chinese herbal medicine for chemotherapy side effects in colorectal cancer and for other cancers found many small trials with methodological weaknesses, inconsistent formulas and a strong tendency to positive results only in the Chinese-language literature; they conclude that the evidence is insufficient. Individual constituents have been developed into drugs (arsenic trioxide for promyelocytic leukaemia, homoharringtonine, camptothecin analogues), showing the pharmacology is real, but that is different from decoctions improving outcomes. Safety concerns include hepatotoxicity, contamination with heavy metals or undeclared pharmaceuticals, aristolochic acid nephrotoxicity and carcinogenicity, and CYP3A4 interactions with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Patients should tell their oncology team what they take.
Multi-component formulas are claimed to restore balance and reduce toxicity; specific constituents have measurable pharmacological actions, but formula-level efficacy is untested to modern standards.
An ancient poison turned cure: with retinoic acid it cures more than 95% of acute promyelocytic leukaemia without conventional chemotherapy.
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Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Preclinical results do not reproduce, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Evidence-based integrative oncology, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Evidence-based integrative oncology, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.
Shares Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms, Evidence-based integrative oncology, Misinformation and unproven therapies and the tags complementary, supportive-care.