Chinese Herbal Mixture Significantly Reduces Fatigue in Cancer Patients

21 May 2015 --- Cancer patients suffering from moderate to severe fatigue reported significantly less fatigue within 2-3 weeks of treatment with the traditional Chinese medicine herbal mixture Ren Shen Yangrong Tang (RSYRT), a soup containing 12 herbs. The safety and efficacy of RSYRT in this Phase I/II trial are presented in an article in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website until June 20, 2015.

Yichen Xu, MD, Yanzhi Chen, MD, and Pingping Li, MD, Peking University School of Oncology (Beijing, China) and Xin Shelley Wang, MD, MPH, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) assessed the level of fatigue in cancer patients before and after RSYRT therapy. Patients took RSYRT twice a day for 6 weeks. Fatigue is one of the major challenges in oncology care. According to traditional Chinese medicine, fatigue is characterized by a deficiency in Qi, a physical life force related to the energy flow of the body. RSYRT is intended to improve Qi deficiency.

In the article "Ren Shen Yangrong Tang for Fatigue in Cancer Survivors: A Phase I/II Open-Label Study" the authors report that RSYRT was safe, with no evidence of toxicity in any of the patients treated.