The JACI article author looked at the following Chinese herbal remedies for asthma:- Modified Mai Men Dong Tang, a Chinese herbal formula (combination of herbs)
- Ding Chuan Tang, a Chinese herbal decoction
- STA-1, a Chinese herbal medicine formula containing 10 herbs
- Sophora Flavescens Ait, a S flavescens, sophora root extract
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal remedies have been attracting significant interest in the West for years. According to the author, new clinical trials designed according to well-established scientific standards show the potential of TCM formulas to be efficacious and safe alternatives/complements to standard Western therapy for asthma and possibly food anaphylaxis.
In a review of the current experimental therapies for food allergy, Nature claims that the Mount Sinai research group hopes to bring Chinese herbal formula to the market in 2013, bypassing the FDA approval process (http://goo.gl/h7hL8).
However, I ran a search for "Chinese formula for food allergy" and there is not much new inPubmed, apart from a review in the Mount Sinai's own journal, Mt Sinai J Med. 2011 Sep-Oct;78(5):697-716.
The search for "herbal formula food allergy" brings better results, including a small phase I study, again by the Mount Sinai group, that did not evaluate clinical efficacy, which is typical of the phase I trials.
Food allergy herbal formula (FAHF-2) contains 9 herbs and is currently in trials.
Food allergy herbal formula (FAHF-2) contains 9 herbs and is currently in trials.
The use of parasitic worms for treating allergic diseases was also disappointing in a recent study.
References:
Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy. Xiu-Min Li.
JACI, Volume 120, Issue 1, Pages 25-31 (July 2007).
"Don't knock Chinese medicine. It's been around for more than 3,000 years and there's a lot we don't understand yet." http://goo.gl/TNjxy
No Chinese manufacturer has successfully registered herbal medicinal products in the EU - all will be banned in May. The Lancet, 2011.
The quest to find the "magic" Chinese herbal formula continues: Danggui Buxue Tang helps asthmatic MICE http://goo.gl/Bdfle
Mount Sinai research groups plans to obtain FDA approval for FAHF-2 as a prescription botanical drug for food allergy http://goo.gl/ZlO3a
"Traditional Chinese herbal remedy kampo relieved asthma symptoms in nearly all patients in Japanese study". WebMD, 2012.
Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.
The quest to find the "magic" Chinese herbal formula continues: Danggui Buxue Tang helps asthmatic MICE http://goo.gl/Bdfle
Mount Sinai research groups plans to obtain FDA approval for FAHF-2 as a prescription botanical drug for food allergy http://goo.gl/ZlO3a
"Traditional Chinese herbal remedy kampo relieved asthma symptoms in nearly all patients in Japanese study". WebMD, 2012.
Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.
