Chinese herbal remedies aids in cancer treatment

Researchers in Hong Kong are observing the effect of Chinese herbal extracts along with cancer chemotherapy. Chinese herbal medicine is popular in the East as a way of increasing the side effects of cancer chemotherapy. Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong are now subjecting the extracts to a conventional clinical trial.

They have so far recruited 75 patients with either breast or colon cancer. Besides conventional anti-cancer drugs, the participants are receiving either a herbal extract or a placebo powder. Preliminary results show that the herbal remedy lead to a moderate reduction in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or loss of appetite. The researchers are now investigating in depth with more subjects for this study.