🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is characterized by the presence of a mass in the breast. These masses are usually solitary or multiple, often irregularly bordered, hard, occasionally rubbery in consistency, and movable in early stages. About 30% of breast cancer patients experience pain, typically dull. When the tumor invades the skin, it may cause dimpling known as the "dimple sign" ("dimple sign"). As the tumor progresses, skin may become coarse and thickened, resembling an orange peel ("peau d'orange"), and adhere to the skin. Continued progression may lead to ulceration. Patients may also experience nipple discharge or bloody secretion. When breast cancer metastasizes to lungs, liver, or bones, corresponding symptoms appear. According to TCM, this condition is often linked to emotional disturbances. Commonly used folk remedies and empirical formulas are listed below.
[Formula One]
200 g of mountain gentian, 100 g of crab shell, 100 g of crab claw (with tips). Grind into fine powder, mix with honey to form pills weighing 10 g each. Take 1–2 pills three times daily after meals.
This formula is from Dr. Wu Ruiwen, a TCM practitioner from Hebei Province. It functions to detoxify and resolve nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Two]
30 g each of frankincense and myrrh, 15 g of realgar, 4.5 g of musk. Each dose is 9 g, taken with old wine.
This formula originates from *Complete Collection of Surgical Treatments for Life Preservation*. It functions to reduce swelling, dissolve nodules, and relieve pain, suitable for breast abscess.
[Formula Three]
6 g of centipede, 2 worms, 4 walnuts. Split each walnut in half, remove the kernel, place the two herbs inside, then rejoin the halves and tie securely. Burn over fire until smoke appears, then grind into powder. Divide into two doses, taken twice daily with yellow wine.
This formula resolves stasis and dissolves nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Four]
Several pieces of turtle shell, appropriate amount of black jujube flesh. Roast turtle shell until golden brown, grind into powder; mash black jujube flesh. Mix together into pills, 10 g daily, taken with plain water.
This formula nourishes yin and strengthens the stomach, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Five]
120 g of fennel, salt and yellow wine as needed. Soak fennel in salt water, stir-fry until dry, grind into powder. Take 10 g daily, once per day, with yellow wine.
This formula warms the body and relieves pain, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Six]
30 g each of half-branch lotus, six-angled stem, and wild chrysanthemum. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula is from Nanning Fanxiu Hospital, Guangxi. It functions to clear heat and detoxify, suitable for mammary fibroma.
[Formula Seven]
15 g each of soil bellflower, walnut husk, honeysuckle, and forsythia. One dose daily, decocted with wine and water.
This formula originates from *Yao Xizhou's Experience in Saving Lives*. It functions to clear heat and detoxify, suitable for breast cancer with ulceration.
[Formula Eight]
30 g of fresh berberine root, appropriate amount of lean pork. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Fujian Herbal Medicine*. It functions to clear heat and detoxify, suitable for breast tumors.
[Formula Nine]
Equal parts of snake skin, wasp nest, and whole insect. Grind into fine powder, take 5.5 g three times daily with warm water. One month constitutes a course.
This formula originates from *Prevention and Treatment of Tumors*. It functions to activate blood circulation and detoxify, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Ten]
One large loquat, 15 g each of angelica, licorice, 3 g of frankincense, 8 g of myrrh. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Traditional Chinese Oncology*. It functions to activate blood circulation and resolve stasis, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Eleven]
10 g each of centipede and whole insect, 12 g of pangolin scale, 10 g of sea horse. Dry-roast all herbs, grind into powder. Take twice daily, 1 g per dose, with yellow wine.
This formula originates from *Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Tumors*. It functions to activate blood circulation and detoxify, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twelve]
30 g each of non-stopping herb and August Fruit, 12 g of pangolin scale. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Herbal Preparations for Cancer Prevention*. It functions to activate blood circulation and detoxify, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Thirteen]
9 g each of non-stopping herb, trichosanthes root, and honeysuckle. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Prevention and Treatment of Chinese Medical Oncology*. It functions to activate blood circulation and detoxify, suitable for early-stage breast cancer without ulceration.
[Formula Fourteen]
Equal parts of gallnut, male rat droppings, and wasp nest. Grind into powder, take 3 g twice daily.
This formula originates from *New Compilation of Effective Formulas*. It functions to activate blood circulation and resolve nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Fifteen]
Equal parts of gallnut, frankincense, myrrh, 60 g each, 20 g of Brucea javanica (seed removed). Combine all herbs, crush into paste, mix with 1250 g of rice vinegar, simmer slowly until the residue loses flavor. Filter, concentrate into a paste, spread onto cloth, apply externally, replace every two days.
This formula originates from *Clinical Preparation for Tumor Care*. It functions to activate blood circulation and detoxify, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Sixteen]
30 g each of six-angled stem, wild chrysanthemum, and half-branch lotus. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Practical Oncology*. It functions to clear heat and detoxify, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Seventeen]
120 g each of white flower snake tongue grass and cistanches. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *New Medical Materials*. It functions to detoxify and tonify yang, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Eighteen]
30 g each of climbing plantain, cow knee, and white flower snake tongue grass. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Brief Guide to Tumors*. It functions to detoxify and activate blood circulation, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Nineteen]
500 g each of wolf poison and red dates. Boil together, discard wolf poison. Eat 5 dates each time, 2–3 times daily.
This formula originates from *Cancer-Fighting Herbs*. It functions to tonify qi and detoxify, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty]
30 g each of kiwi root and wild grape root, 3 g each of eight-leaf lotus and raw southern star. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Diagnosis and Prevention of Tumors*. It functions to detoxify and resolve phlegm, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty-One]
4.5 g of tiankui, 9 g of fritillaria, 12 g of calcined oyster shell, 3 g of licorice. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Zhejiang Folk Herbs*. It functions to resolve phlegm and soften hardness, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty-Two]
15 g each of bupleurum and coptis, 30 g each of perilla seed, codonopsis, prunella, 60 g of non-stopping herb, 30 g each of oyster shell, trichosanthes, gypsum, tangerine peel, white peony, 5 g of Sichuan pepper, 6 g of licorice, 10 jujubes. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Thousand Excellent Prescriptions*. It functions to clear heat, detoxify, resolve phlegm, and disperse nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty-Three]
3 g of bezoar, 180 g each of frankincense, myrrh, realgar, toad venom, 6 g of blue vitriol, 9 g each of cinnabar and dragon's blood, 6 g each of cold water stone and light powder, 30 centipedes, 60 snails, 3 g each of borneol and musk. Grind all herbs into fine powder, make into pills the size of mustard seeds. Take 5–6 pills twice daily.
This formula activates blood circulation, resolves phlegm, and detoxifies, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty-Four]
9 g each of dandelion and purslane, 6 g of pangolin scale, 60 g of trichosanthes, 15 g of honeysuckle, 30 g of angelica, 15 g of astragalus, 6 g of lotus root starch, 15 g each of white芷 and platycodon, 6 g of red peony, 15 g of garlic chives, 9 g each of polygala and cinnamon twig, 6 g of licorice.
One dose daily, decocted and taken orally, divided into three doses before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
This formula is from Xinbin County Hospital, Fushun City, Liaoning Province. It functions to clear heat, detoxify, activate blood circulation, and resolve stasis, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty-Five]
10 g each of seedling root, strawberry herb, stone breaker, iron horn, large fritillaria, five-claw dragon, and cow knee, 20 g of eight-herb grass, 10 g each of snake tongue grass, half-branch lotus, and tail grass, 3 g of powdered dandelion. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula clears heat, detoxifies, attacks accumulation, and breaks up masses, suitable for breast cancer caused by heat-toxin and blood stasis.
[Formula Twenty-Six]
9 g each of codonopsis, asparagus, peach kernel, 12 g each of prunella, seaweed, kelp, 30 g each of non-stopping herb, stone breaker, yellow drug, 15 g each of rush, red peony, 30 g each of apricot seed, oyster shell, plantain seed, 10 jujubes. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from Longhua Hospital, Shanghai. It functions to tonify qi, activate blood, soften hardness, and resolve nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty-Seven]
12 g of angelica, 15 g each of curcuma and pangolin scale, 24 g of softshell turtle shell, 30 g each of kelp and seaweed, 24 g of trichosanthes, 30 g of salvia, 12 g each of rush, non-stopping herb, and soap pod, 30 g of poria.
One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from *Compendium of Traditional Chinese Surgery*. It functions to activate blood circulation, detoxify, resolve phlegm, and disperse nodules, suitable for breast cancer with blood stasis and toxin accumulation.
[Formula Twenty-Eight]
9 g each of red peony, white atractylodes, earthworm, and chinquapin, 12 g each of angelica, tangerine seed, and eucommia, 15 g each of loofah network, white violet, and salvia, 6 g of bupleurum, 30 g of raw oyster shell. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from Yichang Regional Hospital, Hubei Province. It functions to resolve phlegm and disperse nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Twenty-Nine]
12 g each of centipede and whole insect, 15 g of raw pangolin scale, 24 g of silkworm, 30 g of rhubarb, 12 g of bupleurum, 9 g each of white peony and sandalwood, 12 g each of frankincense, myrrh, and gardenia, 9 g each of green tangerine peel and tangerine peel, 12 g each of forsythia, 9 g of tangerine red, 12 g each of pinellia and red peony, 6 g of moutan bark, 30 g of dandelion, 15 g of honeysuckle, 5 g of raw licorice. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from Jingjiang Health School, Jiangsu Province. It functions to regulate qi, activate blood circulation, detoxify, and resolve nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Thirty]
(1) 15 g each of angelica, fritillaria, cyperus, and trichosanthes, 10 g each of rehmannia, red peony, gardenia, and pangolin scale, 6 g each of platycodon and green tangerine peel.
(2) 1500 g each of green walnut branches and notoginseng, 2500 g of euphorbia, 1500 g of raw licorice.
Formula (1): decoct and take daily. Formula (2): add 500 ml water, simmer over medium heat until no taste remains in residue. Filter liquid, remove residue, concentrate into a paste in a copper pot, store in a ceramic container, add a small amount of borneol, seal tightly. Apply the paste externally on the affected area, secure with adhesive tape, replace every 48 hours.
This formula originates from Cui Heshi, Shanxi Yuncheng Tumor Hospital. It functions to regulate qi, activate blood circulation, soften hardness, and disperse nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Thirty-One]
10 g of artificial bezoar, 15 g each of processed frankincense, processed myrrh, and sea dragon, 30 g each of astragalus, mountain gentian, citron, and fried three treasures, 60 g each of prunella, notoginseng, polygonum multiflorum, coix seed, dandelion, curcuma, and epimedium. Grind into fine powder, make into pills with water, take twice daily, 3 g per dose.
This formula originates from Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It functions to activate blood circulation, detoxify, soften hardness, and disperse nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Thirty-Two]
150 g each of trichosanthes and raw rehmannia, 120 g each of soil bellflower, raw cyperus, calcined oyster shell, 90 g each of rush, white mustard seed, poria, sprouted barley, 60 g each of non-stopping herb seeds, processed pinellia, angelica, tangerine leaf, stir-fried white peony, small green peel, 30 g of processed pangolin scale, 60 g of tangerine peel, 30 g each of woodruff and ligusticum, 30 g of licorice. Grind into fine powder, take three times daily, 6 g per dose.
This formula is from Xiao Shuangzhuang, Jiading County, Shanghai. It functions to regulate qi, resolve phlegm, activate blood circulation, and disperse nodules, suitable for breast cancer.
[Formula Thirty-Three]
4 g each of angelica, raw rehmannia, white peony, ligusticum, tangerine peel, pinellia, pinellia, poria, green tangerine peel, polygala, platycodon, perilla leaf, 3 g each of gardenia, woodruff, licorice, 6 g of cyperus, 1 slice of ginger. One dose daily, decocted and taken orally.
This formula originates from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. It functions to clear liver fire, activate blood circulation, relieve depression, and resolve phlegm, suitable for stage II breast cancer patients post-surgery.
[Formula Thirty-Four]
10 g each of green tangerine peel, raw licorice, mountain gentian, soil bellflower, 15 g each of dandelion, prunella, and mulberry root bark, 15 g each of raw astragalus, goji berries, six-herb yeast, and roasted hawthorn. Decoct and take once daily, divided into two doses.
This formula is from renowned TCM physician Duan Fengwu, Beijing. It functions to detoxify, resolve nodules, soothe the liver, and strengthen the body.
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