🌿 Folk Prescriptions

The therapeutic efficacy of TCM in malignant tumors is now widely recognized. Renowned oncologist Academician Sun Yan evaluates TCM as "not only improving clinical outcomes of tumors, extending survival, and improving quality of life, but also synergizing with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy to reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy." Then, how should TCM be selected during cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy to achieve "reducing toxicity and enhancing efficacy," maximizing patient benefits? This article introduces the topic.
First, it should be recognized that the period of radiotherapy and chemotherapy is special. Patients’ clinical manifestations have unique characteristics, generally featuring two traits:
1. Damage to Righteous Qi: Radiotherapy and chemotherapy directly kill malignant tumors. After treatment, tumors are partially killed or controlled. Meanwhile, the body suffers varying degrees of damage. Analyzing from TCM theory, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are "attacking pathogens," but inevitably "damage righteous qi," i.e., weaken the body’s defenses. Thus, during this period, patients exhibit "righteous qi deficiency." For example, fatigue, weakness, hair loss, and reduced white blood cells are all signs of righteous qi deficiency.
2. Spleen-Stomach Weakness: Radiotherapy and chemotherapy damage righteous qi, particularly affecting the spleen and stomach, causing spleen-stomach weakness. Clinically, patients present with poor appetite, anorexia, nausea, and vomiting.
Second, based on these characteristics, TCM treatment should emphasize reinforcing righteous qi and strengthening spleen-stomach harmony. Note the following:
1. Reinforcing righteous qi must follow TCM principles, distinguishing whether it is yin deficiency, yang deficiency, or qi-blood deficiency, requiring syndrome differentiation and treatment. For example, after chemotherapy, patients may develop oral ulcers, which typically indicate yin deficiency. Treatment should focus on nourishing yin. Without distinguishing yin and yang, indiscriminate use of yang-tonifying and qi-supplementing herbs may further injure yin fluids, harming the condition. Many patients or families recognize TCM’s role and commonly take supplements, but excessive supplementation is widespread and needs scientific and standardized management. "Syndrome differentiation and treatment" is the essence of TCM; abandoning it drastically diminishes TCM efficacy, potentially leading to opposite results.
2. Balance between reinforcing righteous qi and strengthening spleen-stomach harmony. After radiotherapy and chemotherapy, patients generally exhibit righteous qi deficiency, requiring tonification. However, the spleen-stomach is also weak, sometimes extremely weak. All tonifying herbs (including tonifying foods) require spleen-stomach digestion to take effect. In other words, tonifying herbs increase the burden on the spleen-stomach, increasing its workload—termed "nourishing substances hinder spleen-stomach." Over-nourishment easily leads to impaired spleen-stomach function, resulting in failed tonification and further spleen-stomach dysfunction, hindering patient recovery. "Spleen-stomach is the foundation of postnatal life"—all nutrients after birth come almost entirely from the spleen-stomach. Its function must be highly valued, especially after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. While tonifying, continuously monitor clinical signs reflecting spleen-stomach function, such as tongue, tongue coating, and appetite. If necessary, first address the spleen-stomach before tonifying, or use intravenous TCM preparations for tonification, balancing tonification with spleen-stomach function.
Third, avoid using powerful purgatives or drastic herbs during radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy, from TCM theory, belong to "eliminating pathogens" or "attacking pathogens," a fact confirmed by clinical practice. After pathogen elimination, since it easily damages righteous qi, treatment should focus on replenishing and protecting righteous qi. Therefore, during radiotherapy and chemotherapy, TCM selection should accommodate this clinical feature, coordinating Western medicine’s pathogen elimination with TCM’s reinforcement of righteous qi, achieving organic integration.
In conclusion, during radiotherapy and chemotherapy, patients exhibit righteous qi deficiency and spleen-stomach weakness. Treatment should prioritize reinforcing righteous qi and strengthening spleen-stomach harmony, carefully managing the balance between reinforcing righteousness and strengthening spleen-stomach, prioritizing and sequencing appropriately, and avoiding potent TCM herbs that attack or purge.