Therapeutic Effects of Ten Commonly Used Chinese Herbs and Their Bioactive Compounds on Cancers

Abstract

Effective cancer therapy is one of the biggest global challenges. Conventional cancer therapies have been at the forefront of combating cancers, but more evidence showed considerable side effects, limiting their use. There are various new therapies in development, but combined approaches for treating cancer are much expected. Natural herbs had been traditionally in use for cancer therapy in most parts of the world. In this review, we have examined ten commonly used Chinese herbs that have, for centuries, shown effectiveness in treating cancers. They demonstrated the abilities to promote the apoptosis of cancer cells, inhibit their metastasis, activate the patient’s anticancer immunity, and synergistically increase the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy when used in combination. Clinical experiences had proved that these herbs and their bioactive compounds were effective against a plethora of cancers through a variety of mechanisms, effectively improving patients’ quality of life without significant side effects. These advantages indicate that there are huge potentials in the development of Chinese herbs into cancer medicine as part of a promising, holistic cancer treatment modality.

In Silico Studies on Triterpenoid Saponins Permeation through the Blood–Brain Barrier Combined with Postmortem Research on the Brain Tissues of Mice Affected by Astragaloside IV Administration

“…In this study, triterpenoid saponins from the root of Astragalus mongholicus were tested. This root is commonly used in the traditional medicine of China and currently is among the 10 most used plant medicines in the world, especially in the treatment of cancer [90]. Even if frequently administered, Astragalus is mainly supplemented in the form of the total extract.…”

Bioactive C17 and C18 Acetylenic Oxylipins from Terrestrial Plants as Potential Lead Compounds for Anticancer Drug Development

“…Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels is also often used in traditional Chinese medicine for cancer treatment [158]. A bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of the roots of A. sinensis using a MTT-assay against the murine leukemia (L1210) and human leukemia (K562) cell lines resulted in the isolation of several cytotoxic constituents, including the acetylenic oxylipins falcarindiol (5) and the related C 18 acetate (99).…”

Phyto-Immunotherapy, a Complementary Therapeutic Option to Decrease Metastasis and Attack Breast Cancer Stem Cells

“…Our recent results are in line with a recent review showing that the antitumor effects of 10 Chinese plants and their bioactive compounds have immunostimulatory and cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cells, further reducing metastasis and improving the quality of life of patients. Among them are Angelica sinensis (AS, Dang Gui in Chinese), Panax notoginseng (PN, San Qi in Chinese), Scutellaria barbata and Oldenlandia diffusa, Licorice (Gan Cao in Chinese) and Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM, Dan Shen in Chinese) (100). All this suggests the presence of a complex network of cellular interactions, which should be analyzed taking into account multiple variables that so far do not seem to have been taken into account.…”