How does Chinese medicine treat prostate cancer?

       The Chinese medicine has been aware of prostate cancer from the Warring States period to the Qin and Han dynasties, and many medical texts have been written about prostate cancer since then. In the Nei Jing, it is said that “when the righteousness exists within, the evil cannot dry up” and “where the evil comes together, its energy must be deficient”; in the Treatise on the Origin of Diseases, it is said that “all swellings are caused by wind, cold, heat and poisonous energy, which are in the meridians and make the blood astringent and inaccessible, so that the congestion becomes a swelling”. The treatise on the origin of diseases states that “swelling is caused by wind, cold, heat, and poisonous energy, which are all in the meridians, making the blood astringent and inaccessible, and the knots all become swellings.  The medical practitioners of different generations have explored the etiology and treatment of this disease from different perspectives and have gradually formed a complete system of treatment. It is believed that the development of prostate cancer is related to the dysfunction of the kidney, spleen, liver, bladder and other internal organs.  In the treatment, we insist on applying the principles of evidence-based treatment, focusing on the holistic concept and treating both the symptoms and the root cause, which can effectively prolong the survival period and improve the quality of life while alleviating the patients’ pain, fully reflecting the advantages of TCM.  Through years of clinical summary, we are currently researching the Chinese medicine “Astragalus Blue Capsule” for the treatment of prostate cancer. This formula consists of Astragalus, Gynostemma and Poria.  Modern pharmacological research shows that Astragalus has the ability to enhance human immunity, inhibit tumor angiogenesis, induce tumor cell apoptosis, enhance the efficacy of other anti-tumor drugs and estrogen-like effects, and can reduce the toxic side effects of chemotherapy drugs; gynostemma can block tumor cell mitosis, interfere with tumor cell DNA synthesis, and improve the ability to resist genetic mutation; Fu Ling has immunosuppressive, analgesic, diuretic, and anti-cancer effects. etc.  Some other drugs in the formula have a1 receptor blocker-like effect, can reduce the dynamic factors of urethral obstruction, relieve urinary symptoms, some can also inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and has anti-androgenic activity.