Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Hepatolenticular Degeneration, November 16, 1996

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Hepatolenticular Degeneration, November 16, 1996

Hepatolenticular degeneration (HLD) is a copper metabolism disorder, typically occurring between the ages of 30 and 40. Clinically, it manifests as disordered speech, drooling, tremors and clumsiness in the limbs, followed by muscle rigidity and torsional spasms. It is also accompanied by liver damage and cirrhosis, with bluish-green rings appearing at the corneal margin, known as Kayser-Fleischer rings. Serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels are the standard criteria for diagnosis. The herbal formula provided by Anhui College of Traditional Chinese Medicine includes: 6 g of rhubarb, 10 g of coptis, 10 g of scutellaria, 20 g of houttuynia, 20 g of banzhilian, 20 g of alisma, plus 300 mL of water, decocted and taken once daily.