2.3.4 Heat-Clearing and Detoxifying Method

2.3.4 Heat-Clearing and Detoxifying Method

In Xuan Jushi's "Wei Ji Bao Shu: Anti-Cancer and Metastasis Prevention Decoction—Chapter on Five Types of Boils," it is recorded: "Firstly, there is cancer. At the onset of cancer, there are no obvious symptoms; only local warmth and pain. After one or two weeks, the area suddenly turns purplish-red and slightly swollen, gradually becoming softer and more tender, yet without rupture. It is advisable to use Da Che Ao San to remove it... For severe diseases, use potent medicines—this is what is meant by 'fighting poison with poison'." This passage not only introduces the concept of cancer but also provides detailed descriptions of its clinical features and treatment methods. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that heat-clearing and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines possess anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-tumor, and immune-enhancing functions[14]. Yao Shukun et al.[15–18] have demonstrated through extensive experimental research that the Liver-Qi Stasis-Resolving Formula (containing hemibacillus, hedyotis diffusa, sparganium, curcuma, astragalus) can effectively prevent and treat liver cancer, with its mechanism involving the suppression of excessive bcl-2 and H-ras gene expression and the reduction of VEGF mRNA levels in liver cancer cells, thereby inhibiting angiogenesis.

3 Modern Medical Understanding of Liver Cancer

Primary liver cancer refers to malignant tumors arising from hepatocytes or intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells. Its incidence has been increasing globally year by year, currently exceeding 626,000 cases per year. China is a high-incidence region for liver cancer, accounting for approximately 55% of global cases, and ranking second among tumor-related deaths. This disease predominantly affects middle-aged men, with a male-to-female ratio of 2–5:1[19].