1 Introduction to Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill

1 Introduction to Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill

1.1 Theoretical Basis for the Composition of Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill in Treating Primary Liver Cancer

Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill is a specialized formula developed by my mentor, Professor Pei Zhengxue, a renowned expert in integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, based on his dedicated clinical practice and continuous refinement of the "Liver Cancer Formula" [1]. This formula integrates tonifying the vital energy and consolidating the root, breaking blood stasis and removing obstructions, soothing the liver and regulating qi, clearing heat and detoxifying, as well as softening hard masses and dispersing nodules. Over several decades of clinical application in treating liver cancer, it has demonstrated remarkable efficacy, not only extending patients' lives but also improving their quality of life.

Professor Pei believes that the human body is an organic whole, and the occurrence and development of liver cancer are caused by imbalances in qi and blood, yin and yang, and organ functions. As stated in the "Inner Canon": "When joy and anger are not properly regulated... or when cold and heat are out of season, pathogenic factors prevail and accumulate," meaning that when pathogenic factors gather, the body's qi must be deficient. Therefore, if one is exposed to external pathogens and suffers from internal emotional disturbances, it is easy for the liver to lose its smooth flow and proper drainage. According to "On Blood Disorders": "The liver belongs to wood; when the wood qi flows smoothly and unobstructed, blood circulation remains unimpeded." If the liver qi is stagnant and the qi mechanism is blocked, chest and flank distension and pain occur; prolonged qi stagnation leads to blood stasis, forming blood clots. Moreover, since the liver controls the spleen, and the spleen is responsible for transportation and transformation, dampness accumulates and phlegm forms. Phlegm and blood stasis combine over time, gradually forming tumor masses. When the liver and spleen are damaged, appetite decreases, food intake reduces, and stools become loose. With spleen deficiency affecting digestion, phlegm-dampness and water retention accumulate internally, eventually turning into heat, leading to damp-heat accumulation and jaundice, manifested as abdominal distension and yellowing of the skin. Prolonged accumulation can easily harm the lungs and kidneys, depleting qi and blood, disrupting organ function, and damaging both yin and yang. At the same time, symptoms such as emaciation, fatigue, dull complexion, shortness of breath, and palpitations often appear. Furthermore, pathological products like dampness and stasis create a vicious cycle, further depleting vital energy. In summary, the disease resides in the liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. By focusing on the primary contradictions—spleen deficiency and kidney deficiency—and strengthening the spleen and kidneys to enhance the body's vital energy, while simultaneously regulating qi, softening hard masses, eliminating dampness, and promoting blood circulation, we can achieve the goal of treating liver cancer. After more than forty years of painstaking research and clinical practice, my mentor formulated Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill, which has shown significant clinical effectiveness.

1.2 Explanation of Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill

The composition of Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill includes: Salvia miltiorrhiza, Astragalus membranaceus, turtle plastron, pangolin scales, Bupleurum chinense, Citrus aurantium, Scutellaria baicalensis, Hedyotis diffusa, Sparganium stoloniferum, Curcuma wenyujin, Laminaria japonica, and Sargassum fusiforme, among others.

Among these ingredients, Astragalus replenishes qi, and Salvia nourishes blood. These two herbs primarily serve to tonify qi and blood, reinforcing vital energy and consolidating the root, as stated in "Treasury of Health Preservation": "Nourishing the righteous qi naturally eliminates accumulation, making true qi robust and stomach qi strong, thus naturally dissipating accumulation." Sparganium, Curcuma, Laminaria, Sargassum, pangolin scales, and turtle plastron act as powerful agents to break up masses, dissolve tumors, soften hard nodules, and disperse obstructions, serving as auxiliary medicines. Since the liver's nature is to flow freely and drain smoothly, any tumor or mass in the body requires the liver's free flow and smooth drainage to be dispersed. Bupleurum and Citrus aurantium fulfill this role as guiding and facilitating agents. Hedyotis diffusa and Scutellaria baicalensis are both clearing heat and detoxifying herbs.

Overall, the formula combines attacking and supporting, dissolving and dispersing, achieving the effects of tonifying qi and blood, softening hard masses and dispersing nodules, promoting blood circulation and removing stasis, clearing heat and detoxifying, reinforcing the righteous qi without leaving pathogenic factors behind, and eliminating pathogenic factors without harming the righteous qi—thus addressing both the root and the symptoms.

1.3 Practical Significance of Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill

Primary liver cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Modern treatments typically involve surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, but these methods have significant side effects and severely impact patients' quality of life, with a five-year survival rate remaining very low. My mentor, Professor Pei Zhengxue, a renowned integrative medicine practitioner, proposed the sixteen-character guideline of "Western diagnosis, TCM differentiation, TCM as the mainstay, Western medicine as the adjunct" many years ago. This approach emphasizes accurate diagnosis as the foundation, focuses on treating the root cause of the disease, and then applies tailored formulas and medications based on syndrome differentiation to treat liver cancer specifically. This targeted treatment, combined with surgical, radiation, and interventional therapies, effectively integrates the strengths of traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine, elevating the theory and practice of integrated TCM-Western medicine treatment for liver cancer to a new level. Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill is one of the proven anti-tumor formulas developed through my mentor's many years of clinical experience. This formula has been used clinically for over thirty years to treat tumors, and clinical evidence shows it is also effective against gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, and other malignancies. Statistics indicate that it has cured 15 cases of liver cancer and 5 cases of gastric cancer, and has treated tens of thousands of patients both within and outside the province. Its clinical efficacy has been recognized by clinicians and patients alike, earning it high acclaim domestically and internationally. The pill focuses on overall regulation of the body, enhancing immune function—a principle emphasized in traditional Chinese medicine as "strengthening the righteous qi to eliminate accumulation and consolidate the root"—which shares similarities with molecular biology, immunology, and genetics [10]. Given the remarkable efficacy of Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill, numerous molecular-level studies have been conducted on it, but research on angiogenesis remains limited. This experiment aims to establish an H22 tumor-bearing mouse model to investigate the effects of Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Plaque Pill on Ang-2 expression in H22 tumor tissues and serum IL-12 levels, thereby exploring the pill's anti-tumor mechanisms from the perspective of inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.