Assessment of effects of a formula used in the traditional Chinese medicine (Bu zhong Yi Qi Wan) on the morphologic and osmotic fragility of red blood cells
Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia
Bu zhong Yi Qi Wan is a combination of some medicinal herbs widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat blood, spleen and stomach disorders. Morphometric analysis and osmotic fragility assay have been used to evaluate changes on membrane integrity of red blood cells. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of an aqueous Bu Zhong Yi Qi pills extract on the morphology and osmotic fragility of red blood cells. Blood samples were treated with Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan extract, quantitative/qualitative morphological analysis and osmotic fragility assay were carried out against control groups treated with saline. The data obtained indicated no modification on morphology but osmotic fragility assay suggested a significant (p<0.05) increasing of hemolysis in red blood cells isolated from blood treated with aqueous Bu Zhong Yi Qi pills extract. In conclusion, the aqueous Bu Zhong Yi Qi pills extract could affect the membrane integrity decreasing the osmotic resistance but without altering the shape of red blood cells.

The restoration of the antitumor T cell response from stress-induced suppression using a traditional Chinese herbal medicine Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41:Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang)
Tieli Li, Koji Tamada, Koichiro Abe, Hitoshi Tada, Yasuhiro Onoe, Katsunori Tatsugami, Mamoru Harada, Chiharu Kubo and Kikuo Nomoto
Department of Immunology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University
Department of Virology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
We previously reported that restraint stress impairs the antitumor immune responses through its suppressive effect on the Th1-type cytokine production from CD4+ T cells. In this study, we investigated a potential of Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41:Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang) to restore stress-induced immunosuppression. The oral administration of Bu Zhong Yi Qi Pills was able to improve a decreased cellularity in the lymph node and spleen and to improve an inhibition of tumor-specific Th1-type cytokine production, both of which were induced by repeated restraint stress in tumor-bearing mice. The oral administration of TBu Zhong Yi Qi Pills also induced a partial recovery of the antitumor cytolytic activity in the stress-burdened tumor-bearing mice. More importantly, the growth of tumors in stress-burdened preimmunized mice was obviously inhibited by TJ-41, and resulted in tumor-free state in 75% of the mice. Regarding the mechanisms by which Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan restored the antitumor responses in stress-burdened mice, we found that the serum levels of corticosterone and interleukin-12 were normalized by Bu Zhong Yi Qi Pills. In addition, the expression of CD80 and CD86, which both decreased in the stress-burdened mice, was restored to the normal level by Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan. Taken together, our results indicate that the oral administration of Bu Zhong Yi Qi Pills is able to restore the antitumor T cell responses in stress-burdened tumor-bearing mice by normalizing the serum corticosterone, interleukin-12 and the expression of costimulatory molecules.

This is the page of Chinese medicine for fatique syndrome, you can buy Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan online here.