Therapeutic Actions
- Promotes hormonal health by promoting the body’s own production of enterolactone, which has been found to protect against developing tumors and cardiovascular disease
- Enterolactone reduces circulating estrogen, and blocks aromatase, binds to estrogen receptors and blocks estrogen activity in specific selected tissues, inhibits cancer cell growth and signaling. When estrogen levels decline, enterolactone levels may mimic the effects of estrogen, when estrogen levels are high, enterolactone occupies and blocks estrogen receptors
- Reduces hot flashes. May support bone health
- Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
Administration
Internal:
For hot flashes and for acute conditions use 2 capsules day.
Maintenance dosage: 1 capsule per day
90 capsules, 25mg, 90 day supply
Ingredient
A patented extract of
7-hydroxymatairesinol extracted from
Norway Spruce Trees (Picea abies)
Formula Rationale
Lignans are phyto-nutrients found in unrefined grain products, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Friendly intestinal bacteria converts plant lignans into human lignans such as enterolactone. When there are low estrogen levels in the body these weak lignan estrogens make up for some of the insufficiency. When estrogen from endogenous or exogenous sources is abundant, enterolactone reduces the activity of estrogen by occupying estrogen binding sites. As a result, plant lignans are thought to influence the development of breast, prostate, and colon cancers that depend on hormones to start and progress. Lignans also support cardiovascular health and help to moderate other estrogen dependant conditions such as menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis.
Case control studies in Finland found an inverse association between serum enterolactone and the risk of breast cancer both among pre-menopausal and postmenopausal women. These findings have been duplicated in case control studies in Australia and the UK. In a study conducted by the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, U.S.A, of 1,122 women with primary breast cancer, and 2,036 control subjects, that those with the highest dietary intake of lignans had a reduced breast cancer risk. Research has shown that enterolactone acts weakly on the physiological estrogen balance and offers a natural method for managing menopausal symptoms. In an eight week study, the equivalent to two capsules of NuLignan™ was found to increase enterolactone levels and significantly reduce hot flashes at week four, with further reductions at week eight. Additional studies suggest that lignans improve menopausal symptoms, and maintain cognitive function in postmenopausal women. Recent studies suggest a link between lignan consumption and bone reabsorption, and improved lipid profiles. Lignans are also thought to contribute to prostate health by inhibiting cancer cell growth and signaling.
NuLignan is a new generation, highly bioavailable lignan formula. It is the first direct enterolactone precursor supplement, standardized to 90 percent pure lignans as 7- hydroxymatairesinol. In addition, it is a strong antioxidant, and may help to modulate inflammatory reactions. Pharmacokinetic studies show that NuLignan is rapidly absorbed, elevates enterolactone concentration, and has an excellent safety profile.
Can Chinese Herbs Help Breast Cancer Patients?
By Andrew Gaeddert
At our clinic in Oakland, California, we see many cancer patients who incorporate herbal and nutritional therapy with standard biomedical approaches.
Case 1: Emily was a 51-year old woman diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago. In addition to undergoing surgery and chemotherapy she was on a number of alternative therapies including Co-Q-10 (100mg TID) and antioxidant vitamins. She had also been off and on the Hoxey formula. Despite these measures, her breasts were painful and felt hard. Her pulse was sinking and slow and her tongue was pale and moist with red dots. She was recommended to take Bupleurum Entangled Qi (bupleurum, tang-kuei, blue citrus, prunella, salvia, trichosanthes root, vaccaria, white peony, cyperus, ligusticum, fritillaria, dandelion, and red peony) and Regeneration Formula (kirin ginseng, tang-kuei, akebia fruit, sparganium, zedoaria, notoginseng, gentiana, scute, qin jiao, persica, moutan and white peony), two capsules of each formula QID, in addition to her existing protocol. Bupleurum Entangled Qi was recommended to increase blood circulation to the breast as well as to remove toxins.
Regeneration is a formula designed by Dr. Fung Fung based on his sixty years of practice. This formula is designed to increase blood circulation, remove toxins from the blood, and tonify blood and qi. Two weeks later Emily reported less breast pain. Her pulse was slightly better, and her tongue was normal with a yellow coating in the rear. She continued with the protocol for three months; the breast pain was eliminated.
Discussion: The Hoxey formula has been used for several decades in the U.S. as a general anticancer formula. High dosage Co-Q-10 has produced positive effects in certain cases of breast cancer. Antioxidants also are considered by many holistic professionals to be generally helpful for cancer patients.
Case 2: Bobbi was a forty-five year old woman diagnosed with breast cancer treated with surgery and currently undergoing aggressive chemotherapy. Her main symptoms were exhaustion, low blood cell counts, and nausea. Her pulse was slow, and her tongue was pale with a heavy yellow gray coating. We recommended Astra Essence (astragalus root and seed, ligustrum, ho-shou-wu, lycium fruit, rehmannia, eucommia, cuscuta, ginseng, tang-kuei, and cornus), 2 capsules QID and Quiet Digestion (poria, coix, shen chu, magnolia, angelica, pueraria, red atractylodes, saussurea, pogostemon, oryza, trichosanthes root, chrysanthemum, halloysite, citrus, and mentha), 2 capsules QID. The herbs were recommended to be taken between meals with ginger tea (one-third teaspoon of powered ginger in 8 oz. of boiled water).
After two weeks she reported feeling slightly better. Her pulse was unchanged, and her tongue had lost some of the coating. We recommended she increase her dosage of Astra Essence to 3 capsules QID and continue taking Quiet Digestion. Immediately following chemotherapy treatments she only used ginger tea and Quiet Digestion. After another three weeks, she had more energy, and the doctor had remarked that her blood work was better. As she was scheduled for stem cell replacement she was eager to build up her health as much as possible. She remained on the herbs for another month.
During the stem cell transplant process she was hospitalized, and for weeks afterwards she was so weak she could not take herbs. She eventually returned to the clinic. Her gait was much slower, and her complexion had a bluish-black tinge. She had been coughing: she had caught pneumonia after the procedure. She was gripping her stomach. At this point we recommended she take Quiet Digestion and Six Gentlemen formula (codonopsis, atractylodes, poria, baked licorice, citrus, pinellia, saussurea, and cardamon), 1-2 capsules of each formula QID with ginger tea.
After a month on this regimen, her digestive system had improved as well as her energy. However she was still very fatigued. At this point we recommended Quiet Digestion and Power Mushrooms (ganoderma , as known as reishi, tremella, poria, and polyporus), 2 TID to strongly supplement her immune system and treat fatigue. In addition we recommended she consume shiitake mushrooms in soup form several times a week to fortify her immune system. After another month she was starting to feel like herself. As her digestion was noticeably better, we recommend Power Mushroom 2 capsules and Astra Essence 3 capsules TID, with ginger tea; Quiet Digestion as needed. We recommended she stay on the herbs as long as possible.
Discussion: Following chemotherapy treatments, many patients are very nauseated and have poor digestive function. Therefore, tonic herbs may not be digestible, and this includes the medicinal mushrooms. As a result we recommended she use Quiet Digestion with ginger tea until nausea subsided. After the stem cell transplant, Bobbi was very weak. We recommended Power Mushrooms as it is thought to fortify the immune system and also seems to help with fatigue. Shiitake Mushrooms were recommended in soup form in order to get maximum dosage; it is unclear if it is effective in pill form.
Case 3: Sharon was a fifty-year old teacher with breast cancer. She was treated with both surgery and chemotherapy. She complained of hair loss, dry mouth, fatigue, low white blood cell count, and nausea following chemotherapy treatments. Her pulse was thin, and her tongue pale. We recommended Astra Essence and Marrow Plus (millettia, ho-shou-wu, salvia, codonopsis, astragalus, ligusticum, raw rehmannia, cooked rehmannia, lycium, tang-kuei, lotus seed, citrus, red date extract, oryza and gelatinum) two capsules of each formula QID. Immediately following chemotherapy treatments, we recommended Quiet Digestion (2 capsules as needed) with ginger tea. Astra Essence was recommended to tonify her body and to nourish her hair. Marrow Plus was for building up her blood. One week later she called and said she was having difficulty digesting the herbs. We suggested she take each dosage with one capsule of Quiet Digestion and to cut back on the dosage if necessary.
Upon her follow up one week later she seemed discouraged with her herbal therapy. We encouraged her to be patient that most patients take 3-4 weeks to respond; she could have also been discouraged with her condition. Her pulse and tongue were unchanged. Upon her follow up three weeks later, she still felt tired, however she was doing much more around the house, which cheered her up. She maintained on the herbs at the initial dosage for another month. Upon her return she reported feeling like a “new person”. She felt the herbs had reduced her fatigue and had helped her grow back a little hair. Her pulse and tongue had improved. She remained on the herbs for another month, at which point her medical doctor had remarked that her blood work had improved which made it possible for her to continue with the chemotherapy as scheduled. Sharon ended up taking the herbs for six months. She had recovered her energy and her hair.
Discussion: Marrow Plus was developed specifically to increase red blood cell and white blood cells, and has been used successfully by many patients as adjunctive therapy. Astra Essence is a general kidney tonic which tonifies yin, yang, Qi and blood. It contains he shou wu and supportive herbs to help re-grow hair. It is a principle in Chinese medicine to use kidney tonics, along with blood tonics in order to nourish the blood. Kidney tonics are also important for patients with cancer.
When recommending herbs, it is important to schedule follow up as often as possible. Because the herbs may not have instant effects, it is necessary to encourage patients to continue with their herbal regimen. Sometimes it is not evident to the patients how much improvement they are making. For example, prior to the herbs, Sharon spent most of her time in bed or in a chair. After taking the herbs for four weeks, she could do house work that she could not otherwise do, although she did not have as much energy as prior to her cancer diagnosis.
Case 4: Susie was a forty-seven year old woman currently on disability due to breast cancer diagnosed in the past six months. She had surgery and was treated with taxol. Her main symptoms were pain mainly in the shoulder and back and chest, extreme fatigue, painful periods, nausea, and headaches. Her pulses were wiry and thin. Her tongue was purple with a thin yellow coat the rear. She was recommended to take Bupleurum Entangled Qi and Regeneration (2 capsules of each formula QID). The herbs were selected to increase her circulation and detoxify her body and eliminate pain.
After three weeks there was a little change. When inquiring about her diet she mentioned she was a vegetarian whose diet consisted largely of green vegetables and vegetable and fruit juices. We urged her to increase her protein intake. Three weeks later she reported greater energy and less pain. Her pulse was no longer wiry and her tongue was not coated. We recommended that she continue on the herbal protocol and maintain the increased protein intake.
Susie is an ongoing client. Gradually over time we substituted Bupleurum Entangled Qi for Power Mushrooms (2 capsules QID) which incorporates immune strengthening medical mushrooms. We also suggested she consume Shiitake mushrooms in soup form. Discussion: Many cancer patients in the US suffer from malnutrition. It is essential that adequate protein be maintained. Power Mushrooms was substituted for Bupleurum Entangled Qi when the nausea and shoulder and neck tension was reduced, and her pulse was no longer wiry.