Proven Lung Cancer Formula — National Master TCM Practitioner Zhou Zhongying
8. Proven Lung Cancer Formula — National Master TCM Practitioner Zhou Zhongying
Zhou Zhongying, first cohort National Master of TCM, professor and doctoral supervisor at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. From a TCM family.
Pathomechanism
The basic pathomechanism of lung cancer is cancer-toxin obstructing the lungs, phlegm-stasis mutual binding, qi-yin dual deficiency. Cancer-toxin invades internally, accumulates in the lungs, lungs fail to ventilate and descend, body fluids coagulate into phlegm, blood flow impairs forming stasis, phlegm-stasis and cancer-toxin mutually bind, forming masses over time. Cancer-toxin consumes qi and yin; lung qi deficiency means ventilating-descending dysfunction; lung yin deficiency means dry-heat generated internally; chronic cough damaging collaterals presents as blood-streaked phlegm; yin deficiency with fire exuberant presents as low-grade fever and night sweats. Root deficiency and branch excess mutually cause and effect, forming a vicious cycle.
Formula Composition
Composition: Processed Turtle Shell 10g, Anemarrhena 10g, Processed Silkworm 10g, Raw Pollen Typhae 10g (bag decoction), Cynanche 10g, Cnidium 10g, Asparagus 12g, Ophiopogon 12g, Adenophora 12g, Glehnia 12g, Ligustrum 12g, Taimaiko 12g, Lycium 12g, Sophora 12g, Codonopsis 15g, Agrimony 15g, Eclipta 15g, Golden Raspberry (Jinqiaomai) 20g, Processed Centipede 2 pieces
Efficacy: Clears the lungs and transforms phlegm, tonifies qi and nourishes yin, removes pathogens and supports anti-cancer
Primary Application: Lung cancer (pattern of qi-yin dual deficiency, cancer-toxin phlegm-stasis lung obstruction)
Codonopsis, Adenophora and Glehnia, Asparagus and Ophiopogon tonify lung qi and nourish lung yin; Ligustrum and Eclipta (Erzhi Wan) nourish liver-kidney yin; Lycium tonifies liver-kidney and benefits essence-blood; Anemarrhena clears deficiency heat; Processed Turtle Shell nourishes yin, anchors yang, softens hardness, scatters nodules — this group supports healthy qi and consolidates the root. The heat-clearing toxin-resolving anti-cancer group uses Cnidium, Sophora, and Golden Raspberry to clear lung heat-toxin, support anti-tumor and mass resolution. The phlegm-transforming nodule-scattering group uses Cynanche and Taimaiko to transform phlegm, scatter nodules, and reduce swelling. The stasis-resolving collateral-searching group uses Processed Silkworm to transform phlegm, scatter nodules, and unblock collaterals; Raw Pollen Typhae to invigorate blood, resolve stasis, and stop bleeding; Processed Centipede to search out collateral pathogens and attack toxin with toxin. Agrimony stops bleeding and tonifies deficiency, astringes and calms coughing. Four herb groups simultaneously attack and tonify; yin-nourishing does not harbor the pathogen, toxin-attacking does not damage healthy qi.
| Herb Group | Herb Dosage | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Tonify Qi & Nourish Yin | Codonopsis 15g, Adenophora 12g, Glehnia 12g, Asparagus 12g, Ophiopogon 12g | Tonifies lung qi, nourishes lung yin, generates fluids and moistens dryness; supports healthy qi to drive out pathogens |
| Nourish Yin & Anchor Yang | Processed Turtle Shell 10g, Anemarrhena 10g, Ligustrum 12g, Eclipta 15g, Lycium 12g | Nourishes yin and clears heat, softens hardness and scatters nodules; tonifies liver-kidney yin to nourish water and contain wood |
| Clear Heat & Resolve Toxin | Cnidium 10g, Sophora 12g, Golden Raspberry 20g | Clears and drains lung heat-toxin, supports anti-tumor and mass resolution |
| Transform Phlegm & Scatter Nodules | Cynanche 10g, Taimaiko 12g | Transforms phlegm and scatters nodules, resolves lung phlegm-stasis masses |
| Resolve Stasis & Search Out | Processed Silkworm 10g, Raw Pollen Typhae 10g (bag decoction), Processed Centipede 2 pieces | Insect herbs search out collateral pathogens, invigorate blood and resolve stasis to stop bleeding, attack toxin with toxin to resolve masses |
| Stop Bleeding & Tonify Deficiency | Agrimony 15g | Astringes and stops bleeding, tonifies deficiency and strengthens the pulse |
Processed Turtle Shell combined with Anemarrhena nourishes yin, clears heat, softens hardness, and scatters nodules — a commonly used herb pair in Elder Zhou’s lung cancer treatment. Turtle Shell is salty and cold, entering liver and spleen; it both nourishes yin and softens hardness, one herb with two uses. Ligustrum paired with Eclipta forms Erzhi Wan, tonifying liver-kidney yin, borrowing the “metal-water mutual generation” principle, treating lungs and kidneys simultaneously. Insect herbs Processed Centipede and Processed Silkworm search out collateral pathogens, transform phlegm, scatter nodules; Elder Zhou considers that deeply fixed cancer-toxin and stubborn phlegm-stasis binding require the penetrating moving nature of insect herbs to search out. Raw Pollen Typhae in bag decoction invigorates blood and resolves stasis while stopping bleeding, especially suitable for blood-streaked phlegm. Golden Raspberry is dosed at 20g, the heaviest in the heat-clearing toxin-resolving group; combined with Cnidium and Sophora, jointly accomplishes lung-clearing anti-cancer effects.
Modifications by Pattern
| Combined Pattern | Modification Herbs | Therapeutic Intent |
|---|---|---|
| Severe qi deficiency | Add Astragalus 20g, Codonopsis (Dangshen) 15g | Tonifies spleen-lung qi, nourishes earth to generate metal |
| Yin deficiency with fire exuberant | Add Lily Bulb 15g, Raw Rehmannia 15g, Scophularia 12g | Nourish yin and clear fire, moisten the lungs and generate fluids |
| Severe cough with excess phlegm | Add Apricot Kernel 10g, Platycodon 6g, Processed Pinellia 10g | Ventilate the lungs and descend qi, transform phlegm and calm coughing |
| Blood-streaked phlegm | Add Bletilla 10g, Notoginseng Powder 3g (taken in liquid), Rubia 12g | Astringe and stop bleeding, invigorate blood and generate tissue |
| Marked chest pain | Add Corydalis 12g, Sandalwood 6g, Curcuma 10g | Invigorate blood and move qi, resolve stasis and stop pain |
| Pleural effusion with fullness | Add Lobelia 10g, White Mulberry Bark 12g, Polyporus 15g | Drain the lungs and promote urination, expel fluid and reduce edema |
| Stubborn phlegm-stasis binding | Add Processed Pangolin Scale 6g, Ground Beetle 10g | Insect herb searching out, break stasis and resolve masses |
V. Comparison with Deng Tietao’s Lung Cancer Formula
Both Zhou Zhongying’s and Deng Tietao’s formulas treat lung cancer qi-yin dual deficiency, but each emphasizes differently. Zhou’s formula uses Turtle Shell and Erzhi Wan to nourish yin and anchor yang, combined with Centipede and Silkworm insect herbs for searching out, emphasizing yin-deficiency fire-exuberant and deeply fixed phlegm-stasis types; Deng’s formula uses Hedyotis, Gouteng, Houttuynia, and Cynanchum for heat-clearing toxin-resolving, emphasizing severe heat-toxin types. Both formulas contain Adenophora and Glehnia, Codonopsis, Asparagus and Ophiopogon, Taimaiko, Cynanche, Agrimony, Silkworm, and other herbs — the core structure is the same, but Zhou’s formula has stronger yin-nourishing power, while Deng’s formula has stronger heat-clearing power.
| Comparison Dimension | Zhou Zhongying Lung Cancer Formula | Deng Tietao Lung Cancer Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Core Pairing | Turtle Shell, Erzhi Wan yin-nourishing + Centipede, Silkworm searching out | Hedyotis, Houttuynia heat-clearing + Taimaiko, Cynanche phlegm-transforming |
| Emphasized Pathomechanism | Qi-yin dual deficiency, cancer-toxin phlegm-stasis deeply fixed in collaterals | Qi-yin dual damage, heat-toxin phlegm-stasis obstructing lung collaterals |
| Suitable Pattern | Lung cancer qi-yin dual deficiency, yin-deficiency fire-exuberant predominant | Lung cancer severe heat-toxin, phlegm-stasis lung obstruction predominant |
| Differentiation Key Point | Five-heart heat, night sweats, red tongue with little coating | Sticky yellow phlegm, low-grade fever with dry mouth, yellow greasy tongue coating |
Summary
Zhou Zhongying’s lung cancer formula simultaneously applies four methods: qi-tonifying yin-nourishing to support healthy qi, heat-clearing toxin-resolving for anti-cancer, phlegm-transforming nodule-scattering to remove pathogens, insect herb searching out to unblock collaterals. Suitable for lung cancer of the qi-yin dual deficiency, cancer-toxin phlegm-stasis lung obstruction type. Using yin-nourishing hardening-softening together with insect herb searching out: tonification does not harbor the pathogen, attack does not damage healthy qi.
References:
[1] Shang Huaihai, Cao Shihua, Feng Shangcai. Famous and Proven Formulas for Tumor Treatment. People’s Medical Publishing House
[2] Chen Siqing. National Master TCM Zhou Zhongying’s Strategy for Differentiating and Treating Difficult Diseases. People’s Medical Publishing House
[3] Zhou Zhongying. Zhou Zhongying Medical Cases Collection · Tumor Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Experience
[4] Zhou Zhongying. Cancer-Toxin Theory and Malignant Tumor Differentiation and Treatment. Chinese Journal of TCM