Huaier Granules

I、Origin of Huaier

Huaier is a natural fungus that grows on ancient Chinese sophora trees. It absorbs the essence of the trees and collects the rain and dew from heaven and earth to grow wildly. There are some confusing varieties of "Huaier" in folklore, but after extensive research and investigation, it has been clarified that the genuine Huaier is Trametes robiniophila Murr, which grows on the trunks of aged Chinese sophora trees. This was confirmed by Professor Zhao Jiding and others from the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Huaier belongs to the fungal kingdom, Fungi division, Basidiomycota subdivision, Hymenomycetes class, Aphyllophorales order, Polyporaceae family, Trametes genus. According to novelty searches, it is a medicinal fungus that has not been formally reported. Reviewing the ancient and modern herbal medicine literature, Huaier is described in detail in the Compendium of Materia Medica compiled during the Ming Dynasty. Its medicinal use was first recorded in Zhou Hou Fang (a collection of prescriptions for emergency treatments) and Tang Ben Cao (an herbal book from the Tang Dynasty). It has a bitter and pungent taste, is neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It has the effects of "dispelling wind," "breaking up blood stasis," and "enhancing vitality." Important herbal books during the Ming Dynasty also mention Huaier, but without images. However, it was not mentioned again in herbal books during the Qing Dynasty, and Huaier was forgotten. It was only re-included in the Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine published by Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2006.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective:

Enhancing Vitality: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that enhancing vitality means strengthening the qi to rectify the body, supporting and strengthening the vital energy of the five zang-organs and six fu-organs, and promoting the gradual recovery of weakened organ functions. When qi and blood are vigorous, and organ functions operate normally, it can resist pathogens (diseases) from entering the body. This is consistent with the modern medical concept of improving the immune system.

Breaking up Blood Stasis: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that qi leads blood, and blood is the house of qi. When qi flows, blood flows; when qi stagnates, blood stagnates. If qi does not generate blood, blood deficiency occurs; if blood does not transform into qi, qi deficiency occurs. Imbalances in qi and blood can lead to the development of tumors. The blood-stasis-breaking function of Huaier Granules is based on enhancing vitality, supplementing qi to promote blood circulation, and promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis. It supplements qi without causing stagnation and breaks up blood stasis without injuring qi, thereby achieving the purpose of strengthening the body's foundation, eliminating blood stasis, and treating both the symptoms and root causes of tumors. This is also the basic treatment method of traditional Chinese medicine in treating tumors. Although Huaier Granules only contain Huaier, it can encompass the general principles of treating tumors and has the dual properties of strengthening the body and fighting cancer.

II. Ingredient Analysis of Huaier

The main active ingredient is polysaccharide-protein (PS-T), which is a combination of a heteropolysaccharide consisting of 6 monosaccharides and a protein composed of 18 amino acids. PS-T is a brownish-yellow powder with no distinct melting point. It turns black at 280°C, is easily soluble in hot water, slightly soluble in low-concentration ethanol, and has a water solution pH of 5 to 6. It is non-optically active, with a total sugar content of 41.53%, moisture content of 8.72%, and a total amino acid content of 12.93% after hydrolysis. Its molecular weight is 30,000.

Through in-depth research conducted jointly by our Company and domestic authoritative research institutes, 4 monomers have been identified namely TP-1, TP-2, TP-3, and TP-4. These 4 monomers can all stimulate the proliferation of B cells in mice, but not T cells, and they all have significant inhibitory effects on the proliferation of tumor blood vessel endothelial cells. The mixed extract of Huaier can promote the proliferation of both T and B lymphocytes, indicating differences in the stimulation of T and B lymphocytes between the monomers and the mixed extract.

A national patent has been successfully applied and awarded.