Taipei City Hospital

      According to the joint research by Taipei City Hospital and National Yang-Ming University (Institute of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine), Kuanxinyin, a Chinese herbal compound, can improve abnormal liver function. The research result was published in July 2013 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, an internationally well-known SCI journal.

      Doctors of traditional Chinese medicine said that many oral-taken antiviral medications and interferon are currently being used to reduce virus replication, lessen the inflammation of hepatic tissue, and decrease the occurrence of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer; however, they cannot completely eliminate HBV virus, and require long-term pharmacotherapy.

      Dr. Liu, Jiayou, the attending physician of traditional Chinese medicine, Linsen Chinese Medicine Branch, Taipei City Hospital, said that Kuanxinyin uses strengthening theory to help patients of hepatitis B to improve liver function, and to reduce serum virus. The compound comprises seven traditional Chinese herbs, including: Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes, Wolfiporia extensa and Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Chinese licorice).

      Linsen Chinese Medicine Branch received cases from February to December of 2011, and eventually had 57 patients completing the whole process. The tested patients were randomly assigned into two groups, one taking full-dose Kuanxinyin and the other taking 16 times-diluted Kuanxinyin as the control. Each patient took one sachet daily after dinner for six weeks.

      After six weeks of treatment, significant difference was shown between the two groups, with the full-dose Kuanxinyin group getting significant improvement in liver function, with 25% less GPT and 18% less GOT. The full-dose Kuanxinyin group also exhibited significant improvement in WHOQOL-BREF. Although the full-dose Kuanxinyin group had less HBV virus, the difference between two groups was not statistically significant.

      In addition, no side effects were detected in either group. The research results were published in July 2013 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, an internationally well-known SCI journal.