Jinshui Huanxian formula for PF

Hello Romola,

Not only should you not, ideally, seek out treatment based on studies in Chinese Medicine, you shouldn’t take untailored formulas for something so significant as pulmonary fibrosis.

I believe one of the studies you are referencing is “A Chinese Herbal Formula Ameliorates Pulmonary Fibrosis by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress via Upregulating Nrf2”. Where they conclude that “This study indicated that JHF performed remarkably therapeutic and long-term effects on PF in rat and suppressed the differentiation of fibroblast into myofibroblast in MRC-5 cell through reducing the oxidative response by restoring the balance of Nrf2–NOX4. This work might present the details about anti-PF mechanisms of JHF and provide the basis for its widely clinical use.”

Now as good as that may sound to a layperson, Chinese Medicine is generally most effective when tailored directly to the individual based on their Chinese Medicine diagnosis (not their western symptoms/conditions) and then the formulation will likely change with them as they improve/change to best account for what exactly the body needs. There are many other formulas which have also shown positive affects on pulmonary fibrosis (and related lung inflammatory conditions) such as bu zhong yi qi wan (study w/japanese name), yu ping feng wan (study), etc. For more on the importance of proper tailoring I suggest you read (“treating the cause vs. the symptoms” and “how to choose a formula”). - but most importantly I suggest you both find and work closely with a fully trained practitioner of Chinese Medicine who practices both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Chinese Medicine, simply put, is not a linear medicine like western medicine and using it as such will often lead to poor results or worse.

As for the formula in question that is a proprietary formula made by the Beijing Lianxin Pharmaceutical Company. An herbalist with access to a raw herbal pharmacy would likely be able to contact the company themselves or the authors of the study directly and possibly get the exact formulation used. But again, that doesn’t mean it is correct for you, just because you have PF.