During a group hike today,
a young lady and schoolmate mentioned her food allergy history. While off the
top of my head I recommended trying out jujube as a dietary ingredient,
I decided that this is a topic that worth a better account and understanding from
a holistic medicine perspective.
Allergy was a relatively
distant concept when I was growing up, but with
more modern developments in all areas of our lives, from genetically modified
plants to new chemical materials, skin allergies and seasonal allergies seemed
to become so prevalent nowadays and with the communication of goods across the
global village, it is no longer a regional problem. Over the recent years, I heard friends telling
me about their food allergy to seafoods, peanuts, fruits, and so on. Not surprising,
I was recently tested allergic reaction in the middle of acute cough – it was expected
based on my understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but the same
results might create false alerts or unnecessary panic to some folks who do not
understand it.
People suffering from
food allergies aren’t always aware that their symptoms are caused by the food
they are eating. It often can be more difficult to discover that a person is
allergic to a certain type of food, as opposed to discovering that a person is
allergic to a bee sting, for example. Some people suffering from food allergies
continue their day-to-day life with symptoms such as headaches or fatigue and
have no idea that their symptoms could be from food allergies.
Symptoms of food
allergies include: fatigue, hives, eczema, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea,
vomiting, nasal congestion, cough and asthma. Even more serious conditions
include: difficulty breathing, decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate,
dizziness, mental confusion, slurred speech, anxiety attack and cardiovascular
collapse, according to the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (AAAOM).
Many herbalists consider
two major systems when dealing with allergies – the immune system and
adrenal-stress handling system. These two systems are under great pressure due
to environmental changes. The fast pace of modern living and working may have
an adverse effect on these systems, as well.
There are many natural
ways to nourish the immune system and lessen the impact of stress on the body’s
systems: meditation, walking, breathing exercises, a diet of whole, organic
foods and a network of loving relationships.
Traditional Chinese
Medicine, one of the oldest medical practices in the world, which has benefited
patients for several thousands of years in China, 1500+ years for patients in Japan and 1300 years in Korea, is focused on finding the source of the problem and treating the
underlying imbalance that produces the symptoms of the food allergy. It can
reduce the body’s negative reaction to foods, support the functioning of the
internal organs and improve the immune system.
A study published in
2002 reported a 95% effective rate when using Chinese medicine to treat 20
patients suffering from food allergies. The patients, all between six and 67
years old, complained of food allergy gastritis after eating certain food. They
were each given a daily formula consisting of prepared Chinese herbs. In
result, 14 patients were considered cured, and five patients improved.
During another study conducted in
the US in 2014, an herbal formula using mixture of herbs described in TCM herbal
classics has shown to be highly effective in providing long-term protection against
peanut-induced anaphylaxis, with a high safety margin.
Wu Mei Wan, or Mume Pills, classical 10-herb formula, was the basis for
the development of an herbal formula for food allergies. This formula is known
to effectively treat intestinal parasite infections and gastrointestinal
disorders with symptoms similar to food allergy and gastroenteritis.
Ling Zhi (Ganoderma
Lucidum), a herb known to have significant anti-inflammatory and
anti-allergy effects, was added, and this 11-herb formula was named food
allergy herbal formula-1 (FAHF-1).
Subsequently, two herbs
(Xi Xin [Herba cum radice asari] and Zhi Fu Zi [Radix lateralis aconiti
carmichaeli praeparata]) that may be potentially toxic if improperly processed
were removed. This final 9-herb formula was named food allergy herbal formula-2
(FAHF-2); the herbal constituents are shown in Table 1 below.
Although FAHF-2 is
called a new herbal name, all herbs in it have a long history of human use and
are widely used today in China, Japan, and Korea and are also currently
marketed in the United States. Clinical studies have demonstrated the beneficial
effects of Wu Mei Wan with or without modification on various
diseases, including gastroenteritis and asthma, and no adverse effects were
reported.
Ling Zhi has been shown to be beneficial for several chronic inflammatory
conditions, including chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, and allergic
rhinitis.
Other Preclinical Studies of Potential Herbal Medicine Therapies
for Food Allergy
Kakkonto
Kakkonto is a Japanese-Chinese herbal formula composed of seven
medicinal plants (based on Kampo medicine). Yamamoto et al. tested the effect of kakkonto in a murine
model of food allergy (ovalbumin [OVA]) with gastrointestinal symptoms.
Kakkonto treated mice had a significant reduction in OVA-induced diarrhea.
Although no difference in OVA-specific IgE levels were observed between mice
receiving kakkonto and untreated mice, the number of mucosal mast cells was
reduced in the proximal colons of mice that received kakkonto.
Qian Cao (Rubia cordifolia) and
Qu Mai (Dianthus
superbus) Extracts
Seventy herbal extracts were tested for their ability to reduce
IgE secretion by the human B-cell line (U266).
Rubia cordifolia and Dianthus
superbus extracts potently inhibited IgE production in vitro in a
non-toxic manner. Potential effects of both extracts were then tested in a
murine model of peanut-induced anaphylaxis. Both extracts reduced
peanut-specific IgE levels in a dose-dependent manner, but not peanut specific
IgG1 levels. Rubia cordifolia and Dianthus
superbus treated mice also exhibited significantly lower anaphylaxis
symptom scores and reduced plasma histamine levels following peanut challenge.
Chinese medicine sees
the body as interacting organ systems, and also as a system of energy pathways
that connect all parts of the body. Deficiencies or disharmonies in the
organs can be the basis of multiple food allergies.
The most obvious way to
avoid an allergic reaction to food would be to take that type of food out of a
person’s diet. But, if a person is allergic to many different kinds of
foods, it can be impossible to stop eating everything he or she is allergic to.
Therefore, the Chinese medicine approach
is to make it possible for the body to respond normally to these foods instead
of completely cutting these foods out of a person’s diet. According to a
practitioner and professor of Allergy and Immunology at Mount Sinai Medical
Center, most food allergic patients are asymptomatic, averaging fewer than one
accidental reaction per year.
A Chinese medicine practitioner will select acupuncture points and herbal formulas that support the functioning of the organs, dispersing unhealthy excess patterns and nourishing deficiencies. Chinese medicine is a safe and effective way of treating food allergies. We will touch on TCM view and treatments for other kinds of allergies in the future blog posts.
References:
Allergy Treatment Spotlight:
Chinese Herbal Allergy Remedies https://foodallergycanada.ca/2017/11/allergy-treatment-spotlight-chinese-herbal-allergy-remedies/
Bensky D, Gamble
A. Materia medica. Seattle: Eastland Press; 1993. Chinese herbal
medicine.
Chinese
Herbal Therapy for the Treatment of Food Allergy https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4276304/
www.nccam.nih.gov/health/backgrounds/wholemed.htm
Chinese Herbal Medicine for
the Treatment of Allergic Diseases
Chinese Herbal Medicine
to Treat Allergic Rhinitis: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5705481/
Chinese medicine used to
treat food allergies https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2014/07/08/chinese-medicine-used-treat-food-allergies
Excuse
Me, Is this Allergen Free
https://www.slideshare.net/NCANA/excuse-me-is-this-allergen-free
He FH, Wu WP. Clinical application of Wu-Mei-Wan. Zhong Gui Yi Yao Xue Ba. 2004;19:748–50.
Hu KM, He YM.
Correlation between complex prescription with lucidum ganoderma in treating
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Huang KC. The pharmacology of Chinese herbs. 2. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 1999. pp. 118–20.
Lopez-Exposito I,
Castillo A, Yang N, et al. Chinese herbal extracts of Rubia cordifolia and
Dianthus superbus suppress IgE production and prevent peanut-induced
anaphylaxis. Chin Med. 2011;6:35.[PMC free article] [PubMed]
Tasaka K, Akagi M,
Miyoshi K, et al. Anti-allergic constituents in the culture medium of Ganoderma
lucidum. (I). Inhibitory effect of oleic acid on histamine release. Agents
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Wen MC, Teper A, Srivistava KD, et al. Immunology of T cells by the Chinese herbal medicine Ling Zhi (gandoderma lucidum) J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003;111:S320.
Wind Dispersing Powder. http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/exam/formulai1.html
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Zhang Xin-Cheng, et al.
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