Washington, Apr 18 : A new Cochrane Systematic Review has found that using Chinese herbs either alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy may help protect a breast cancer patient’s bone marrow and immune system.

The review also found that it doing so also improves a woman’s overall quality of life.

As a part of the review, researchers identified seven randomised studies involving 542 patients with breast cancer to see whether Chinese medicinal herbs prescribed to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy, that include nausea, vomiting and fatigue, as well as inflammation of the gut lining, decreased numbers of red and white blood cells and decreased numbers of blood platelets, harm women undergoing the process.

Chinese medicinal herbs include mixtures of herbal compounds or extracts from herbs.

Sixty per cent of women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer experience a range of significant short term side effects.

By analysing these data, the researchers concluded that there was no evidence that the Chinese medicinal herbal treatment caused harm, and also some evidence that it might reduce side effects.

Assistant Professor Jing Li, who works at the Chinese Cochrane Centre in Chengdu, China, said that further trials were however needed before researchers could state with full confidence that traditional medicines cause no harm for women with breast cancer.

“Further trials are needed before the effects of traditional Chinese medicines for people with breast cancer can be evaluated with any real confidence,” said Li. (ANI)