Newsletter No. 384

4 No. 384, 4.10.2011 時 下流行所謂排毒，即是把人體內積聚的毒素排出， 以保健康。坊間的排毒產品和方法五花八門，眩人 耳目。究竟人體內的毒素從何而來？如何排走？中大生命 科學學院的 何永成 教授解釋說：「任何吃進肚子裏的東西 都有一些化學物質，毒與不毒視乎濃度和身體的吸收。吃 得太多，排洩速度慢，這些化學物質積聚下來，就是一般 所謂的『毒』，對健康有損。排毒的最好方法是生活要有 規律，飲食要有節制，還有多吃天然食物。加工的產品通 常有較多附加的化學物質，應盡量少吃。」 何永成補充說，肝臟是人體內負責去除毒素的器官，肝臟 受損或者功能弱，排毒效力減低，健康自然受到影響。他 早年在美國已經做防毒和排毒的研究，1994年加入中大， 自然繼續鑽研如何增強肝功能，以提升人體的排毒能力。 誰知卻走出另外一條路來。 當時何永成希望從天然的物質裏找到增強人體排毒功能 和減少毒素積聚的元素，他想到中藥源遠流長，不少奧妙 尚待發掘，從中應該會找到一個單一的活性分子有這樣的 功能。他翻查了大量中醫書籍和文獻，集中研究針對肝功 能的藥方，發現所有的方子都有甘草這一味。「其實中醫 也有『十方九草』的說法，」何永成說。「甘草有調和眾藥 的功效，是中藥裏非常重要的藥引，所以很多方子都有甘 草。」 儘管甘草是其中一種最多人研究的中草藥，何永成沒有放 棄，覺得可以從甘草開始。他首先從甘草提煉出不同活性 成分，然後在培育皿裏測試不同的肝癌細胞。他買了很多 肝腫瘤細胞，老鼠的和人的、乙型肝炎導致的，各種各樣， 逐一以在實驗室內製成的不同甘草提煉劑作試驗，觀察是 否有效。 「我們還挑選了多種中藥來提煉出活性成分，用作測試， 如蛇舌草、葉下珠、天山雪蓮、半枝蓮、黑芥子等等，有四 十多種，全部都是和肝功能有關的中草藥。起初進展很 慢，後來研究生多了，人手比較充足，進度加快，反覆實驗 之下，成果於是逐漸累積起來。」 在培育皿裏做出成績後，何永成的研究團隊開始用老鼠來 做實驗，幾經努力，得到令人非常鼓舞的結果：仙鶴草、穿 心蓮、龍膽草這三種中草藥的製劑對治療肝臟腫瘤非常有 效，而一種甘草精華則可對付前列腺腫瘤，這些都用老鼠 做過多次實驗，亦通過了毒性和機理測試。他們同時發現， 另一種甘草製劑對治療肝臟腫瘤也功效甚佳，不過未曾用 老鼠做過試驗，所以仍有待後續研究。 從研究排毒開始，到發現中草藥有望消滅腫瘤，何永成投 下了無窮的心血，對中草藥的研究也興趣愈來愈濃。除了 針對腫瘤的研究外，他還發現一種草藥製劑，已在老鼠身 上試驗出對胃潰瘍的顯著療效。何永成現在最大的願望 是有足夠的資助，把他的中草藥研究成果進行臨床試驗。 「幫助到病人，造福社會，是從事科學研究的最大收穫。」 D etoxification, which means the removal of toxic substances from the body for better health, is very much in fashion. The number of popular detox agents is overwhelming. Where do toxicities come from? How are they removed? Prof. John Ho Wing-shing of the CUHK School of Life Sciences, explains, ‘All foods we consume contain chemicals but how toxic they are depends on their concentration and absorption by the body. If too much is consumed, slowing down the speed of discharge, they accumulate and become what’s known as “toxicity” which is detrimental to health. The best way to detox is to be regular in habit, moderate in eating and drinking, and to consume more natural foods. Processed foods contain more chemicals and therefore should be avoided.’ Professor Ho adds that since the liver is the organ for the removal for toxicities, an injured or weak liver will affect the body’s ability to get rid of them. He began 但求靈藥起沈疴 ─ 中草藥與腫瘤 Antidote to Chronic Illness — Herbal Medications and Tumours 洞 明 集 doing research on the prevention and removal of toxic substances in the US. When he joined CUHK in 1994, he continued to study how to strengthen liver function in order to boost the body’s detox capabilities. But during the process, he made a new discovery. At the time, Professor Ho was looking for natural agents that would enhance the human body’s detox function and had thought that he should be able to find a singular active molecule in Chinese medicine, that treasure trove of medical knowledge with a long history. He went through a great number of books and documents in Chinese medicine, in particular, those on pharmaceutical formulae focusing on liver function, and found that they all contain the ingredient licorice root or Radix glycyrrhiza . Professor Ho explains, ‘There’s a saying that licorice root exists in nine out of ten formulae. It’s an important medicinal usher in Chinese medicine, having the effect of moderating other ingredients. That’s why it’s used so widely.’ The fact that licorice root is a much studied ingredient did not stop Professor Ho from embarking on his research. He extracted various active components from the plant, and tested them on different liver cancer cells in the laboratory. He had acquired many liver tumour cells, rats’ and humans’, those induced by hepatitis B, for use in testing the efficacy of licorice root extracts. ‘We extracted and did tests with active ingredients from a selection of 40 Chinese herbs related to liver function, including Hedyotis diffusa , Phyllanthus urinaria Linn , Scutellaria barbata D. Don , and what are commonly known as snow lotus herb and black mustard seed. Progress was slow at first but with more graduate students joining, it picked up. We did repeated tests, and results accumulated.’ After preliminary achievements in the Petri dish, Professor Ho and his team began doing tests on rats, and after much hard work, received encouraging results. They found that preparations made from Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb , Andrographis paniculata , and Radix gentianae are very effective in treating liver tumour, while a certain licorice root essence is good for combating prostatic tumour. These are substantiated through repeated tests on rats, and have passed toxicity and mechanism tests. They also observed that another licorice root preparation is effective on liver tumour, but it has yet to be tested on rats. From studying detoxification to the discovery that hope for removing tumours can be found in licorice root, Professor Ho has put in a lot of hard work; his interest in Chinese medicine research has also grown. Besides tumour research, he discovered that a licorice root preparation is shown to have an effect on stomach ulcers in rats. His greatest wish is to have the financial support to carry out clinical trials. ‘To be able to cure patients and do good to society is the most any scientist can ask for,’ he says. 本文內容有關醫學，但絕非向讀者提出醫療意見。讀者若根據 文章內容用藥或接受治療，其後果概與本文作者、編輯、出版 人及大學無關。 This article pertains to a medical subject but no medical advice to the reader is intended. Neither the writer, editor, publisher nor the University will accept any responsibility for liabilities arising from any action being taken by anyone on the basis of this arti- cle, including but not confined to the administration of drugs or undergoing treatment.