Herbal Extract of Traditional Medicine Works to Ease Lung Inflammation and Fibrosis, Early Study Reports
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A herbal extract derived from a product used in Korean traditional medicine may be a potential alternative treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a mouse study suggests.
The herbal extract was found to reduce inflammation and markers of lung fibrosis in a mouse model of PF and in lung fibroblasts collected from patients.
The study, “A standardized herbal extract PM014 ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β1 pathway,” was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Esbriet (pirfenidone, marketed by Genentech) and Ofev (nintedanib, marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim) are two FDA-approved therapies for IPF that can delay lung function decline.
“Unfortunately, these drugs have some serious potential side effects and neither of these drugs have been found to effectively reverse lung fibrosis,” the researchers wrote, emphasizing the need to develop new IPF therapies.
PM014 is a novel herb extract made from seven plant species and derived from Chung-Sang-Bo-Ha-Tang (CSBHT), an herbal product used for treating lung disorders in traditional Korean medicine.
Prior studies reported that the extract is able to ease inflammation in mouse models of chronic lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
A team led by researchers at the College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, in South Korea, investigated if PM014 could be of benefit to IPF. The team tested if the herbal extract could ease disease signs in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced PF, a widely used experimental model of the disease.
Results showed that oral, daily administration of PM014 after lung fibrosis onset suppressed inflammation and eased lung scarring (fibrosis) in a dose-dependent manner in the animals.
The treatment reduced the amount of inflammatory cells reaching the lungs, and lowered production of pro-inflammatory mediators, including transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, “one of the most potent inducers of fibrosis,” the researchers wrote.
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Importantly, the team also looked at the changes PM104 induced on lab cultures of lung epithelial cells and fibroblast cells taken from healthy donors and IPF patients.
Results showed that PM014 prevented cells from undergoing alterations crucial to the development of fibrotic lesions in the lungs, namely epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). During this process, epithelial cells transform into migratory or invasive mesenchymal cells; these cell, in turn, release proteins like collagen, which lead to the hardening and scarring of tissues.
Of note, PM014 inhibited the activation of lung fibroblasts from IPF donors, blocking their ability to migrate and produce collagen.
Data from this work suggest that “PM014 administration exerts a protective effect against lung fibrosis and highlight PM014 as a viable treatment option that may bring benefits to patients with IPF,” the team concluded.
Don H.
Where can this herbal be found and be purchased.
Ana Pena, PhD
Dear readers,
Thank you for reading and commenting on pulmonaryfibrosisnews. The herbal extract PM014 was only tested in mouse models of pulmonary fibrosis in this early, preclinical study. The specific herbal extract used was prepared by researchers in the laboratory to be used in their study. Therefore, to our knowledge, it is not commercially available.
Kind regards,
Ana Pena
Patricia Taylor
But I. The Korean article it states that these herbs have been used in Korea for years. So there must be some way of buying it from Korea
patrick wilkinson
When / how do we get PMO14 we need something now, anything is worth a try.
Peter Terry
Go to a Chinese or Korean Herbalist and see if they can figure it out. The names were all listed. There is also the name of the University in Korea. That's what I'm going to do.
Samuel Taylor
I'm an expat living in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City.
I go to see a Chinese/Korean Herblist I was taken there by Ace ( who translated for me ). Suffering from acute PF which I didn't know I had until I was diagnosed 2017. I couldn't find no western mediciene to help spending 100's at a time.
But... here in Ho Chi Minh City. I've been taking a capsules formulated especially for my condition. Takes 3 days to blend the formula.
10g morning. 5g afternoon. Not before bed time.
As your body must be active awake and moving even zombie moving is enough. Yes, a 5m walk is very difficult especially with the air in HCMC.
I'm now walking to the gym... Yes, the gym 5mins walk from my apartment.
Climbing stairs is no longer a struggle. Here's why?
There is a herb and it is Chung-Sang-Bo-Ha-Tang with 5 other herbal extracts to counter balance between themselves. I was told I maybe on his formula for the rest of my life. But he gave me a diet program and superfoods + herbal extracts with the cleanest water possible only.
My life since Feb 2019 has changed. I've never been so happy in such a long time.
His formula is obviously not on the market as it is a case by case scenario.
It cost me 2.5m vnd monthly, about 110usd.
Directions:
20g morning. 5g afternoon. Not before bed time. Filtered water only. After 12 weeks 10g morning. 5g afternoon for maintenance.
It taste so bad. But it is the best way. She told me if capsule or pill form it'll bypass the lungs completely. The formula must settle on the lungs for it to work but here's the thing and I believe it's the reason why the formula works. I have to take 5g in warm water of organic Cayenne Pepper 3mins before the formula, to heat up my lungs, for the to take effect. This i didn't know. I Google Cayenne Pepper for medicinal purposes and omg. She was spot on. I was amazed and blessed.
I hope my post helps. I know people around the world can't be where I am. But, I hope I can help too.
I'm sorry to say it is not an overnight sensation. Treatment must be 12 weeks then maintenance dosages. Pending on case by case.
I live permanently in HCMC as I'm very happy here and I go to see Dr. often and I'm always invited to eat her table.
Find a Eastern Herbalist in your country they will help.
Patricia Taylor
Yes, I have been searching for a Koreon supplement that can stop the production of collegan. Eastern natural medications are worth a try. I am on Eapiret, Which will hopefully slow down the disease, but so many of us are desperate for another life saver ASAP. We don’t know how long we have before our illness squeezes the life out of us.
Jim
Where can we get this herb? How come no one has answers to pressing questions?
Irene Hekking
Hello .
I m sure that you understand that now a lot of patients are
Interested to know how to bet this and where and if its avalable.
If not... its not fair according to me to give falso hope to us patients
Suffering from IPF.
Please let us all know the next steps please....
Elaine Applegate
Please let us know where to buy the PM014
Chris Hammelef
It is to be expected that reports such as these will raise hope in those of us suffering from this terrible disease. Regrettably, the reality is such that while there is great interest in medical advances many of those we read of will not be available for some time and therefore may only help those who will be diagnosed in the future.
There may be some small comfort in knowing that this disease will not long continue to devastate future lives.
Steven Dragoo
"One note - it blocks collagen - all or just in the lungs?
Ana Pena, PhD
Dear Steven,
Thank you for your comment. From the published study, it seems that researchers looked only to the collagen present at lung tissues, not to the collagen present in other organs or tissue types. This happened both in mice experiments and in experiments using human cells (lung fibroblasts taken from IPF patients). I hope this helped.
Kind regards,
Ana
Colleen Puniard
I’m frustrated by continually coming across ‘promising results’ only to find these results are applicable to mice! These false flags are not helpful. Well, not to me. At least they let us know that chemical companies and doctors are investigating and looking for a way to stop the fibrosis or slow it even more than the current medications.
Pat Penna
Where can I get this drug?
azmie, malaysia.
My wife is taking "Metformin", drug for diabetes. She is taking 500 mg ie try to slow down lung fibrosis. Hoping that the expert will come up with new drug not too expensive to save life. Better for the expert to provide us some drugs to use and finalise latter.
Kiran
Good morning
Is your wife taking Metformin specifically to slow down fibrosis?
Patricia Taylor
There must be a doctor we can contact in Korea to have this sent to Canada. I have heard of others getting western medicine send over
By mail or delivery
That clinic in States Erin says he has a recipe for it but I am not sure what is in his final products
We need to find a Korean doctor that will help us. I don’t believe you have to live there to get access to something they have been using on humans for years
How do we find these doctors to help?.