“Integrating Traditional East Asian Medicine Dietary and Herbal Therapies for Supporting Cancer Treatment and Survivorship in the West,”published in Perspectives on Integrative Medicine (2025), provides a detailed exploration of how traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) can support cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. This retrospective study, based on two case reports, highlights the potential of TEAM dietary therapy (DT) and herbal therapy (HT) to manage side effects, enhance quality of life and support survivorship in Western integrative oncology settings.
This article and its two case reports show that it is possible to integrate both Western medicine and traditional East Asian medicine to safely and effectively treat patients with cancer as they go through chemotherapy and radiation.
Symptom Management
TEAM DT and HT focus on restoring balance and strengthening the body, offering a complementary approach to the aggressive nature of chemotherapy and radiation. For the 84-year-old patient, a warm, cooked diet with traditional Chinese foods like congee and chicken soup, enriched with herbs such as ren shen (Radix et Rhizoma ginseng) and Huang Qi (Radix astragali), led to a 3.2 kg weight gain and healed foot ulcers within a month.
For the 65-year-old with insomnia from endocrine therapy, Suan Zao Ren Tang (Sour Jujube Decoction), abbreviated as SZRT, improved sleep quality, allowing her to discontinue its use after four months while maintaining restful sleep.
Integration With Conventional Cancer Care
TEAM can enhance conventional cancer treatments by mitigating side effects. The 84-year-old patient discontinued immunotherapy due to severe side effects, but experienced symptom relief with TEAM, while the 65-year-old continued letrozole and abemaciclib alongside SZRT without interference. This suggests a potential synergistic effect, though further research is needed.
Background and Principles
TEAM, encompassing practices from China, Japan, Korea, and other East Asian cultures, has been utilized for over 2,500 years. It emphasizes balance, nourishment, and resilience, contrasting with Western medicine’s focus on tumor eradication through surgery, radiation, and systemic therapies.
In Asia, patients often receive both modern treatments and TEAM, with dedicated departments in many hospitals. In the West, where TEAM is gaining traction, DT and HT are increasingly explored to reduce chemotherapy and radiation side effects, aid postsurgical recovery, palliate symptoms, and address survivorship challenges.
Advanced scientific research suggests molecular mechanisms, such as modulating the tumor microenvironment and enhancing the host microbiome, underlie TEAM’s chemopreventive and therapeutic effects.
The Case Reports
Case 1: 84-Year-Old Woman With Stage 4 Bladder and Kidney Cancer: This patient discontinued pembrolizumab due to severe side effects, presenting with fatigue, weight loss (45 kg), foot ulcers, and poor sleep. TEAM intervention began in early November 2025 with a transition from a raw plant-based diet to a warm, cooked, anti-inflammatory diet aligned with TEAM principles.
Foods included congee, millet, red and black rice, legumes, pumpkin, burdock, and organic chicken soup with herbs like ren shen (Radix et Rhizoma ginseng), huang qi (Radix astragali), ling zhi (Ganoderma), gou qi zi (Fructus lycii) and da zao (Fructus jujubae). These were chosen to tonify qi, support immune function and improve energy.
Herbal formulas Sheng Mai San (Generate the Pulse Powder) and Yu Ping Feng San (Jade Windscreen Powder) were used to nourish yin, support heart-lung function and strengthen wei (defensive) qi.
Outcomes were remarkable: within one month, her weight increased to 48 kg, foot ulcers healed, and she progressed from a wheelchair to a walker. Sleep and mobility improved, and despite a minor cervical fracture, she continued to thrive with conservative management.
The patient and her daughter valued the culturally sensitive approach, which provided emotional comfort and hope, enhancing adherence. The patient passed away nine months after diagnosis, but the family expressed gratitude for the dignified end-of-life experience.
Case 2: 65-Year-Old Woman With Metastatic Breast Cancer: Diagnosed with ER+/PR+ invasive ductal carcinoma in 2014, this patient underwent lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple endocrine therapies. In 2024, with recurrent metastatic disease, she was treated with letrozole, abemaciclib and zoledronic acid, experiencing endocrine therapy-related insomnia.
TEAM intervention included twice-daily administration of SZRT, alongside a comprehensive sleep support plan (yoga nidra, meditation, acupuncture, magnesium glycinate, and dietary guidance with cooked vegetables and whole grains).
Within weeks, she reported improved sleep quality and fewer nighttime awakenings. After four months, she discontinued SZRT, maintaining restful sleep six months later, with no evidence of disease on March 2025 scans. She remained active, practicing yoga and meditation, though she sought further support for medication-related fatigue in June 2025.
Mechanisms and Evidence for TEAM DT and SZRT
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KEY POINTS
- Supportive Role of Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM): Research suggests TEAM, including dietary therapy (DT) and herbal therapy (HT), can support cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation by managing side effects and improving quality of life.
- Evidence from Case Studies: These two cases illustrate how TEAM DT and HT helped an 84-year-old with stage 4 bladder and kidney cancer and a 65-year-old with metastatic breast cancer, respectively, by alleviating symptoms like fatigue, insomnia and ulcers without adverse effects.
- Cultural Sensitivity: It seems likely that tailoring TEAM to patients' cultural preferences enhances treatment adherence and emotional well-being.
- Safety Considerations: The evidence leans toward TEAM being safe when integrated with conventional treatments, though careful monitoring for herb-drug interactions is essential.
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TEAM DT leverages the five flavors, seasonal eating, and thermal properties to restore form (nourishing yin) and function (tonifying qi), aiding treatment adherence. HT, using potent herbal decoctions, targets specific symptoms like gastrointestinal issues, fatigue and insomnia.
SZRT’s efficacy is supported by literature showing benefits in chronic insomnia, while Huang Qin Tang (Scutellaria Decoction), an 1,800-year-old formula, reduces chemotherapy side effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) and is under investigation in clinical trials (e.g., Phase 1 with irinotecan, Phase 2 with capecitabine). Bao He Wan (Preserve Harmony Pill) alleviates chemotherapy-related gastrointestinal symptoms, with active ingredients reducing inflammation and improving motility.
Safety and Challenges
The cases reported no adverse effects, but herb-drug interactions require monitoring. Providers must be dual-trained to manage risks, as patients often self-prescribe herbs. Limitations include small sample sizes, lack of objective tumor response data (especially in hospice settings) and reliance on subjective reports. Western research lags behind Asia’s focus on HT, with gaps in standardization, toxicity data and generalizability due to homogeneous study populations.
Broader Applications
TEAM is integrated into Western academic centers like Memorial Sloan Kettering and Cornell University through shared medical appointments, educational seminars and grocery tours. Table 1 of the study lists additional herbal formulas [e.g., Xiao Yao San (Rambling Powder) for mood, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) for fatigue)], with supporting studies. The study advocates for multidisciplinary training to overcome cultural and healthcare system differences.
Clinical Pearls
TEAM DT and HT offer a promising adjunct to chemotherapy and radiation, enhancing symptom management and quality of life. Personalized, culturally sensitive approaches, combined with caregiver engagement, are key. While challenges remain, ongoing research and training could solidify TEAM’s role in Western oncology.
Reference
- Loy M, Chen JK. Integrating traditional East Asian medicine dietary and herbal therapies for supporting cancer treatment and survivorship in the West. Perspect Integr Med, 2025;4(3):171-180. https://doi.org/10.56986/pim.2025.10.006 (free full text access).
