Lei Gong Teng Pian Opelousas LA

Lei Gong Teng Pian mainly functions to eliminate dampness by dispelling pathogenic wind, alleviating pain by subduing swelling, promoting circulation by activating the meridians and collaterals, and cleansing toxins by expelling pathogenic heat. The formula is primarily used to treat arthralgia due to pathogenic wind, cold and dampness.

Tablet: 10mg of polyglycoside per pill. Orally taken. Each day, 1-1.5mg per 1kg of body weight, the largest dosage per day should not exceed 90mg. Divided into 3 administrations. 2-3 months constitute one course of treatment.

Contraindication: Pregnancy.

Toxicity: Acute toxicity test on rats show that Lei Gong Teng cortex can induce significant pathologic change to cardiac muscles, forming multiple tiny myolysis focuses, causing renal tuber cell degeneration and necrosis, and lymphocyte disintegration. In rats, the organs most sensitive to the toxicity of Lei Gong Teng total saponins are those of the gastrointestinal system, the hematopoietic system, and the germinal epithelium of testis. Either prolonged use or overdose of Lei Gong Teng inhibits white blood cells and blood platelets in dogs, and can cause damages to the germinal epithelium of dogs, rats, and mice, inhibiting spermatogonium division and resulting in a decrease in, or complete disappearance of, various germ cells.(1)

Health Conditions: Exercise caution when administering to patients with heart, liver, or kidney problems, or with a low white blood cell count.

Side effects: There have been reports of one case of Lei Gong Teng overdose, and one case of Lei Gong Teng poisoning resulting in acute renal failure.(2),(3)

Effects on the reproductive system: An analysis of semen specimens taken from subjects before and after treatment with this formula finds that the treatment introduces macrophages and causes microencapsulation of sperm cells.(4) Furthermore, experiments show that when administered to rats, Lei Gong Teng monomers T₄, T₇, T₁₅, and T₁₀ can lower the levels of total alkaline protein and sperm nucleus protein in the subject's semen.(5) Also, both total glycosides of tripterygimum wilfordii (GTW) and T₄ can cause morphologic changes to male rat's anterior pituitary LH cells, resulting in castration-like changes in LH cells.(6)

Effects arthritis: Administered to rats of collagen-induced arthritis at 15 and 30mg/kg, tripterine, an active component of Lei Gong Teng, can alleviate foot swelling and inhibit the production of interleukin-1 and interleukin-2.(7) Lei Gong Teng film can significantly decrease rat's inflammatory rat tissue's capillary permeability, decrease the content of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in inflammatory tissues, and significantly alleviate pain.(8) Lei Gong Teng polyglycosides (TWP) can lower the levels of IL-1 and IL-6 in rats of adjuvant-induced arthritis, significantly inhibiting the proliferation of spleen cells.(9)

Effects on immunity: TWP has an inhibitory effect on the activation of T cells, the production of IL-2, the expression of IL-2 receptors, and activated T cell's reaction to IL-1.(10) Wilformine, an active component of Lei Gong Teng, can inhibit the autonomous proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in SLE cases and the function of B cells.(11) Through interfering with the DNA synthesis of lymphocytes, T₁₀ can inhibit the immunologic function of lymphocytes and cause structural damages.(12)

Suppressing graft rejection: Experiments show that T₄ can prolong the survival time of mice with a transplanted heart, and lessen the rate of the grafted organ being rejected.(13) Prior to grafting, immersing the skin in 15% Lei Gong Teng decoction at 37C (98.6K) for one hour can significantly delay the occurrence of graft rejection (P<0.01).(14)

Anti-inflammatory effects: At either 400 or 200 mg/kg, a water-based extract of Lei Gong Teng leaves has a significant inhibitory effect on carrageenin-induced swelling in rats, on dimethylbenzene-induced auricular infection and acetic acid-induced body twisting in mice, indicating that Lei Gong Teng has significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.(15) Lei Gong Teng microcapsules (5-15mg/kg) are shown to have a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on canavaline-induced proliferation of spleen cells in mice.(16)

Antineoplastic effects: A new component that has an antineoplastic activity has been isolated from Lei Gong Teng extract. Administered by abdominal injections for 2-3 times, this new component of Lei Gong Teng can significantly prolong the survival time of mice of H22, S180, EAC and mammary cancer. Fed to mice of S37 and of 3-MCA-induced experimental lung cancer, it can inhibit the growth of the respective tumors by 42% and 65.13%. At 10 or 20 micrograms/ml, it can kill 95% of HL60 cells in 48 hours, and at 20 or 40 micrograms/ml, it can kill 90% of Daudi cells in 48 hours. At 5.10 micrograms/ml, it enhances the phagocytic function of isolated mouse peritoneal macrophage; at 20 micrograms/ml or above, however, its action reverts to inhibition.(17)

Miscellaneous effects: Experiments show that Triptolide can inhibit the expression of IL-5 and GM-CSF in asthmatic guinea pigs, indicating that Lei Gong Teng has the potential for treating asthma-induced inflammation.(18)

Rheumatoid arthritis
Two groups of arthritis patients were treated with two kinds of pills containing different amounts of triptolide. Group A, of 36 patients, was treated with a pill containing 50mg of triptolide, two pills a time, three times a day; and Group B, of 32 patients, was treated with a pill containing 15mg of triptolide, beginning with one pill a time, three times a day, with the dose gradually increased to three pills a time, three times a day. The results (short-term): Group A: 2 cases resolved, 13 significantly improved, 16 improved, and 5 did not respond to the treatment, with a total effective rate of 86.1%. For Group B, the corresponding numbers were: 2, 7, 21, 2, and 93.8% respectively.(19)

Another study compared the effects of Lei Gong Teng and a Lei Gong Teng compund on the immunologic function of arthritis patients, and found that Lei Gong Teng had a relatively strong inhibitory effect on immunity, and could be an especially appropriate treatment for patients of acute rheumatoid arthritis with an elevated IgG and a dependence on hormones.(20)

Asthma
One study treated 37 cases of infantile asthma with Lei Gong Teng Pian. A follow-up conducted eight months after the treatment found that the treatment had been effective on 33 patients, with a total effective rate of 89.18%.(21)

Another study treated 32 cases of severe bronchial asthma with Lei Gong Teng Pian (20mg a time, 3 times a day). After 5-35 days of treatment, 27 cases significantly improved and 5 improved.(22)

Renal diseases
One study treated 15 cases of refractory infantile nephritis with Lei Gong Teng Pian (1.5mg/kg/day, administered in three takings). One unit of treatment consisted two 12-week periods, with the second 12-week period seeing only intermittent administrations of Lei Gong Teng Pian, but with another medication added: prednisone (2mg/kg/day, administered in three takings). The results: 8 cases resolved, 5 entered remission, and 2 entered partial remission.(23)

Another study treated 60 cases of nephritis with Lei Gong Teng Pian (60mg/day, administered in three takings). One unit of treatment consisted two 3-month periods. After the first three months, the patients rested two weeks and then continued the medication as follows: if they did not respond to the first three months' treatment, they continued the medication at full dosage; otherwise, the dosage was cut by half. The results: after the first three months, 26 cases significantly improved, 10 improved, and 24 did not respond to the treatment.(24)

Lupus erythematosus
Lei Gong Teng Pian was used to treat 34 cases of lupus erythematosus. The daily dosage was the equivalent to 20-30 grams of raw herbs. This study reported a total effective rate of 91.5%.(25)

Transplant rejection
Lei Gong Teng monomer T2 was used to prevent homologuous kidney transplant rejection and its effect was compared with that of azathioprine. The study found that T2 promoted post-transplant recovery and its rejection rate was not significantly different from that of azathioprine.(26)

Hives
One study treated 30 cases of hives with Lei Gong Teng Pian (20mg each time, three times a day). A comparison group of 30 cases was treated with pyrantel (4mg each time, three times a day). One unit of treatment called for ten consecutive days of treatment. The results after 1-3 units of treatment: the treatment group saw 25 cases significantly improved, 1 improved, and 4 with no effect; the corresponding numbers for the comparison group were 12, 5, and 13 resepctively.(27)