Dr. Murata and Dr. Hirono used prostisol (Chinese-Korean ginseng component), one of the stimulants of protein synthesis for the treatment of anemia in cancer patients solely or in combination with antineoplastic drugs. They administered prostisol to 43 patients with cancers of various organs. The 43 men were treated for more than three months and they were found to have lymph node metastasis and radical treatment seemed impossible, so they were given prostisol with antineoplastic drugs for six months, and then, the prostisol only.

As a result, 30 cases of 43 patients (70%) showed some clinical improvement and in nine patients there was no recurrence for more than one year. Considerable prolongation of survival time was noticed in six other patients even though they expired during treatment.

On these clinical investigations, Dr. Murata and Dr. Hirano concluded that prostisol seemed to be implicated in the immunologic mechanism and reticuloendo-thelial system, and would suppress the neoplastic process by way of increased resistance of the organism without adverse effects. The non-specific increase in resistance of the organism was found to be an important mechanism of ginseng in helping cancer patients.

Summary of Dr. Murata findings:

1. Chinese-Korean panax ginseng stimulates one's appetite, and therefore his or her physical strength develops and clinical improvement will be appreciable.

2. Chinese-Korean panax ginseng increases the number of red blood cells and blood pigments, leading to the reduction of anemia in cancer patients.

3. Chinese-Korean panax ginseng increases the number of white blood cells, particularly lymphocytes, leading to an increase in the capacity of the body to resist various diseases.

4. Chinese-Korean panax ginseng has an immunological effect against cancer as it stimulates the production of immune globulin.

5. Some unknown component of Chinese-Korean panax ginseng might function directly against neoplastic tumors.

Dr. Okuda reported that Chinese-Korean panax ginseng contains active components which inhibits the action of cancerous toxin, isolated from the ascites fluid of cancer patients, which causes cachexia.

Dr. Murata and Dr. Hirono reported that ginseng saponin administered orally for 30 days to breast cancer patients suffering from a high fever induced by radiation overdose was found to improve on the adverse effects of radiation therapy.