Thunder God Vine Treats Cancer and Joint Pain, but at a High Price

Thunder God Vine Treats Cancer and Joint Pain, but at a High Price
Igor Zh./Shutterstock
Conan Milner
Updated:

Modern medicine often dismisses the value of herbs in treating illness. But a traditional Chinese herb known as thunder god vine (lei gong teng) is a different story. For decades, researchers have been examining thunder god vine in hopes of turning it into a drug to treat AIDS, psoriasis, cancer, and more.

The biggest obstacle to both traditional herbalists and modern drug makers is the herb’s highly poisonous nature. Thunder god vine’s other name, qi bu si, means “seven steps to death.”

Traditional Use

Thunder god vine is native to China, Burma, Japan, and other East Asian countries. It has been used for at least 400 years to treat joint pain, swellings, and skin problems. It is still used extensively in China to treat arthritis and autoimmune diseases that are conventionally treated with corticosteroid drugs like prednisone, without impacting the adrenal glands.

However, you won’t find this herb in American health food stores. In U.S. acupuncture schools, students learn about dozens of traditional Chinese herbs, but they are rarely, if ever, taught about thunder god vine. There are many other Chinese herbs used to treat arthritis, inflammation, and auto-immune problems, though none of them work quite like thunder god vine.

Conan Milner
Conan Milner
Author
Conan Milner is a health reporter for the Epoch Times. He graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and is a member of the American Herbalist Guild.
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