Sarcandra glabra, an herb native to Southeast Asia, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of bruises, bone fractures, arthritis, nausea, internal pain, and cough ⁽¹⁾. Some constituents are reported to have hepatoprotective ⁽²⁾ and cytotoxic ⁽³⁾ properties.

In vitro studies suggest S. glabra can protect against oxidative stress in mesenchymal stem cells ⁽¹⁵⁾. An acidic polysaccharide from S. glabra exhibited anticancer effects in human osteosarcoma cells ⁽¹⁶⁾. S. glabra inhibited tumor growth in human leukemic cell lines ⁽⁸⁾.

In animal studies, S. glabra constituents demonstrate anti-inflammatory ^(17) (18) and anti-diabetic ⁽¹⁹⁾ activities. S. glabra increases platelet production and may play a role in reducing chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia ⁽⁵⁾. It also exhibits protective effects against viral pneumonia ⁽⁶⁾.

Clinical observation in humans suggest S. glabra may be useful in the treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura ⁽⁴⁾. S. glabra extract is marketed to cancer patients to relieve fatigue and as an alternative cancer treatment, but it has not been evaluated for these uses in clinical trials. However, it may relieve some cancer treatment-induced symptoms. One human study found it reduced radiation therapy-induced mucositis and xerostomia in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma ⁽⁹⁾. More studies are needed to confirm whether S. glabra can indeed control some cancer treatment-related symptoms and to further validate any antitumor potential.