Polycystic kidney disease is the leading cause of fatal kidney failure. It is a genetic disorder. This disease causes uncontrolled growth of cells lining the tubules in the kidneys. The result is the formation of many, large fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys. There is no cure, nor suitable drug to help this condition. The current treatment options are kidney transplant or frequent dialysis.

Looking for treatment alternatives Yale scientists turned to Chinese Medicine. There is an increasing support for Chinese herb, Lei Gong Teng (Radix Tripterygii Wilfordii), it’s been shown to effectively treat arthritis. That’s another incurable condition.

However, it is not the only use of this herb. We can see it in herbal formulas for cancer, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. More recently, it also has been tested in Phase I clinical trials as an anti-tumor agent.

Furthermore, the study from Yale University found that this Chinese medicine also may stop cyst formation in polycystic kidney disease. Scientists are holding on hope for what would be the first treatment for this disease.

“If we were able to slow the rate of cyst formation by even 10 percent a year, compounded annually, patients would not die from this disease. A relatively small effect would have an enormous clinical benefit,” Dr Crews, one of the study authors said.