Kidney Yang herbs boost ATP

In Jane Lyttleton's seminar, she talked about how certain Kidney Yang tonics boost mitochondrial ATP production by over 100%. Does anyone have a link to a study with this information in it? I have a patient who would very much like to read it (and so would I).
I tried to find Jane's email address on the internet, to no avail. (perhaps she will read this?)
Thanks in advance.

Hi rachel

here is one of the references to the research on ATP and yang herbs. It is probably the best one, but this group of authors have published quite a lot in this area. There are some other links below the abstract.

hope you find it as interesting as I did. The other area these guys are researching (and other groups too) is the enhancement of antioxidant activity with herbs.

all the best
Jane

Phytomedicine. 2006 Nov;13(9-10):636-42.
A characteristic pharmacological action of 'Yang-invigorating' Chinese tonifying herbs: enhancement of myocardial ATP-generation capacity.

Ko KM, Leon TY, Mak DH, Chiu PY, Du Y, Poon MK.
Department of Biochemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong SAR, China.

In order to investigate the pharmacological basis of 'Yang-invigorating' action, the effect of oral treatment with the methanolic extract of 'Yang-invigorating' herbs on ATP-generation capacity was examined, using heart homogenates prepared from herb-pretreated mice. Tonifying (i.e., health-promoting) herbs of other functional categories were also included for comparison. The results indicated that 'Yang-invigorating' Chinese tonifying herbs could invariably enhance myocardial ATP-generation capacity, with the extent of stimulation varying among the herbs. In contrast, 'Yin-nourishing' herbs either did not stimulate or even decreased myocardial ATP-generation capacity. While 'Qi-invigorating' herbs produced variable effects on myocardial ATP-generation capacity, most of the 'blood-enriching' herbs did not cause any significant changes. The results obtained from studies using myocardial mitochondrial fractions isolated from herb-pretreated mice suggest that 'Yang-invigorating' herbs might speed up ATP generation by increasing mitochondrial electron transport. The ensemble of results has provided evidence for the first time to support the pharmacological basis of 'Yang invigoration' in Chinese medicine.

Related Links
Pharmacological basis of 'Yin-nourishing' and 'Yang-invigorating' actions of Cordyceps, a Chinese tonifying herb. [Life Sci. 2004]
Pharmacological basis of 'Yang-invigoration' in Chinese medicine. [Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2004]
Enhancement of ATP generation capacity, antioxidant activity and immunomodulatory activities by Chinese Yang and Yin tonifying herbs. [Chin Med. 2007]
A yang-invigorating Chinese herbal formula enhances mitochondrial functional ability and antioxidant capacity in various tissues of male and female rats. [Rejuvenation Res. 2005]
[Potential effects of the methods for warming yang and nourishing yin on long-term prognosis of chronic heart failure] [Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2006]

Excerpts from the article/study Dana spoke of:

Chinese tonifying herbs such as Herba Cistanche, Ganoderma and Cordyceps, which possess antioxidant and/or immunomodulatory activities, can be useful in the prevention and treatment of age-related diseases. Pharmacological studies on Yang and Yin tonifying herbs suggest that Yang tonifying herbs stimulate mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation, presumably through the intermediacy of reactive oxidant species, leading to the enhancement of cellular/mitochondrial antioxidant status. Yin tonifying herbs, however, apart from possessing antioxidant properties, exert mainly immunomodulatory functions that may boost a weak immune system and may also suppress overreactive immune responses. The abilities of Yang and Yin Chinese tonifying herbs to enhance ATP generation and to exhibit antioxidant and/or immunomodulatory actions are the pharmacological basis for their beneficial effects on the retardation of aging.

Yang tonifying herbs stimulate mitochondrial ATP generation, leading to the enhancement of cellular/mitochondrial antioxidant status, presumably through the intermediacy of ROS. Yin tonifying herbs, which also possess antioxidant properties, are mainly immunomodulatory, thereby boosting weak immune functions and suppressing overreactive or unbalanced immune responses. Cordyceps, highly regarded as a tonifying herb with a dual action of Yin and Yang, stimulates mitochondrial ATP generation and enhances cellular immune responses. Given that impairment in mitochondrial functional ability and antioxidant status, and a decline in immunocompetence, are believed to be critically involved in the development of age-related diseases and the aging process, the abilities of Yang and Yin tonifying herbs to enhance ATP generation capacity and to produce antioxidant and immunomodulatory actions are beneficial for safeguarding health and delaying the onset of senility (Figure 1). While animal models may be used for testing working hypotheses on Yang and Yin tonifying actions, clinical studies, using Yang and Yin tonifying herbs and/or defined chemicals isolated from the herbs or synthesized in the laboratory, on age-related variations in antioxidant and immune function, would be of considerable value.

Hi Jane,
Thanks so much for your reply. While trying to find your email address, I learned that you are hard to stalk on the Internet! (this might be a good thing).
The patient is a pharmacist, and will be interested to read this study. She is 33 years old, and has been seeing me on and off for 2 years. At first, we cleared Blood Stagnation and some Damp Heat. Underneath that is a (what must be) serious Kidney Jing (Yang>Yin) deficiency. Her tongue is red with a thin coat, and deeply cracked all over. Her pulse is not terribly deficient in the Kidney positions, but she lacks motivation/energy to get things done. Otherwise, she doesn't have a lot of Kidney Jing deficiency symptoms, unless she isn't revealing them. I do recall that one of the patients you shared with us had no overt signs of Kidney deficiency, until her IVF's failed. Then you tonified Kidney Jing, and the next IVF succeeded.
In these 2 years, she has had 3 IUI's and 2 fresh IVF cycles. She only produced about 12 eggs, and 4 embryos with each IVF. None of the embryos performed well, and I am thinking that improving the ATP production of her embryos might improve their performance. She wants to try another IVF.
She has been fairly compliant with herbs over time, but I would like to be a little more aggressive with them. I also suspect that her husband, who is an MD, might talk her out of taking them (not to mention her RE). This article could help a lot.
She is wondering about DNA fragmentation in her husband's sperm, too. He does have a teenaged son from a previous marriage, but that was 16 years ago. Our RE doesn't use DNA fragmentation assays, but she is thinking of switching to another RE who is less conservative than the one in town.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on her case. If you see any glaringly obvious signs I am missing, I would love your $0.02.
Thanks!

Hi guys.

Great topic! I remember being very excited to hear about those ATP and Kidney Yang herb studies when I took Jane's course. However, after reading the paper, it is important to remember that the study was done on mice and on the ATP extracted from their heart muscle and measured once the muscle was extracted from the mice and the mice were therefore dead. It is very exciting research and points to all those things that the study says. however I would be cautious about jumping to conclusions and make sure you preface the info with the caveat about the study being done on mice and measured on dead mouse heart muscle.

kaleb

if you want more of it let me know - just a bit much to post here.

CASE REPORTS
0015-0282/05/$30.00 Fertility and Sterility Vol. 84, No. 3, September 2005 756.e1
doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.02.049 Copyright ©2005 American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Published by Elsevier Inc.

Increased oocyte production after treatment with
dehydroepiandrosterone
David H. Barad, M.D., M.S.,a and Norbert Gleicher, M.D.b
a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York;
and b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
Objective: To describe a case of dramatically improved ovarian reserve in a 42.7-year-old woman who was using
the dietary supplement dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) as well as acupuncture.
Design: Case report.
Setting: Private IVF center.
Patient(s): A 42.7-year-old patient with initial severely decreased ovarian reserve.
Intervention(s): Serial ovulation induction with concomitant use of DHEA dietary supplementation as well as
acupuncture.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Peak E2 concentration, oocytes retrieved, and cyropreservable embryos.
Result(s): In her first treatment cycle peak E2 was 1,211 pmol/mL. After seven months of DHEA supplementation
her peak E2 in cycle 8 was 18,000 pmol/mL. Because of fear of hyperstimulation we reduced her gonadotropin
stimulation by 25%. In the ninth cycle peak E2 was 9,178 pmol/mL, resulting in retrieval of 17 oocytes (16
embryos). In the last 11 months the patient has undergone nine treatment cycles while continuously and
dramatically improving her ovarian response and banking of 66 embryos overall.
Conclusion(s): This case illustrates the possibility that ovarian function may be salvaged, even in women of
advanced reproductive age. (Fertil Steril 2005;84:756.e1–3. ©2005 by American Society for Reproductive
Medicine.)
Key Words: Ovarian reserve, aging, DHEA, in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation
Ovarian reserve declines with age (1). When attempting IVF,
older women produce few oocytes (2) and yield few normal
embryos, even when exposed to maximal gonadotropin stimulation
(3). In this report we present a unique case which
raises the possibility that ovarian function may be salvaged,
even in a woman of advanced reproductive age.
CASE REPORT
This 43-year-old single woman was seeking embryo cryobanking
for postthaw aneuploidy screen (4) to preserve an
option for future pregnancy. She was of northern European
background. Her menarche occurred at age 11 years. She had
a history of lifelong regular 28- to 30-day menstrual cycles
with 5 to 6 days of bleeding. She used oral contraceptives
intermittently throughout her adult life. She had no history of
obesity or hirsutism. She never previously attempted to
become pregnant. Her body mass index (BMI) at first visit
was 21.8; over the one year of treatment her BMI increased
to 23.2. Her endocrine work-up was unremarkable with PRL
of 13.42 ng/mL (0.583 pmol), TSH of 2.48 mIU/mL, and
cycle day two E2 of 67.6 pmol/L, FSH of 6.29 IU/L, and LH
of 4.64 IU/L. During her 11 months of treatment her peak
cycle day 3 serum FSH was 15 IU/L. Ovulation induction
was accomplished in each cycle using norethindrone acetate
tablets (10 mg) for 10 days, starting on day two of menses,
followed three days later by 40 g of leuprolide acetate,
twice daily, and, after another three days, by either (cycle 1)
600 IU of FSH (Ares-Serono, Geneva, Switzerland), (cycle
2–8) 450 IU of FSH and 150 IU of hMG (Ares-Serono), or
(cycle 9) 300 IU of FSH plus 150 IU hMG. When the lead
follicle diameter was 18 to 20 mm, follicular maturation was
triggered with injection of 10,000 IU hCG, with oocyte
retrieval 34 hours later. After her first cycle, the patient
independently began self-administration of 75 mg per day of
oral micronized dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and also
initiated weekly acupuncture treatment.

HI rachel

I'm sure you are doing all the right things - in cases like this I DO think about the K jing even in younger women. But only after treating K yin and yang first, or as well. If she is not motivated then boosting her K yang (alongside plenty of K yin herbs to protect from heating effects) might be just what is needed, at the same time may boost ATP production in her eggs so they can drive the embryo development further. My herb supplier here tells me that getting Rou Cong Rong with active ingredients is more difficult now, so I'm using Suo YAng and Bu Gu Zhi more in the formulas before ovulation.

yes i am hard to find in the internet - its partly that I just havent found time to do a web site and partly hiding!