Chinese Herbal Formula to Protect Against Food Allergy Ready for Phase 2 FDA Trials
One of the most exciting recent developments in the treatment of food allergy is the development of Food Allergy Herbal Formula 2 (FAHF-2), a combination of nine herbs from traditional Chinese medicine. The therapy is based on a traditional formula called Wu Mei Wan (used for gastrointestinal parasitosis), but has since been modified to remove some ingredients and add others, in an effort to improve the safety profile and increase effectiveness for food allergy. Wu Mei Wan is one of the classic herbal formulas taught to students of traditional Chinese medicine. Over time, it has become apparent that the active ingredients may have utility beyond the original application. Previous animal studies have demonstrated that FAHF-2 not only protects severely peanut-allergic mice from reactions during peanut challenge, but also that the beneficial effects may last for up to 6 months after discontinuing treatment. Phase 1 human trials in the United States have shown promise t...